Sheffield Clean Air Zone: Drivers react to approval

The Clean Air Zone will cover all of Sheffield city centre

From late 2022, some drivers will have to pay to enter parts of Sheffield after the council agreed to introduce a Clean Air Zone.

This will mean some vehicles which do not meet an emission standard will be charged up to £50 a day.

Buses, vans, taxis and HGVs will be most affected, with private cars being exempt.

The BBC has spoken to people who live and work in the city and who will be most affected by the changes.

'It's more than a mortgage'

Ibrar Hussain says the current cost of changing to a cleaner vehicle is prohibitive

Taxi driver and former councillor Ibrar Hussain says many drivers like him want to upgrade their vehicles so they are be cleaner and cheaper to run.

Since 1992, all vehicles have been given ratings depending on the emissions they give out.

In September 2015, most vehicles had to meet the latest Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol standard in a bid to reduce the amount of pollutants in the air.

Mr Hussain would have to pay £10 per day to drive into Sheffield city centre if his taxi did not meet those standards.

"Anyone with common sense will want and accept clean air, there's no doubt about that," he said.

However, the price of a new taxi with a cleaner engine would be about £56,000, he added.

"That's £900 to £1,000 payment a month, it's more than a mortgage, and in the current climate... it is not easy at all."

Who will be charged from late 2022?

Drivers would be charged to enter the Clean Air Zone, which starts on the Sheffield Parkway and goes around the city

Vehicles which do not meet the latest Euro standard will have to pay to enter Sheffield's Clean Air Zone, including:

• Taxis that are Euro 5 Diesel or Euro 3 Petrol and below

• LGVs that are Euro 5 Diesel or Euro 3 Petrol and below

• Buses and coaches that are Euro 5 Diesel and below

• HGVs that are Euro 5 Diesel and below

You can find your vehicle's emission standard in your vehicle logbook or from your vehicle manufacturer.

Source: Sheffield City Council/RAC

'Rat runs'

Rob Cole's kitchen company already has electric vans and an electric car

Electric vehicle convert and kitchen business owner Rob Cole says he wants to buy more zero emission vehicles, but they are just too expensive and the cost would be passed on to the customer.

His business, Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens, already runs four electric vans and an electric car - but upgrading their diesel van would cost him up to £60,000.

"We just can't afford to do that. It's going to bump up prices," he said.

He said private cars should have been included in the charges, as drivers of those vehicles had the option to use public transport or active travel such as walking or cycling.

"We're going to end up with rat runs just outside the city centre, where all the vehicles who are going to have to pay the charge just scoot around the edge of the city centre," he added.

'More needs to be done'

Jaime Grey thinks the CAZ should apply to private cars as well

Keen cyclist and environmentalist Jaime Gray welcomes the zone, which will cover the ring road and the city centre.

She said charging high-polluting vehicles was a good start but it should be extended to private vehicles too.

"We need to find ways of changing individuals' behaviour," she said.

"How can we encourage people to get on their bikes and encourage people to walk and encourage people to use public transport?

"More work needs to be done to help people access all the ways of travelling to stop us create so many emissions."