Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have launched their final formal consultation for the UK’s first city centre Zero Emission Zone due to be introduced in December 2020.
The key points of the latest proposals are:
- The introduction of a charging scheme in the central Red Zone between 7am and 7pm, with an introductory £10 charge for non-compliant vehicles entering the zone, rising to £20 from August 2025.
- Exemptions for businesses registered in the Red Zone until July 2025, followed by a discount until July 2030.
- A 90% discount for residents living in the zone until July 2030.
- Buses and Oxford licensed Hackney Carriages which drive within the planned ZEZ have already agreed timelines for zero emissions fleets across Oxford and will not be subject to charges.
- A soft launch of the scheme will see the ZEZ implemented but no charges payable until 1 February 2021, due to the scheme starting in the run up to the key Christmas trading period.
The BVRLA submitted a response to the informal consultation that the councils ran in January, highlighting concerns about the impact that the ZEZ would have on commercial vehicle operators, particularly when there are no zero emission trucks on the market and no scalable retrofit options either.
The association flagged the need for the councils to work with industry to see how the market is developing and to agree on an interim solution that would work for all.
While welcoming the proposal to allow commercial vehicles to enter the zone between 7pm and 7am, these hours for deliveries are only viable if supported by local businesses. The BVRLA response also highlighted the role its members could play in helping to move people into cleaner forms of transport.
The formal consultation on the Red Zone is open to all and runs until midnight on Wednesday 15 April 2020.
