Cardiff could become the latest city in the UK to introduce a clean air zone and congestion charge for motorists. The proposed scheme, announced on Monday by Cardiff Council, would be aimed at improving air quality and reducing congestion and could see drivers charged for passing through the city centre. The council’s cabinet are considering the proposals in full at a meeting on Thursday, April 27, with any changes, if greenlit, unlikely to come in until 2027.
Until then, the council said that a number of initiatives including £1 bus fares and the Cardiff Central to Pierhead Station tram would be implemented before any road user payments are put into practice. But the question on many motorists’ minds is how much will they be expected to pay.
Cardiff Council's transport white paper from 2020 states that a potential future charging scheme would be targeted at vehicles coming into Cardiff. However, the leader of Cardiff Council, Councillor Huw Thomas, suggested that this might no longer be the case. At a press conference on Monday he said Cardiff people could have to pay as well.
As there is still a lot of work to be done, it is not yet known for certain how much road users could be charged if a payment scheme is brought in. In the council's transport white paper, the council used the example of a £2 per day charge when raising the possibility of a future road user payment scheme to reduce air pollution and congestion.
In the meantime, it is worth looking at the other places across the UK which already have similar schemes in place to get an idea of how hard it could hit drivers’ pockets. You can find everything we know about Cardiff Council's plans so far here.
Read more: The one main concern people in Cardiff have about proposals for city congestion charges
London
This is probably the first city which springs to mind at the mention of a congestion charge and has two separate zones and charges which restricts motorists’ ability to drive through the city.
Firstly they have the Congestion Charge in central London, which carries a £15 daily charge for most drivers who enter the area between 7am-6pm Monday to Friday and 12pm-6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
Secondly, there is the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which expands to cover the areas of inner London within the North and South Circular roads. This sees pre-2015 diesel vehicles (known as Euro 6) and most pre-2006 petrol cars (known as Euro 4) charged £12.50 for entering the zone. This applies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the ULEZ controversially set to be expanded in August 2023 to include all London boroughs.
Birmingham
Most other cities with ‘congestion charges’ for entering the sort of clean air zone (CAZ) which Cardiff council hopes to implement charge a fee in line with the ULEZ criteria, which can be found here, and Birmingham is no different.
Polluting cars (pre Euro 4 petrols and pre Euro 6 diesels) are charged £8 to drive in the zone, while non-compliant buses and lorries pay £50, with the charge operating 24 hours a day.
Bradford
Bradford’s clean air zone doesn’t apply to cars - only taxis, lorries and other commercial vehicles. Taxis pay £7 to enter the zone, with HGVs and buses paying £50.
Bristol
Bristol’s CAZ came into force in November last year, and sees drivers of more polluting cars charged if they enter areas of the city centre. As with London’s ULEZ, it affects pre-Euro 4 petrol cars and pre-Euro 6 diesels, which have to pay £9 to enter the zone. Non-compliant taxis and light vans face the same charge, while HGVs and buses pay £100.
Newcastle
Since January 2022, drivers in Newcastle who use the worst-polluting lorries, buses and taxis have been charged between £12.50 and £50 a day for entering the city centre. Private cars, motorbikes, and vehicles that meet minimum emissions standards are exempt.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth’s CAZ covers a small area of Portsea island. Taxis that don’t meet the respective Euro standards must pay £10 a day to enter the zone, with HGVs and buses paying £50. Private cars are not affected.
Sheffield
Like other CAZs, Sheffield’s charges won’t apply to private vehicles for the time being. Instead, older taxis, vans and large vehicles will be subject to a charge for entering the zone, which will begin operating in June, 2023. Large goods vehicles and taxis will have to pay £10 a day, with coaches, buses and HGVs subject to a £50 fee.
Scotland
North of the border, CAZs are known as low emission zones (LEZ). There are plans to introduce them fully into the four cities - Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow - by June, 2024.
Although Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel and electric vehicles will still be allowed to enter the zones, there is a slightly different approach when it comes to penalties for non-compliant vehicles. A £60 penalty charge, similar to a parking fine, will be issued to those motorists who illegally enter the zone and is reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days.
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