Sheffield County Council’s Clean Air Zone is now up and running, impacting vehicles including vans and HGVs.
Implemented from 27 February 2023, the Class C scheme is in operation on the inner ring road and city centre, levying charges on the most polluting heavy goods vehicles, light goods vehicles, vans, buses, coaches and taxis. Private cars won’t be charged.
Affected vehicles will need to pay a £10 per day fee for vans/LGVs and taxis while coaches, buses and lorries/HGVs will cost £50 a day.
However, LGV owners based in Sheffield or Rotherham could be eligible to apply for a temporary exemption until midnight on 4 June 2023.
An automatic exemption for Hackney Carriage taxis licensed with Sheffield City Council will be in place until midnight on the same date. Charging for these vehicles will begin from 5 June 2023.
Funding will be spent on the costs to run the zone and on further improvements to local transport that reduce air pollution in the city.
The scheme launches after the Government legally directed Sheffield City Council in 2017 to implement a CAZ to reduce the dangerous levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the city.
Since then, between 2018 and 2022, NO2 readings have regularly been taken and shown Sheffield exceeds the legal NO2 limits in a number of places.
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, co-chair of the Transport Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: “The Clean Air Zone is one of the ways in which the city can do its part to safeguard its future. At the heart of the Clean Air Zone there is a critical mission – to reduce exposure to N02 emissions for everyone and limit the devastating effects it can have. Currently, air pollution contributes to 1 in 20 deaths a year in Sheffield and action must be taken.
“As a city which prides itself on its outdoor and green spaces, it is crucial we implement necessary measures to ensure it is a safe place for all. Everyone deserves clean air.”
The council is working to counter the financial impact on businesses and vehicle owners and has opened schemes with Anglo Scottish Asset Finance and Shire Leasing to provide aid on vehicle replacement costs. A total of £28m government funding is available for either grants, interest-subsidised finance or a combination of the two.
Vehicle owners can check whether they will be charged in Sheffield, and for other Clean Air Zones elsewhere, via the Government’s online vehicle checker.
Drivers will not receive a reminder to pay the CAZ charge and must pay for their journey within a 13-day payment window that runs up to and including six days after travel.
