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Birmingham's Clean Air Zone Approved

jukebox

jukebox

Engineer Brummie
See https://tinyurl.com/yybje8o4

Now I'm confused (again!) I thought the idea was to ban older polluting vehicles especially diesels. However the article states: Diesel cars older than a EURO 6 (manufactured before 2015) and petrol cars older than EURO 4 (made before 2006) are exempt from the charge, along with fully electric vehicles.
 
I think you misread that, this is the text :
  • Does the charge apply to newer cars?

Diesel cars older than a EURO 6 (manufactured before 2015) and petrol cars older than EURO 4 (made before 2006) will have to pay the charge..
 
I didn't misread it Eric - the bit in italics was cut and pasted from the article. They have obviously realised that they have made an error and changed it! :confused:
 
A quick read of these limitations suggest the following:
Bus and taxi (including private hire) fares will probably increase.
Outside the zone distribution centres might be set up allowing forwarding deliveries by electric or hybrid vehicles which will incur extra cost and presumably price rises.
It could deter those with older vehicles and visitors also with older vehicles from visiting and spending money in the city; nearby towns and suburbs might benefit from this of course.
Allowing for the various exemptions, numerous daily journeys (buses etc.) and actual imposition and collection of the charges suggests this scheme will be bureaucratic and costly.
 
At first sight of the map in the link quoted above by Jukebox, I was taken aback. It looked like I wouldn’t be able to keep driving around the inner circle looking for cascading windows.
 
So if your car is a diesel car manufactured 2015 or later or a petrol car manufactured 2006 or later there's no charge?

I don't go to town often but if I have to pay then I won't be going at all.
 
MWS said:
So if your car is a diesel car manufactured 2015 or later or a petrol car manufactured 2006 or later there's no charge?

I don't go to town often but if I have to pay then I won't be going at all.
Click to expand...
That's correct. I have a diesel registered in 2014 so I wont be able to drive that within the area surrounded by the A4540 ring road without suffering a charge. Fortunately, I also have an electric vehicle in which I can sit in traffic jams. I rarely drive into the city centre.
 
Radiorails said:
A quick read of these limitations suggest the following:
Bus and taxi (including private hire) fares will probably increase.
Outside the zone distribution centres might be set up allowing forwarding deliveries by electric or hybrid vehicles which will incur extra cost and presumably price rises.
It could deter those with older vehicles and visitors also with older vehicles from visiting and spending money in the city; nearby towns and suburbs might benefit from this of course.
Allowing for the various exemptions, numerous daily journeys (buses etc.) and actual imposition and collection of the charges suggests this scheme will be bureaucratic and costly.
Click to expand...
London has had these restrictions for some years now, It hasn't reduced deliveries or visitors. Most commercial vehicles get replaced every three years so it won't be too long before more and more vehicles become compliant.
 
I think a lot of visitors to London do not use their own transport and if they do they park outside the zone and get on the underground or buses for the inner areas. Unfortunately Birmingham does not have the high capacity efficient equivalent of the tube and is not assisted by continual road deviations.
This reminds me of the 'Porridge' episode where Lenny Godber, said to be from Birmingham (although really Smethwick) has an 'O' level in geography. Fletcher commented that he needed it to find his way around Birmingham. :laughing:
 
I think it's all a bit of a farce! How do you define "pollution". All diesel cars give out particulates which are extremely unpleasant and potentially dangerous to chronic asthmatics etc. Just as bad in Kings Heath & Moseley on the main roads both of which fail to meet EU standards but the council doesn't give a jot about the suburbs. My petrol car gives out very little particulates but does give out CO2 which we are told is a greenhouse gas but it doesn't make people sick like diesels but I am hit by excessive road tax. Just to rub it in some diesels hardly pay any tax.
 
Alan,

The great advantage about London's Underground is that you can get about the capital and stay dry even if is pouring with rain. Not so in Brum. I used to park in Richmond at the end of the line, where there is a large multi-storey car park adjacent to the station and with a ten minute frequency of tubes into the City. Coming from the south of the country, I'm not aware of a similar facility in Brum, are you? :) :)

Maurice
 
The only other city in the UK, as far as I know, with an underground rail system is Glasgow. It is much smaller than the London one. The 'tube' is by far the best way to get around London - just avoid peak periods, which can be pretty grim.
 
The poor old shops will be hit yet again with increased delivery charges. It will also cost me an extra £8 every time I visit my daughter in West Heath (I go via Aston Expressway and Bristol Road), and extra £8 for our meets for those coming by (older) cars like me. Incidentally, how do they propose collecting the money ?. Eric
 
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cookie273uk said:
The poor old shops will be hit yet again with increased delivery charges. It will also cost me an extra £8 every time I visit my daughter in West Heath (I go via Aston Expressway and Bristol Road), and extra £8 for our meets for those coming by (older) cars like me. Incidentally, how do they propose collecting the money ?. Eric
Click to expand...
If you go via the A4540 you don't pay. The money will be collected via ANPR and a bill sent to your home.
cookie273uk said:
The poor old shops will be hit yet again with increased delivery charges. It will also cost me an extra £8 every time I visit my daughter in West Heath (I go via Aston Expressway and Bristol Road), and extra £8 for our meets for those coming by (older) cars like me. Incidentally, how do they propose collecting the money ?. Eric
Click to expand...
 
My first encounter with such a zone was in Singapore City, it made little difference, the taxi drivers (mostly old diesel Toyotas) just added a dollar onto the bill and the truckers swallowed the cost and passed it on to their customers, they had overhead reader gadgets and emitters in the vehicle windscreens so it was all automatic.
 
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