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£150m government funding secured for Greater Manchester’s ‘Clean Air Zone’
It will be the largest clean air zone in the whole of the UK
Greater Manchester will be pushing ahead with it’s Clean Air Zone scheme which will see highly-polluting vehicles face extra costs to drive across the county.
Vans, buses, coaches, taxis, private-hire vehicles and lorries that fail to meet emission standards will be the ones affected by the scheme, as per The BBC.
Heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches will need to pay £60 a day to drive within the zone, with vans paying £10 and taxi and private hire vehicles paying £7.50. Failure to pay the charge will also result in a £120 fine plus the daily charge.
@mangopearuk / Unsplash
Private vehicles will not fall within the Clean Air Zone, which will cover all 493 square miles of Greater Manchester, making it the largest in the UK.
‘Tackling pollution cannot be ignored any more,’ Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said on air pollution levels in across the region, which contribute to around 1,200 deaths every year.
He said: “Coming out of the pandemic, I think we’ve got to get a lot more serious about people’s health and health inequalities that we have in this city region and across the country.”
“We just shouldn’t accept any more things that harm the health of our residents.
“It’s a fact that it’s the poorest kids in the poorest communities that have to breathe in the most polluted air.”
cleanairgm.com
The zone, pictured above, was supposed to come into effect this year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a disagreement between councils and the government over funding.
But GMCA has now received £150m to help businesses and individuals with the transition.
For the first twelve months of the scheme, only buses and heavy goods vehicles will need to pay the daily charge. All other vehicles will not be affected until May 2023.
The scheme is expected to be put into place on May 30th, 2022. Visit the Clean Air GM website for more information.