Cleaner air
Our members are committed to improving air quality, reducing congestion and dwell time to find parking spaces to support the government’s clean air strategy
Air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and transport emissions is a significant source of that pollution. The immediate air quality challenge is to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides in the areas where concentrations of these harmful gases currently exceed legal limits. Reducing particulate matter or PM2.5 is also now a priority.
Clean Air Zones (CAZ) aim to reduce NO2 emissions in the worst effected areas. There are two types of CAZ, one that is charged for and one that is not. There is also the Ultra Low Emission Zone, which operate in London.
Local authorities are required to assess local air quality and develop an Air Quality Action Plan to reduce pollution to within statutory limits. Government grants helps local authorities to implement their plans. Clean Air Zones are designed to tackle the most polluted spots. These are believed to be the best way to discourage polluting vehicles and encourage electric vehicle use as well as walking and cycling.
Parking contraventions in CAZs
Parking contravention Code 17 relates to on street parking (see the full list here) and is reserved for road user charging schemes and NOT specifically CAZs. However if a CAZ has a road user charging aspect then Code 17 would be applicable, with further localised definition. It is up to highways authorities to further define this Code.
Park Active
Improving our air quality also requires supporting additional initiatives and the implementation of other schemes that we support, such as ParkActive.
More information
Information to support our members to achieve cleaner air and promote active travel is in our Resource Library.
Types of Clean Air Zones
There are 4 types of Clean Air Zones, Class A to D. Class D is the only class that includes cars.
| Class | Vehicle type |
|---|---|
| A | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles |
| B | Heavy goods vehicles, plus Class A vehicles |
| C | Vans, minibuses, plus Class B vehicles |
| D | Cars, plus Class C vehicles and the option to include motorcycles |
To avoid paying in a CAZ vehicles must meet minimum emissions standards:
| Vehicle type | Clean Air Zone minimum standard |
|---|---|
| Buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles | Euro VI |
| Vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire vehicles, cars | Euro 6 (diesel) and Euro 4 (petrol) |
| Motorcycles | Euro 3 |
Latest developments on Clean Air Zones
This is the latest information on the implementation of CAZs in cities across England. See also a live map of the cities and areas where CAZs are being implemented or considered here.
Reducing Nitrogen Dioxide levels
The councils that have a duty to implement a full business plan to comply with legal limits of Nitrogen Dioxide in the shortest possible time, are listed here. The most recent councils are Coventry, Leeds and Southampton.
Status of CAZs
| Location | Launch | Class |
| Bath | Active March 2021 | C |
| Birmingham | Active June 2021 | D |
| Portsmouth | Active November 2021 | B |
| Bradford | Active September 2022 | C+ |
| Bristol | Active November 2022 | D |
| Greater Manchester | Under review | Under review |
| Tynside | Active 20 January 2023 | C |
| Sheffield | Active 27 February 2023 | C |
| Newcastle & Gateshead | Active January 2023 | B now and C in July |
Clean Air Fund Support
The Clean Air Fund (CAF) supports individuals and businesses affected by local air quality plans. Government funding is available for vehicle upgrade and retrofit schemes, improvements to bus fleets, installation of electric chargepoints, provision of park and ride services, concessionary travel schemes and freight consolidation centres.
Scotland
Scotland has four Low Emission Zones (LEZ) in operation Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. These LEZs ban non-compliant vehicles, rather than charging for entry, and are therefore expected to have a fast and direct impact on emissions.
| Location | Launch | Enforcement starts |
| Glasgow | May 2022 | 1 June 2023 residents (buses already are) |
| Edinburgh | May 2022 | 1 June 2024 |
| Dundee | May 2022 | 30 May 2024 |
| Aberdeen | May 2022 | 1 June 2024 |
The transition to green transport
Our members are growing the EV chargepoint nework, reducing emissions through parking and traffic management including enforcement and nudge, Park Active, CAZs, LEZs and reducing the driving/circling time to find parking spaces through apps, and lots more parking technology solutions. What more can we be doing to reduce transport emissions? Together we can contribute to lowering global emissions from transport, which currently stands at 10%.
Air quality news
Air quality: policies, proposals and concerns House of Commons Library Research Briefing 2023
Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Air Pollution Report 2022
DEFRA's UK Air website UK Air
Transport workforce needs to adapt for a net zero future - DfT consultation response: Transport Labour Market and Skills here
Climate-related mortality and hospital admissions, England & Wales 2001 to 2020 Office for National Statistics
Unlocking local action on clean air IPPR report 2023 calls on councils to be given more powers and funding to clean air
World Health Organisation air quality guidelines 2021 here.
Air pollution shortens lives more than any other external cause Guardian 2021 here
Government Transport Decarbonisation Plan, 2021 here
BPA Blog - The race to decarbonise transport is on and the parking sector is playing a key role here
Fleet News guide to the proposed CAZs here.
Government CAZ webpage here.
Government has 'a long way to go' to meet emissions target from cars - report here.
Reducing air pollution could boost the UK economy - CBI report says reducing air pollution could boost the UK economy by £1.6bn a year Breathing life into the UK economy
Particulate Matter
Premature mortality due to air pollution in European cities: a health impact assessment, The Lancet 2021.