Will we get Bath’s traffic?

Bath and North East Somerset Council plans to introduce a £9 a day charge for older petrol vehicles over 12 years old and diesel vehicles more than three years old, with a £100 a day fee for buses, coaches and HGVs over 12 years old.

It is understood the scheme will operate like the London congestion zone, using cameras to spot vehicles which have not paid the charges.

Cllr Simon McNeill-Ritchie, of Bradford on Avon, fears drivers will come through Bradford and Trowbridge and surrounding villages to escape paying the charges, which would apply on the A36 Warminster Road and the A4 London Road in Bath.

He is worried cars will cut through Bradford, while heavy lorries will have to go through Trowbridge because of the weight limit on the Bradford Town Bridge.

“BaNES should consider the impact of its proposals on other areas before it starts implementing the Clean Air Zone,” he said.

“If Bradford on Avon adopts the same charging system as Bath, we could generate a daily income of £30,000 or £11 million a year.

“If the vehicles were all HGVs, it would be £110 million a year.”

BaNES says it needs to introduce clean air charges by 2020 in Bath city centre to meet tough Government targets to reduce air pollution from high levels of nitrogen dioxide caused by vehicle fumes.

This week it distributed leaflets to householders in the Bradford on Avon area urging them to voice their views by November 28 on its controversial proposals.

Wiltshire councillors have already raised serious concerns to BaNES about its plans. Lib Dem Cllr Sarah Gibson, Cllr Bridget Wayman, cabinet member for Highways, the Head of Highways and Town Council leader Dominic Newton met BaNES leaders and asked for assurances the plan won’t harm Bradford on Avon.

Cllr Gibson said: “BaNES were unconvincing in arguing that the plan won’t adversely affect Bradford. I fully support tackling the issue of pollution in city centres but it mustn’t simply shift the problem elsewhere.

“The plan is now out for consultation. I expect Wiltshire Council to be raising concerns, and residents may wish to do so too.”

Cllr Wayman said: “Wiltshire Council and BaNES meet on a regular basis to discuss the implications of their proposed Clean Air Zone.

“We have asked for a detailed analysis to more accurately forecast the likely impacts on West Wiltshire towns before responding to the consultation.”

“BaNES’ proposed Clean Air Zone would only result in a charge being imposed on non-compliant vehicles - ie Euro 4 petrol vehicles (older than c2006) and Euro 6 diesel vehicles (older than c2015). That means that a significant proportion of vehicle users would be exempt from the charge.”

Lance Allan, chief executive of Trowbridge Town Council, said they had not been consulted by BaNES about its proposalsand had not discussed them in committee, adding: “We have not looked at it. The town council has not considered it or held discussions about it.”

Mr Allan said that if Wiltshire Council were to propose its own CAZ charges, then Trowbridge would consider them “favourably”.

BaNES says: “Air pollution puts health at risk. It makes existing heart and lung conditions, such as asthma, worse and is linked to the increased possibility of heart attack and dementia.

“A charging zone will quickly improve the air we breathe by deterring certain high-emission vehicles from driving in the city.”

The council plans to introduce a £9 a day charge for petrol vehicles over 12 years old and diesel vehicles more than three years old.

The charge would rise to £100 a day for all commercial buses, coaches and HGVs more than 12 years old. If the Government approves the scheme, from 2020 the charge would apply once in every 24-hour period when driving in the zone, which extends to the A36 Warminster Road and the A4 London Road in Bath

The BaNES leaflet says: “Our proposal is being considered by the Government and we’re keen to hear your views before any final decision is taken.”To have your say, go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/breathe