News / Environment
Rees unveils two clean air options for Bristol
All diesel vehicles could be banned from entering the city centre under plans revealed to improve Bristol’s air quality.
Two options have been unveiled which city bosses hope will enable Bristol to meet Government-set targets for air quality improvement.
Option one would include installing a bus lane on the M32, a targeted diesel ban on the roads surrounding the BRI, and a charging scheme for polluting vehicles excluding private cars.
is needed now More than ever
Option two would see all diesel cars banned from entering the city centre for an eight-hour period from 7am to 3pm.
Bristol City Council was instructed by the Government to complete a clear air plan by the end of 2018 in order to comply with legal limits for nitrogen dioxide, or face legal action.
The two Traffic Clean Air Zone options will be presented to a meeting of Bristol’s cabinet on June 18. A six-week public consultation is due to launch in July.
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said that “to successfully tackle serious and complex city challenges like poor air quality we must ensure environmental and social justice go hand in hand”.
He said: “We cannot and will not sacrifice our low income households by introducing widespread charges which will have a detrimental impact on them.
“These latest proposals could strike the right balance by targeting the most polluting vehicles within specific classes of vehicle and by considering a dedicated area outside our central Bristol hospitals including the children’s hospital, where we want to protect those most vulnerable to pollution.”
One of Rees’ mayoral challengers in 2020, Lib Dem Mary Page, said that clean air “has to be a priority action for any mayor of Bristol”.
Page said: “It is to be welcomed that the plan looks at banning the worst vehicle emissions but it is also right that that has to be done in a way that doesn’t allow the rich to just pay to pollute the air we breathe.
“It’s also no excuse to do nothing because the poorest continue to be the most affected by breathing the toxic fumes where they live.
“Financial measures to support the less well off need to be considered as I realise that changing habits is really tough for individuals but we shouldn’t be allowing our citizens to die by being too scared to take action.”
Green Party mayoral challenger, Sandy Hore-Ruthven, said that Rees “is putting off a decision to clean up the air we breath”.
He said: “Clean air is a right, not a privilege and is a vital health issue for all in the city but particularly those who live in the most disadvantaged areas of Bristol.
“This is a timid response to a serious problem. The solution lies in bold action to improve public transport, walking and cycling that would benefit thousands in our city as well as helping to resolve the crisis of our filthy air.”
Read more: Greens slam council failure to meet Bristol’s clean air plan deadline
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