Sheffield Joins The Clean Air Party
There’s
an old and worn-out saying about buses; wait for one and three arrive
at the same time. You’ve probably heard it many times. And yet,
when applied to the ongoing clean air agenda, it seems remarkably
apt. Yes, buses are a prime contributor to poor quality air and yes,
when one clean air zone consultation is announced, several others
arrive at the same time.
So,
following from Manchester’s recent CAZ announcements the Sheffield
Clean Air Zone consultation is also now underway. And the clock is
ticking.
All
We Need Is the Air That We Breathe
Like
Manchester, Sheffield City Council is running a public consultation
on their CAZ proposals. Sheffield has developed proposals to
introduce a ‘daily Clean Air charge’. It will target the most
polluting vehicles that access the city centre, and the zone extends
out to the city’s inner ring road.
Like
Manchester, the levy won’t apply to private vehicles, but buses,
lorries (HGVs), taxi and private hire vehicles and vans (LGVs) that
don’t meet minimum emission standards are all included. For
example, polluting HGV’s can expect a wince-inducing daily charge
of £50 to enter the Sheffield CAZ. The plans are expected to be in
place by 2021.
The
consultation timeframe opened on 1st
July and runs to 25th
August. Sheffield City Council is billing the consultation as an
open conversation. Councillor Bob Johnson at Sheffield City Council
said:
“This
is the start of a vitally important conversation for the city, and we
want everyone to have their say on the clean air zone and the support
that is available.”
Stakeholders
can find the
Sheffield clean air zone questionnaire on this website,
and it’s by no means limited to Sheffield residents and businesses
so everyone who will be impacted by this CAZ can add their views.
Money,
Money, Money
Again,
like Manchester, Sheffield council are seeking government funding to
develop the Sheffield clean air zone. A fund of £50m is intended to
help affected Sheffield drivers to upgrade their vehicles to be CAZ
complaint.
To
be fully compliant vehicles entering Sheffield from 2021 will need to
be low emission and eco-friendly either electric, petrol-hybrid,
hydrogen or gas-powered. It’s expected buses, coaches, vans and
HGVs will be electric or have very modern diesel engines.
A
Rocky Road Ahead?
The
similarities to Manchester’s proposals are remarkable. Both cities
are taking broadly the same approach. Both authorities, it seems,
understand the potential impacts of a CAZ on residents and businesses
and have designed their proposals to minimise economic damage.
In Manchester’s case, their government funding request was rejected with only a fraction of the money applied for being made available. It will be interesting to see if the Sheffield clean air zone gets the same treatment from Environmental Minister Therese Coffey. Will Sheffield also be requested to curtail their funding? We’ll soon see.
Get
Ahead Of The Game
Whatever
happens, a CAZ of some form will be implemented in Sheffield. And we
can be sure the delivery sector will be asked to cough up their
contribution. Unless that is, they have invested in vehicles like our
TRAILAR enabled trucks and vans.
Before
we know it, 2021 will be here, so don’t get caught out. Make some
sage decisions now. One of those choices should definitely be a call
to the Truckcraft team to discuss how our innovative products can
help you with your CAZ-related worries.
For more information on our CAZ-friendly delivery trucks and vans, please contact the Truckcraft Bodies sales team on 0161 304 9404. Alternatively, email glen.pinder@truckcraftbodies.co.uk or emma.jane@truckcraftbodies.co.uk.
Published: Aug 19