With Edinburgh council bosses planning to extend the planned Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the capital's centre across the city, around half of all vehicles could be facing a ban.
Only cars, vans, buses and other vehicles with the cleanest engines would be allowed on the road in a bid to improve air quality. with all others that fail to meet the strict pollution limits would be banned.
The move comes after Glasgow city centre became Scotland's first LEZ on December 31 last year.
What are Low Emission Zones?
Low Emission Zones are schemes that cover urban areas to tackle pollution. They discourage certain types of vehicles from entering a specified zone and set an environmental limit on certain road spaces, allowing access to only the cleanest vehicles.
Vehicles that do not meet the emission standards set will not be able to enter the zone. Penalty charges will be payable by the vehicle’s registered keeper unless it falls under an exemption category.
Low emission zones were first introduced in Sweden in 1996 and there are now over 250 low emission zones across 15 European countries, either in operation or planned.
In 2017, the Programme for Government committed to introducing LEZs in Scotland’s four biggest cities between 2018 and 2020, and then into all other local authority areas deemed to have poor quality air caused by pollution by 2023.
Low Emission Zones were included in the new Transport (Scotland) Bill, introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2018.
The Bill set the national framework for Scottish local authorities to introduce and enforce low emission zones with the Government setting the national standards for a number of key aspects including emissions, penalties, exemptions and parameters for grace periods.
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Where are Scotland's zones?
Glasgow city centre became Scotland’s first LEZ in January, with 20 per cent of buses required to meet the emission standards, as a first step. The proportion will steadily increase to cover all buses - and other vehicles - by the end of 2022. Aberdeen and Dundee are also due to create zones by the end of next year, while Edinburgh's newly proposed zone is expected to be in place by the end of 2020.
Glasgow's zone was introduced after World Health Organisation testing found that Glasgow was one of the most polluted areas in the UK, with poorer air quality than London, but the move was not without its critics.
Environmentalists warned that the zone would "condemn" the people in the city to breathing "illegal air for years to come" due to the LEZ only covering a small amount of vehicles that pump out dangerous pollutants.
An LEZ was applied to 20 per cent of buses from the end of 2018, with the ban rising to 100 percent by December 2022. Cars will need to meet the strict standards from the end of 2022.
Why do we need Low Emission Zones?
Around 2000 early deaths are caused every year in Scotland because of polluted air according to the medical research. Air pollution has been linked to heart disease and lung problems, including asthma.
What are the benefits of LEZs?
It is hoped that by reducing harmful pollutants, low emission zones will deliver health, economic and environmental benefits.
In 2010, a UK governmental committee estimated that poor air quality shortens the average life expectancy in Scotland by three to four months.
Dirty air causes at least £27.5bn in costs very year in the UK, according to the government and it is projected that the zones should encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport which will have a positive impact in reducing vehicle emission pollution.
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Who will be affected?
The zones only permit diesel vehicles with Euro 6 engines, which were introduced five years ago, and petrol cars with Euro 4 engines, introduced in 2005. Critics of the zones have warned that the low-income households could be hit the hardest with the introduction of penalties and having to modify or buy a new vehicle.
Local Authorities establishing low emission zones will set a grace period to allow those wishing to drive within the low emission zone an opportunity to upgrade their vehicles before penalty charges are applied. An additional period may also be available to those who live within a low emission zone.
What are the exemptions?
In a Transport Scotland consultation possible exemptions were laid out. Exemptions considered included vehicles owned by blue badge holders; historic and specialist vehicles; emergency service, refuse, NHS and military vehicles.
Any vehicle owners who can demonstrate that they would be "severely
financially affected" by changing their vehicle to meet the minimum emission criteria, only where the vehicle operates predominantly in a LEZ.
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