Plans by Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to push ahead with a Zero Emission Zone in the city centre from the end of 2020 are “effectively a tax on trucks and vans”, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA) as it points to a lack of zero-emission commercial vehicles.
The plans – revealed in final draft form this week – would see a Red Zone deployed in December 2020 for all vehicles, covering a small area of the city centre, followed by a Green Zone in 2021/22, covering the rest of the city centre.
Charges in the Red Zone would be applied 7am-7pm, and levy a £10 charge for non-compliant vehicles entering the zone. There would be discounts for all blue badge holders entering the zone until December 2024 and exemptions for businesses registered in the Red Zone until December 2024, followed by a discount until December 2030.
However, the FTA is urging the councils to reconsider their strategy until zero-emission commercial vehicles become a viable alternative for local businesses.
Rebecca Kite, environment policy manager at FTA, said: “It is simply too soon to implement such a punitive scheme; there are currently no zero-emission trucks on the market, and very limited options for vans. And without a workable definition for an Ultra Low Emission Truck – something FTA is working with the government to develop – the scheme is effectively a tax on essential freight vehicles.
“Businesses within the logistics sector are determined to play their part in improving air quality; a recent study by FTA showed they are investing heavily in alternatively-fuelled vehicles. But until the market for zero-emission trucks and vans has fully developed – and they become a viable option for business of all sizes – FTA is strongly advising the councils to delay including commercial vehicles in the ZEZ. The government and local councils should instead, in the view of FTA, focus on supporting and developing the alternatively-fuelled vehicle market.”
Kite continued: “The local economy cannot survive without products and services, all of which are delivered to the area by goods vehicles such as vans and HGVs. As it stands, the ZEZ is simply a tax on the companies working hard to deliver the goods and services needed by the residents and businesses of Oxford.”
