City council leaders have staunchly defended the implementation of their Clean Air Zone to reduce pollution in light of criticism from small business owners.
Following consultation Sheffield City Council approved the scheme which is set to start to today (Monday) and will be in force on the inner ring road and the city centre.
It means that some types of more-polluting vehicles will have to pay to drive into the city centre. This includes some HGVs, light goods vehicles (LGVs), vans, buses, coaches and taxis.
Motorbikes and private cars will not face charges. When asked if the scheme would include private vehicles in the future, Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of the Transport Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, insisted it was “absolutely off the table”.
Non-compliant vehicle owners will be charged up to £50 a day for entering the zone, which is seen by some businesses as unmanageable.
The scheme also encourages vehicle owners to replace or upgrade their vehicle with a greener model. However, business owners have expressed concerns over the scheme. Dane Shaw, director of Bestfit Tyres on Duke Street, said it was “another kick in the teeth for the business”.
Greg Fell, the Director of Public Health in Sheffield, said: “Ultimately I accept that there are trade-offs and I accept there are people who are unhappy, but my job is to argue for the rights of children’s lungs and I won’t shy away from that, because that also matters.
“The reason we are implementing it is to save lives, at its most basic level.
“The air that you are breathing today isn’t legal, it is above the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide and particulates and that is a problem. It kills people.
Mr Fell added that the purpose was the incentive to upgrade vehicles and that a non charging clean air zone wouldn’t achieve the objective because because people “would drive through it with impunity”.
The council has also been given a grant to provide financial support for those who want to replace their vehicle with one that complies with regulations though a number of businesses have argued the support offered isn’t enough.
Will Stewart, Director of investment, Climate change and Planning, said: “It is my responsibility to work with my fellow officers to roll out the smoothest scheme possible.
“We have pushed the government for more money…to reflect where the pressures are around those certain vehicle categories but ultimately we know that sometimes the grants wont cover the cost of a replacement vehicle and that is why we will continue to push the government for more money.
“It is important to get as much support as possible to those people that are driving the more polluting vehicles and allow them to replace or upgrade.”
Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of the Transport Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: “The financial support, for me, is inadequate because we don’t have a limitless amount of cash.
“The analysis is we need to take 17,500 vehicles off the road but we have only been given a grant for £2,500 so it’s not a limitless amount of cash and we know because of Brexit, Covid, the catastrophic mini budget, the cost of living crisis that it is very very difficult for businesses out there so I fully empathise and we are here to support those businesses.”
