Liverpool clean air charging zone “highly likely”

The council will this week seek permission to trigger a consultation on introducing charges and other measures to reduce nitrogen dioxide in the city, as part of its Clean Air Plan.

Like other cities, Liverpool was compelled by the Government in 2018 to develop a Clean Air Plan that would reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide across the city to below legal minimum levels, in the shortest possible time.

Projects in the works in other cities including Manchester are combining the stick of charging zones with the carrot of incentive schemes to encourage trade-in of older, non-compliant commercial vehicles.

Birmingham is to launch its CAZ this summer, while a concentrated trade-in scheme in Leeds led to such a dramatic improvement in air quality that a designated zone is no longer required.

Early modelling in 2019 suggested a Clean Air Zone might be required for Liverpool, and more recent, detailed modelling conducted since means a CAZ is now highly likely to be required, according to a report going before Liverpool City Council’s cabinet on Friday.

The council’s recommendation is that charging be included in any planning as an essential measure, and that approval be granted to start public and stakeholder conversations, leading to a full consultation later this year.

Work carried out between Liverpool City Council, working with the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit, a partnership between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport – has concluded that the most effective CAZ would be one restricted to the city centre.

The zone would be either a CAZ Category C or D scheme. A C scheme means that all non-compliant diesel or petrol vehicles including buses, taxis, coaches, minibuses, HGVs and LGVs. A Category D classification would mean the addition of cars to that list.

The council’s report proposes that official conversations start to discuss measures to help people and businesses upgrade their vehicles, including a clean freight fund, clean taxi fund and clean bus fund, along with further measures to support behavioural improvements, such a better walking and cycling infrastructure and more electric vehicle charging points.

Progress is already being made at city-region level with the improvement of Liverpool’s buses, with £12.5m committed this week from the Transforming Cities Fund for 20 buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

To provide context on wider packages, Manchester is still awaiting Government responses on requests including £80m for a van/LGV replacement fund and £10.4m for taxi replacement – although it has secured £14.7m to retrofit buses, a projet started late in 2020.

An outline business case for Liverpool’s CAZ scheme, with a confirmed package of measures, will be made this summer with a full business case to follow in January 2022 ahead of proposed implementation by January 2023.

Since 2018, a total of £3.55m has been committed to getting the project to the full business case stage, the report said.

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“Since 2018, a total of £3.55m has been committed to getting the project to the full business case stage, the report said.”
What a complete waste of money- when shops are closing and businesses are struggling with high rates- these clowns are the worst

By Stuart

Liverpool desperately needs more investment. Goods can’t be delivered on bikes and anything to create more dreaded cycle lanes should be resisted at all costs. We have to live in the real world and this is not it.

By Red squirrel

Stuart – what a silly comment. If they skipped the business case process and then came out with an ill-thought scheme, you’d be criticising that too. £3.55m might well be money well spent in the wider context.

By Context

Why can’t Liverpool adopt the same scheme as Leeds, which will not have to have a charge or restrict access
Why hasn’t Liverpool applied to the Government for funding in the same way as Manchester?

By Forward Thinker

Red Squirrel what a very Parochial viewpoint. We have to share the city with many and surprise surprise the air we breath is really quite important. It really doesn’t take much imagination to see that cleaner air benefits us all and going on about further investment in the city is really irrelevant here.

By Anonymous

Red Squirrel – Cycle lanes aren’t dreaded if you’re on a bike. In any case, nobody is suggesting replacing all vehicle deliveries with bikes – it doesn’t say that anywhere.

By Jumping the Gum

Encouraging news – I think that it might be useful to cooperate with Manchester in aligning scopes and enforcement processes. Improvement of city centre air quality is a key goal but I feel that a key target should be HGV traffic to and from the the docks. The residents of Dunningsbridge Road deserve the relief of electric bi mode HGV’s or their way to and from Switch Island. (M57/M58). straight on to Dunningsbridge Road (A5036). There would be no need to destroy the Rimrose Valley,

By Bob Robinson

@ Place NW – The ‘Red Squirrel’ posts are false. They are impersonating me! I don’t read all articles but have been aware for quite a while that my identity on here had been stolen.
– Red Squirrel on the Sefton Coast –
I am very much in favour of cycle lanes by the way!

By Red Squirrel

What a complete waste of money, no one wants this and they have already spend millions of pounds of tax payers money- 100s of jobs losses and shop closers will happen and people will just drive to out of town shopping parks!

By Stuart

As a private hire taxi driver, already struggling to earn a wage, i will be refusing to take passengers into the city centre with this ridicules charge. therefore less visitors , less business for everyone ,Again the Liverpool council on the scam making band wagon, Government and councils make peoples lives a total misery how can they sleep at night?, because they all have no hearts. shame on you all racketeers

By G Murphy

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