Bristol introduces £9-a-day charge on older cars TODAY

Bristol is the latest city in Britain to introduce an emissions tax for drivers, meaning those with older petrol and diesel cars will pay £9 a day to use certain roads.

Bristol’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) went live at midnight and will become the sixth charging zone in the UK to hit motorists’ pockets.

Drivers of polluting older vehicles face a £9 daily fee to enter the central part of the city and part of the Portway in an effort to reduce air pollution.

There will be a number of exemptions for residents, people on low incomes, holders of a Blue Badge and hospital visitors. However, these are heavily reserved and almost all expire at the end of March 2023.

Mayor Marvin Rees described its introduction as ‘a milestone for clean air in Bristol’.

It comes just days after London Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed that the ultra-low emission zone in the capital will be expanded in August 2023.

The ULEZ will cover all 33 boroughs of the city, stretching more than 30 miles from Uxbridge to Upminster and hundreds of thousands more drivers will have to pay the £12.50 daily fee to use London’s roads.

Bristol City Council estimates that around 30 per cent of vehicles entering the CAZ will be stung by the daily load, which accounts for around 75,000 engines.

This would generate funds amounting to at least £675,000 per day.

In September, a trial of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras monitoring the CAZ area was conducted for three weeks. During that period, nearly 100,000 motorists received warning letters that they would be charged starting today (Nov. 28).

Diesel cars, taxis and vans that don’t meet the latest Euro6 emissions standards (usually those registered before September 2015), while petrol models that don’t meet Euro4 (mostly those registered before January 2006) are hit with the £9 a day attack.

Those who want to drive to the city by car are requested to use the CAZ government vehicle control to see if their car complies.

Lorries, buses and coaches will be hit with a much higher cost of £100.

Bristol City Council said people ‘will not receive any written notice or warning of any kind’ that they have entered the CAZ or that a payment is due.

“Individuals and companies are fully responsible for managing this,” it added.

Failure to pay the daily charge will result in a full fine of £120, or £60 if paid within 14 days, as well as the outstanding daily charge.

However, during the first six weeks of the scheme’s implementation, people will be given the option of a ‘special payment offer’, giving them an additional seven days (21 in total) to pay the correct daily price for that trip.

The zone has an enforcement period of 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Mayor Rees said: ‘What an incredible milestone we have achieved today, the launch of Bristol’s Clean Air Zone to help create a city that is healthier for everyone to grow up, live and work in.

“We have always tried to reduce air pollution in Bristol to improve the health of the city, but we are also aware of the financial pressures people are currently facing.

“We’ve taken the time to find a way to clear our air while also providing support to those who need it most. Temporary waivers and financial assistance are still available, and I urge people to see if they qualify.’

Exemptions available, but only for FOUR MONTHS

While Bristol City Council has a number of different CAZ exemptions are available to residents and businesses, some are likely to cause confusion and be difficult to process – and almost all will expire within a few months.

Residents living in the CAZ can apply for an exemption, but it only lasts until 31 March 2023, meaning locals have just four months to replace their older car to avoid being put into £9 each day .

There is also an exemption for low-income workers, although it is heavily reserved.

It is only available to those who live outside the Bristol CAZ boundary and who work more than 18 hours a week at a business premises within the zone. Only those earning less than £26,000 per annum and no more than £13.51 per hour can apply.

Again, this waiver is only available until March 31, 2023.

Blue badge holders are only exempt if the vehicle with the badge is registered at their home address, while those who “take an occasional ride” in a blue badge non-compliant vehicle can apply to receive 30 daily exemptions. receive.

Again, the daily levy immunity for people with disabilities also expires at the end of March 2023.

Inpatients will escape the daily rate until March 31, 2023, after which a new exemption will apply from April 1 for a “limited number of patients identified by inpatient hospital staff as regular outpatients.”

Hospital visitors can only apply for short-term exemptions for seven days.

Bristol City Council has also confirmed that a vehicle forced into the CAZ due to official diversions from a road outside the zone, for example the M5, will not be hit with the daily charge.

Charging zones in 13 UK cities from summer 2023

Bristol is the fourth city to introduce a CAZ, following similar schemes in Bath, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Bradford.

In addition to London’s ULEZ, Oxford introduced a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) in February that bans all vehicles from some inner-city roads. Low Emission Zones in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow are also in effect, although charges will not be imposed in these Scottish cities until the second quarter of 2023.

New emission charging zones will also be introduced in Sheffield and Tyneside (covering areas of both Newcastle and Gateshead) from early next year.

It means 13 UK locations will charge a number of drivers to enter from next summer. Learn more about each emission tax zone in our comprehensive guide.