The Clean Air Zone covers a central area of the city. Drivers of older, more polluting vehicles – including many diesels and older petrol cars – face daily charges of up to nine pounds for private vehicles, and one hundred pounds for larger vehicles like buses and lorries.
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00:00It's been just over a year since Bristol introduced its clean air zone,
00:05a move aimed at tackling some of the city's most dangerous levels of air pollution.
00:11Nitrogen dioxide levels here have long been above the legal limits,
00:15linked to asthma, heart disease and thousands of premature deaths
00:20across the UK every year.
00:23So we had a diesel which we were told was clean, a clean diesel.
00:27Then the clean air charge came in because I'm in property, I'm around driving around all the time.
00:33So, yeah, I had to sell that.
00:35I mean, you know, it's kind of a first world problem really, isn't it?
00:38But yeah.
00:39Bristol City Council was ordered by the government to take action and the CAS was the result.
00:46The clean air zone covers a central area of the city.
00:50Drivers of older, more polluting vehicles, including many diesels and older petrol cars,
00:55face daily charges of up to £9 for private vehicles and £100 for larger vehicles like buses and lorries.
01:04Blue badge holders and residents in certain areas could apply for exemptions,
01:09but for most drivers, if your car doesn't meet the emissions standards, you'd pay.
01:14Yeah, I think it's probably had some unintended consequences, like increasing traffic outside it.
01:22But on the whole, I agree it's a good idea.
01:25Early data shows some promising results.
01:28Within the first six months, more than 71% of vehicles entering the zone were compliant,
01:35up from less than 50% before the scheme began.
01:38And nitrogen dioxide levels on busy roads like Park Row and Marlborough Street have started to drop.
01:47But critics say it's pushing financial pressure onto people who can't afford to upgrade their vehicles,
01:53especially tradespeople, carers and low-income drivers.
01:57I'm always for the climate, really.
01:59Anything that's going to be good for the climate is always a good thing.
02:04But I don't know what the price is and the way interest rate and everything is going up,
02:11I probably don't think it's the right time to do this because there's a global problem going on right now.
02:17So the last thing you want to do is to put people back into a condition that's going to make them spend more.
02:27So, but I think it's a good way of looking forward, but I'm not sure if it's right now.
02:31Yeah.
02:32I mean, yeah, I guess so.
02:35I mean, it's reduced, I think it's reducing cars.
02:38I'm not really sure.
02:39I still feel like there's so many cars in Bristol.
02:41I don't know if people have actually been that affected by it or not.
02:44But I know they're like trying to reduce, you know, the use of cars on a lot of roads,
02:50a lot of roads being pedestrianised, which is inconvenient to me.
02:53But good for the environment.