Ad
Friday, May 30, 2025
18.6 C
London

U.K. Edition

Clean Air Zone roll-out set to impact scaffolding firms delivering into city centres

- Advertisement -

As plans to introduce and roll out Clean Air Zones in cities across the UK, experts are warning operators of HGV’s and Vans that delivering into some city centres is likely to incur considerable extra costs in the near future.

Clean Air Zones (CAZ) are areas in which local councils have brought measures into place to improve the air quality. The creation of CAZ in major UK cities and possibly beyond is part of the government’s broader Air Quality Plan, which aims to improve air quality and address sources of pollution.

If the operator’s HGV, LGV or van fails to meet the required environmental standards the driver is charged a fee to enter the zone.

The first Clean Air Zone was launched in Bath on the 15 March while Birmingham is set to roll out its own on the 1 June. Other cities have been earmarked for similar projects including Oxford, Bristol, Manchester and Nottingham.

London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is also set to be vastly expanded to cover a broader area from 25 October.

Whilst larger companies operating fleets of trucks and vans are likely to be prepared for the introduction of Clean Air Zones in UK cities, Paul Hollick, the chairman of the Association of Fleet Professionals, says he’s concerned about a lack of awareness elsewhere.

Speaking to Autocar he said: “Fleets of five-to-45 vehicles won’t have a dedicated fleet manager, won’t be a member of the AFP and won’t read the fleet press, and then it will just hit them because it isn’t widely known about what’s going on in the normal press. Small and medium-size enterprises are ill-educated about this topic, and it will sneak up and bite them.”

“The biggest impact will be the expansion of the ULEZ. Everyone is bracing themselves for when it goes live in October, because it has big ramifications for national fleets,”

“We would much rather have a national scheme, rather than localised schemes with different variants.

“Auto-pay is a concern for us: we need a way for fleets to be able to pay automatically. As the number of cities that are doing CAZs rises, that becomes more and more complicated for us to be able to manage.

“At the moment, it’s manageable and we know where everything is. But it would be better if it were steered nationally, rather than locally, because that creates distortion, particularly around fleet businesses, as everyone forgets about fleets.”

Find out more at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-a-clean-air-zone

- Advertisement -

Popular this week >

ScaffPlan Returns to ScaffChamp 2025 with Innovation in Tow

ScaffPlan has confirmed its return to ScaffChamp 2025 as...

NASC Expands into Scotland with New Edinburgh Office and Key Appointment

The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has opened...

STA Issues Open Letter Urging Pause to CISRS Reforms

The Scaffolding Training Alliance (STA) has issued a detailed...

PERI Staff Support Local Foodbank with Generous Donations

Employees at PERI UK’s head office in Rugby have...

BSIF Urges Workers to Share Life-Saving PPE Stories

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is calling on...
- Advertisements -

Related Articles >

How To Make Working At Height Safer

The latest statistics from the HSE reveal that, although falls from height are reducing, they are still one of the most common causes of injuries to employees and account for 29% of fatalities...

Latest Topics

Star-Studded Line-Up Announced for 2025 Scaffolding Excellence Awards

The NASC has announced that its prestigious Scaffolding Excellence...

Registration Opens for ScaffEx25 at Manchester Central

ScaffEx25, the UK’s leading scaffolding and access industry exhibition...

NASC Expands into Scotland with New Edinburgh Office and Key Appointment

The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has opened...

ScaffPlan Returns to ScaffChamp 2025 with Innovation in Tow

ScaffPlan has confirmed its return to ScaffChamp 2025 as...
- Advertisement -

Popular Categories