Campaign aims to cut pollution
LIBERAL Democrat councillor Mark Wright has launched a campaign to cut pollution in the heart of Bristol.
He said his Cabot ward which covers most of the city centre, bore the brunt of the city's soaring air pollution levels – even though more people walk to work and fewer of them drive.
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Councillor Wright, pictured, said: "Bristol has some of the highest city cycling rates in the country. Yet it's cyclists who get to breathe in the worst of Bristol's poor quality air."
He will be calling at a full council meeting today for a Low Emission Zone to be set up in the city centre.
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It would mean users of the most polluting vehicles, mainly buses and lorries, would have to pay a fee on entering a cordon around Bristol, or an area of Bristol, encouraging them to upgrade older vehicles to newer, cleaner models, thus improving air quality.
Councillor Wright said: "I suggest the LEZ would be like the one in London, except that it would only target the most polluting vehicles over a certain tonnage, and so would generally only affect older buses and lorries.
"Users of those vehicles would have to pay a fee to enter the LEZ cordon, which could either be drawn around the whole city (as in London) or just the central areas.
"The daily fee for non-compliant vehicles for the London LEZ starts at around £100 per day for buses and lorries.
"Bristol's level would be set independently of that, based on local factors, and would probably be a bit cheaper."
The Government is already talking about the possibility of introducing an LEZ in Bristol.
But Councillor Wright said the issue was not being given the priority it deserved.
He said exploration of the idea was only in a list of supplementary recommendations at one of the council's scrutiny commission meetings.
Dr Wright said: "This contains no sense of urgency or certainty. I fear that it will not be taken forward with any vigour, and will therefore fall by the wayside."
16 Comments
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by Brandon_Hill
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 1:53PM
“anti-cyclists tend to be anti-left........ do keep up!”
by katachua
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 4:24PM
“@Brandon_Hill
"This is bound to cause the pro-car/anti-cycling to be whipped up in to an anti-left, anti-cycling frenzy of rage!!"
Just what has anti-cycling to do with anti-left? And the appalling Mark Wright is a Lib Dem - last time I looked they were cuddled up to the Tories, not the Left...”
by katachua
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 4:21PM
“He could start by scrappint the ludicrous BRT project and replacing it with an electric tram...”
by whippetslick
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:20PM
“"This contains no sense of urgency or certainty. I fear that it will not be taken forward with any vigour, and will therefore fall by the wayside."
Nothing new there, then!”
by Spiggett
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 1:02PM
“-Want the Countryside? -Live in the Countryside...”
by kromax
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 12:45PM
“funny how a politicians solution to every problem is to devise a new tax.”
by DM_Fishponds
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 12:03PM
“@Smoosername wrote, "Councillor Wright has overseen many 'traffic calming' projects within the Cabot ward over the last 2-3 years which has made congestion worse and increased pollution, yet I don't remember him objecting to a single one?"
I'm sure that everyone willl remember at the next local election when bus fares are more expensive, and the cost of groceries in the local shops has gone up!”
by smoosername
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 11:08AM
“I suppose I didn't expect many bright ideas to come from a Councillor who described BRT as "It's not ideal, but it will produce results and it's better than nothing."
Councillor Wright has overseen many 'traffic calming' projects within the Cabot ward over the last 2-3 years which has made congestion worse and increased pollution, yet I don't remember him objecting to a single one?
It would be nice if for once Councillor Wright engaged brain before engaging mouth.”
by DM_Fishponds
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 10:42AM
“@Brandon_Hill wrote, "This is bound to cause the pro-car/anti-cycling to be whipped up in to an anti-left, anti-cycling frenzy of rage!"
Only by you!
Once people realise that it's going to mean more expensive bus fares and costly groceries in the local shops, everyone will unite against another mad-cap LibDem Vanity Project.”
by Brandon_Hill
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 9:58AM
“This is bound to cause the pro-car/anti-cycling to be whipped up in to an anti-left, anti-cycling frenzy of rage!!
Watch this space!
:)”