A MOTORISTS' organisation has warned ministers that plans to bring in a Low Emission Zone for Scotland which will result in a ban on older vehicles will discriminate against the poor.
Glasgow is expected to become the first city in Scotland to introduce an LEZ from the beginning of next year.
It will initially apply only to buses, before private cars are also brought under the strict regulations by the end of 2022.
But the RAC will raised questions to MSP on Wednesday over the impact on low-income households who will rely on older vehicles that would end up being banned.
In Glasgow older cars will be banned from the Glasgow city centre in four years time after councillors agreed in June to extend the LEZ to all vehicles.
An LEZ will apply to 20% buses from the end of 2018, rising to 100% by December 2022. Cars will need to meet the strict standards from the end of 2022.
After that date petrol cars made before 2005 and diesels built before September 2014 will not be allowed in the zone.
The council said it was "forging a path towards cleaner air".
But the RAC Foundation is due to tell the Rural, Economy and Connectivity Committee today that the English Clean Air Zone proposals envisage a daily charge for a vehicle entering the CAZ that does not meet certain criteria.
READ MORE: Glasgow's new low emissions zone will 'condemn city to illegal air for years'
The organisation said that the system is intended to create a deterrent and does not amount to a ban, allowing for infrequent 'one-off' trips.
The RAC Foundation says: "Scotland’s LEZ system would ban all vehicles that do meet the criteria for entry, backed up with severe penalties levied if banned vehicles do enter.
"Whilst we recognise the policy intent that wealthier people should not be able to ‘buy’ their way past the restrictions, we are concerned that a ban could create a huge barrier to those who may need to enter a zone for rare ‘one-off’ type trips where other modes may not be possible. This could particularly affect low-income households running older vehicles."
The organisation, which said it supported the development of ultra-low and zero tailpipe emission vehicles, added that it would also favour a more "standard UK-wide approach" to avoid confusion for those driving around the country.
Meanwhile Friends of the Earth Scotland are expected to tell the MSPs that they have "real concerns" that Scotland-wide zones will make no difference to air pollution unless major changes are made to the Transport Bill.
Gavin Thomson, the group's air pollution campaigner is expected to tell the committee: “Current plans are for the zones to be introduced very slowly, with long grace periods, with the zones potentially not fully in place until as late as 2026 .
"To put that length of time in perspective, 20,000 people will die prematurely in Scotland because of air pollution in the next eight years. "Worse than the slow implementation is the ceiling for local authorities. The Bill, as it is drafted, prevents councils from acting quicker and ensuring air quality is improved before the middle of the next decade.
“The emission standards being proposed are weak, and do not account for changes we would expect to see over the next eight years."
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