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You may have heard of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone but what is it? We’ll explain what we know and how it could affect you.
The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is a government initiative being introduced in Greater Manchester to improve air quality and make the region a greener, less polluted place to live. Like many areas across the country, Greater Manchester has illegal levels of air pollution on local roads which contributes to 1,200 deaths a year.
The scheme is being introduced with the aim of bringing levels of nitrogen dioxide to within legal limits and protecting everyone’s health, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
The Clean Air Zone covers all ten local authorities, basically most of the local roads in Greater Manchester including the city centre but it doesn’t include the Strategic Road Network of motorways and major trunk roads which are managed by National Highways.
Private cars, motorbikes and mopeds are not currently included.
Owners of buses, HGVs, taxis, vans, minibuses, coaches and motorcaravans that fail to meet emissions standards will be the first people to be affected.
The zone will be introduced in two phases with the first phase starting on 30th May 2022. This date is when the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be in operation and see the the worst-polluting eligible vehicles charged up to £50 per day to drive in the CAZ.
The following daily charges will apply for non-compliant vehicles:
A daily charge to motorcaravans will depend on the tax class of the vehicle. There are also some temporary exemptions in place for some eligible vehicles until 2023. If the daily charge isn’t paid, the driver would be liable to pay a Penalty Charge Notice of £120 in addition to the unpaid daily charge, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.
With these new changes on the way, there’s never been a better time to weigh up alternative vehicle options and consider investing in a hybrid or electric vehicle. There’s a multitude of benefits to driving electric whilst also minimising certain costs. If you’re a local business in the Greater Manchester, our fleet team would be more than happy to provide some further advice.
Explore our Hybrid and EV car range: EV Range