FTA proposes Clean Air Zone alternatives

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has produced a briefing note for local authorities on the limitations Clean Air Zones and proposed alternative solutions.

Cleaning the Air – Briefing for local authorities on the best approach to maximising air quality gains argues that Clean Air Zones (CAZs) are not the most effective way to reach air quality improvement targets. Suggestions include incentivising the uptake of alternatively fuelled and electric commercial vehicles, better management of congestion, and enabling more deliveries to be retimed.

Natalie Chapman, Head of Urban Policy at FTA, comments:

“FTA and its members are committed to reducing harmful emissions from the logistics sector and takes its responsibility to do so very seriously. That is why we are so keen to ensure local and national governments are using the most effective approach to improve air quality across the UK. Clean Air Zones – schemes designed to discourage the use of older, more polluting vehicles (pre-Euro VI/6 models) by imposing a charge upon them as they enter a designated area – will not provide any lasting benefit to air quality; they also hit the small businesses and specialist operators who can least afford to pay.”

“In the view of FTA, any air quality benefit derived from CAZs will be very short lived as the Euro VI/6 vehicles required to enter a zone without charge will come into fleets of their own accord, as part of the natural fleet replacement cycle. Euro VI has been mandatory in all new trucks since 2014; by the start of 2021 – when many of these CAZs are due to go live – FTA estimates that more than half of the UK truck fleet will already be Euro VI; the scheme will soon become redundant.

“We want to see local authorities build more charging points for electric vehicles and work alongside electricity suppliers to ensure there is enough grid capacity to support these developments.”