Bradford clean air zone: City divided over emissions levy

Abigail Thomas said the new clean air zone will make a "big difference" to her family

A new clean air zone in Bradford is due to come into force on 26 September.

From that date, drivers of taxis, minibuses, lorries, coaches and buses that do not meet emission standards will be charged a daily fee of between £7 and £50 to enter the zone.

Anyone driving a private car or motorbike will not be charged.

Ahead of the introduction of the zone, which also cover parts of Shipley and Saltaire, the BBC has spoken to people who will be affected by the charges.

Abigail Thomas said the clean air zone will make a difference to her children Zac, 11, and his sister Elsie, 9, who both have asthma

Abigail Thomas lives within the new clean air zone area and two of her children, Zac, 11, and Elsie, 9, have childhood asthma.

She said: "I love Bradford, I'm proud to live in Bradford, it's a fantastic city, but we have a problem with respiratory diseases and childhood asthma especially."

She said having clean air in the city centre would "make such a difference" to her family.

But Nadeem Ahmed from Bradford Private Hire Operators Association fears the charges to enter the clean air zone will increase costs for all businesses, not just taxi drivers.

He said: "Any cost that is put on to a business will have to be passed on to the customer at some stage.

"The transport companies are going to have extra costs, if they are going to deliver any goods to Bradford it's going to cost an extra £50 per day.

"It's not just one sector of the economy that's going to be impacted, it's the whole range."

Nadeem Ahmed from Bradford Private Hire Operators Association believes the fees affect all local businesses

Prof Rosie McEachan, director of the Born in Bradford programme, said she sympathised with taxi drivers and businesses but added: "It's a difficult step, but tackling air pollution is difficult.

"There's never going to be a good time to do it but what we need to remember is that we are trying to improve the health of the children living in the city.

"We know that air pollution is one of the biggest causes of ill health within the city. We estimate that 30% of all cases of childhood asthma are caused by pollution in the air we breathe."

Research by the Born in Bradford programme found that one in five children in the city had problems with their breathing, she said.

The project will monitor the impact of the clean air zone on people's health and Prof McEachan said: "In five years we will be able to tell you how effective [it] has been."

Prof Rosie McEachan said research shows that one in five children in Bradford have problems with their breathing

A Bradford Council spokesperson said traffic emissions are a "significant source of poor air quality and health in Bradford" and that every area in the city"will benefit from cleaner air".

The council said 87% of taxis in the district are now compliant with the clean air zone emissions standard and 33 new electric buses will start running on routes in the district.

More than £7m in grants has been given to businesses to help upgrade 20% of all lorries registered in the district, the spokesperson added.