Air pollution: Should cars be banned from city centres?

Private cars will banned from taking "through trips" across Birmingham city centre under plans to cut pollution.

Cars would be able to drive into the city, but to get to other areas they will need to use the ring road.

The city council wants to encourage greater use of public transport, walking and cycling and have presented this as a draft plan for 2031 to tackle air pollution.

Birmingham is not the only city in the UK to look at changing the way people use cars.

The government has previously announced cars and vans that use diesel and petrol as fuel will be banned in the UK from 2040, though the transport secretary has said it may be bought forward to 2035.

Bristol could be the first city to ban diesel cars from the city centre, after the council approved plans for 2021 to cut air pollution.

Private cars are to be banned from York's medieval city centre by 2023.

London, where there has been a congestion charge since 2003, introduced an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) for more polluting cars.

Elsewhere in the world, Oslo in Norway plans to make the city practically car free by 2020, by removing parking, making streets pedestrian-only and raising the congestion charge.

While Madrid in Spain bought in a rule that only cars with zero-emissions can drive in the centre.

Do you think cars should be banned in city centres? Let us know in the comments below