Sheffield – like most cities in England – currently has illegal levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2). There is a legal obligation to reduce roadside emissions from older, polluting vehicles in the shortest time possible, according to Sheffield City Council

In this regard, a Category C Clean Air Zone (CAZ) was recently approved, accepting £24 million of Government funding to help local drivers upgrade to cleaner vehicles. The CAZ means the most polluting buses, taxis, vans, coaches and trucks will pay a charge to enter the city centre. Private cars will be exempt.

The CAZ will involve a daily charge (£10 a day for LGVs and taxis, and £50 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs) for polluting vehicles to enter the city centre and inner ring road.

Funding will be available to help local taxi drivers and businesses upgrade to electric or ultra-low-emission (ULEV) vehicles, such as Autogas units. These include: up to £10,000 grants for electric/ULEV wheelchair-accessible hackney carriages, up to £3,000 grants for local private hire taxi drivers up upgrade to electric or ultra-low emissions vehicles, and up to £3,500 grants for local businesses to upgrade to electric or ultra-low emissions vans.

“Clean air benefits us all and none more so than those who have to drive in it. It’s in our power to reduce air pollution, which means it’s in our power to save lives. Air pollution contributes to the early deaths of 500 people every year in Sheffield,” said Cllr Douglas Johnson, Executive Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport. “The Clean Air Zone means we support small businesses and taxi owners to upgrade their vehicles, to get older, dirty vehicles off the road and to clean up the city.”

For more information, please check this link.

10 November 2021