Clean air zones are very much in the news as more cities around the UK look to drive down pollution by restricting, or even banning, certain vehicles.
Bristol is the latest to get on the go-green bandwagon by becoming the UK’s first city to plan a ban on diesel cars from entering parts of the city centre in a bid to cut air pollution, particularly high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). A wider clean air zone (CAZ) is proposed to extend further away from the city centre.
The city council has agreed to ban privately-owned diesel cars from a central zone during the day. Commercial vehicles will pay to enter the area. It is due to start in 2021 but needs government approval.
London already has a low-emission zone and other UK cities, including Sheffield and Leicester, are debating having one. Meanwhile, Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton are required introduce a CAZ by next year to improve air quality and address sources of pollution.
Expect other cities to follow suit as they are forced to clean up their act to meet targets.
Local authorities create CAZs with measures in place to improve air quality. In a charging zone, drivers and companies pay a fee to go into it if their vehicles do not meet the environmental standard, normally based on its Euro emissions standard.
For lorries and coaches, this fee could be £50 to £100 a day so there are significant benefits to having electric and the latest Euro 6-compliant vehicles.
Many of these schemes involve older, more polluting diesel vehicles being banned from certain areas or vehicles having to pay to enter zones. Similar systems exist in many European cities.
CAZs are great news for people living, working and visiting the city centres but have a knock-on effect for drivers, companies making deliveries and transport operators.
Credo Asset Finance marketing manager Fran Brown asks: “Are you Euro 6-compliant? Is this part of your business plan?
“It’s a considerable expense for a lot of companies and, while it might not apply to you or your business at the moment, it may in the future.”
So where does Credo fit into cleaning up our cities?
As well as brokering finance from around 20 hand-picked, trusted lenders, we provide our own book finance which opens up lending to a wider range of customers and for more diverse and unusual assets.
We can find you the best finance deal, tailored to best suit you and your company’s needs under our responsible lending ethos, on a range of transport assets, be they cars, vans, lorries or coaches.
“So, if you want to talk to us about your future business plan we are here to help. It’s better to do in your own timeframe rather than having it thrust upon you.”
Call us today on 01603 381955