BreATHe2021 has simplified
Things appear to have simplified – the zone options have reduced to one – the extended option. If so, we are now left with one question – how many types of vehicles will be chargeable:
- Class B (higher emission buses, coaches, private hire, taxis and heavy goods vehicles),
- Class B+C (higher-emission light goods vehicles),
- Class B+C+D (higher-emission cars)?
In my view the $64,000 question will be whether class D will be included or not? If it isn’t, then air quality on London Road should see an improvement, but it will make little difference to NE Bath’s rat-run which is mainly cars and lighter vans.
And you can check here to see whether your car might be chargeable if Class D was included.
The Council’s consultants’ air quality modelling tools will have to assist the Council in making their final business case effective and credible to Defra. Let’s hope the assumptions they make are also credible and not designed to fudge the best opportunity to make a real difference we’ve ever had.
Finally if you study the maps carefully there are new rat run opportunities in Fairfield Park, Weston and Oldfield Park which will have to be addressed.
Good to see the larger zone officially agreed.
Ordinary cars MUST be included to make any sense of it.
Agree with Nigel. I recall one of BaNES’s papers (last autumn?) showed the high contribution cars made to pollution. Given so many passing us are single occupancy I wonder what the pollution per person is compared with buses.
Thanks, Tim. Good question. If the CAZ happens then the rat running through NE Bath will be significantly curtailed and buses will get through more quickly and with less revs.
It is good to see the CAZ area has been extended. I am sure the only way to achieve the clean air aims is to go for option D ( includes cars). It will be important to greatly improve public transport and make walking and cycling safer and more attractive at the same time as the introduction of the CAZ.