Birmingham Clean Air Zone Plans Approved
13 March 2019, 10:40 | Updated: 13 March 2019, 10:41
Plans for a Clean Air Zone in Birmingham have been approved by the government.
The city council submitted it's full business case in February after being required by the government to achieve better quality air in the city, in the shortest time.
No vehicle will be banned from the city, but drivers with high-polluting cars will be charged.
It'll cover all roads within the A4540 Middleway Ring Road, but not the Middleway itself, from Janaury 2020.
Money has been granted by the government to support people who require extra support, such people living and working in the zone, hospital patients and taxi drivers.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “We clearly have a major public health crisis in our city, with people being exposed to illegal and unsafe levels of air pollution. The introduction of a Clean Air Zone is the start of our fight back.
"I welcome this announcement from the Government, which gives approval to the plans we have put forward to bring air pollution levels down to legal limits.
"We feel that we will have sufficient resources to get the balance right between introducing a very much needed Clean Air Zone and supporting the communities and businesses potentially affected by these measures."
