The city of Oxford has announced they will ban petrol and diesel cars from its city centre from 2020 onwards in the latest round of air quality plans.
It’ll be the first city in the UK to introduce such a ban, going way beyond London’s Congestion Charge and upcoming T-Charge for high-polluting diesel cars.
The ban has been put in place to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels in the city’s worst pollution blackspot, George Street. The band will reduce the nitrogen dioxide by 74%, returning it to natural levels of pollution.
The plan hasn’t yet been given the all clear and will face a six-week public consultation. Traditionally, Oxford is an environmentally aware city, so the proposal is expected to face much less competition than London’s T-Charge.
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The plan is for the zero-emission to evolve every five years. After the initial launch in 2020, the city will extend the area in 2025 and 2030 and by 2035 non-zero-emission HGVs will also be banned from the area.
Oxford city councillor, John Tanner has said: “Everyone who uses Oxford centre has the right to breathe clean air. I would urge everyone who uses Oxford city centre to take part in the consultation. We need to know, in detail, what people’s needs are so that we can plan a zero-emission zone that minimises the impact on business and residents while maximising impact on the city’s health.”
Local bus operators within the city have expressed their support for the scheme, with Stagecoach and the Oxford Bus company both investing heavily in electrified buses recently.
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