Motorists are being ‘suffocated’ by the rise of inner-city clean air zones such as London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) as they struggle to understand their different rules, according to a new study.
More than one in five motorists do not know what the Euro emissions standard of their own car is, despite the fact that most of the country’s thirteen zones defined by this benchmark for a vehicle’s pollution levels comply.
The survey of 3,000 British motorists – carried out by YouGov – also found that only 56 percent know what the ULEZ is, while fewer than one in five understood the rules for Oxford’s stricter Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ).
British drivers are ‘suffocated’ by the variety of clean air zone rules across Britain: a new study has found motorists are being cheated by the different requirements to enter 13 emissions zones in the country
The research, on behalf of car management app Caura, was conducted in the week leading up to the August 29 expansion of London’s ULEZ by Mayor Sadiq Khan.
But with the emissions-related charging zone boundary now four times larger than before, covering all 32 London boroughs, only 56 percent of respondents said they knew the requirements for a vehicle to enter the ULEZ for free.
This is despite the fact that those who do not meet the required standards must pay £12.50 per day to drive in the zone.
Since ULEZ was first introduced in 2019 – and a series of other clean air zones subsequently set up in other major cities – Euro emissions standards usually determine whether a motorist has to pay to enter or not.
For example, the ULEZ and Birmingham CAZ require petrols to meet at least the Euro 4 standard, while diesel vehicles must meet the latest Euro 6 emissions.
Yet 81 percent of the 3,000 motorists surveyed said they had no idea which Euro standard their car meets.
Despite the YouGov poll being conducted the week before last month’s ULEZ extension, only 56% of respondents said they knew the rules around which cars can gain free entry
Looking further outside the capital, only 19 percent of motorists surveyed know the requirements to get to Oxford ZEZ by car, where charges apply to all vehicles except non-electric vehicles – including hybrids – with varying costs depending on how green the car is.
Furthermore, only 29 per cent of respondents knew what the emissions requirements are for driving a CAZ, of which there are currently seven – Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Newcastle and Gateshead and Sheffield – although not all impose charges on passenger cars.
Scotland’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has also recently been introduced in Glasgow and will arrive in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh in 2024.
Again, it’s very different to other areas in the UK in terms of who gets stung.
Although it has the same emission standard requirement as ULEZ, owners of non-compliant vehicles will be fined for entry instead of daily charges.
The initial fine for all non-compliant vehicles will be set at £60, reduced by 50 per cent if paid within fourteen days.
However, a surcharge will be charged for any subsequent violation of the same LEZ within a 90-day period. This doubles the fine amount for each rule violation.
The maximum daily fine for car and van drivers is up to £480.
Only after 90 days of the last breach of the rules will the surcharge rate be reset to £60.
Caura says the varying rules and regulations around all the different zones are a major concern going forward, especially after the “chaos that caused” at the end of August when ULEZ was expanded and with more municipalities looking to adopt clean air zone models in the future. .
It also comes in the wake of Bath last week introducing ULEZ-style rules with variable prices for the use of council-run car parks.
Despite Bath having a Euro Emissions Standard based system for its CAZ, charges for using city center car parks are based on vehicle excise duty, adding to the confusion.
Newcastle and Gateshead are just one of seven Clean Air Zones that currently exist in Britain, although there are different levels of CAZ, meaning not all passenger cars pay
Caura believes that some authorities are failing motorists when it comes to providing information on emissions-related zones and regulations, and that more needs to be done in terms of education and standardization of requirements.
For example, on the day the ULEZ expanded to include the UK’s largest airport, London Heathrow, it looked for information on the Transport for London website about the zone, but encountered server errors and queues to get to the home page to go. .
However, as the YouGov survey shows, this is because drivers don’t have the knowledge or sufficient tools to be aware.
Dr. Sai Lakshmi, CEO and founder of Caura, who described the study findings as ‘shocking’, said: ‘On August 29, the day the (ULEZ) extension came into effect, TfL experienced a wave of hurdles after its website struggled to manage overwhelming traffic, leaving motorists stranded and unable to verify their vehicle’s eligibility for the latest regulations.
‘Incidents such as these highlight exactly why drivers in Britain need a sleek and capable platform, which takes the stress out of maintaining and owning a car, which has already proven difficult due to increasing pressures on the environment.’
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