Holidaymakers making their way to and from a busy airport are being hit with fines for driving through a clean air zone. The zones are designed to cut pollution by issuing people with a charge for driving in busy areas.
But people say they have not seen any signs warning them of the charge around the airport - meaning they then get a fine for not paying.
Colin Gunney said he followed signs from the M5 to Bristol Airport, then six weeks after returning home from a holiday in France he was issued with a fine.
Colin told BristolLive: "You come off the M5 following signs to the airport and if there are signs for the Clean Air Zone, I didn’t spot them. If you haven’t seen them, you get no option but to pay the fee. It was at least five years since I drove into Bristol.
“I thought I can’t go back and check. I am annoyed that the first I knew about the CAZ was when I received the notices so had no opportunity to pay the fee."
Mr Gunney, who paid both fines as his car was non-compliant, said there should be signage advising on alternative routes to the airport. While most of Bristol's roads and road signage is overseen by the city council, larger roads like the M32 and M5 are overseen by National Highways.
A spokesperson said: “The Department for Transport (DfT) and National Highways have jointly developed clear guidance on the appropriate use of signs in local areas. This advises against unnecessary sign clutter to ensure directions remain clear for drivers.
“In this case Junction 18 of the M5 is several miles from the Clean Air Zone and signs are already appropriately placed on the A4 before the zone begins. Any changes to the number of signs on the strategic road network for Bristol’s Clean Air Zone will be a matter for the local authority to discuss jointly with National Highways.”
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “We have always been clear that drivers should use the vehicle checker before travelling to find out if they need to pay a charge for their chosen route.
"Payment plans are available to help people manage Penalty Charge Notice payments if they are facing financial difficulty. Those who think they have received a Clean Air Zone PCN in error or have mitigating circumstances can submit an appeal and each appeal will be assessed based on its own merit," said the spokesperson.
The council said there are more than 400 signs placed around the city to warn motorists of the CAZ. In December, the council confirmed that it had asked National Highways and the Department for Transport to consider the signage on the M5 with specific regards to Bristol Airport, but said ‘our request was declined’.
Another driver to Bristol Airport said the M5 signage directs motorists into the CAZ. When exiting the M5 at junction 18, drivers head down A4 Portway, into the Clean Air Zone.
There are limited options to leave Portway or to turn around. Cheltenham resident Bill Martin said he felt “mugged” by the lack of signage when he had travelled to the airport to collect passengers in December.
He said: “This signed route makes no mention of the route channelling vehicles to go through the CAZ zone and hence a payment of £9 is required to use it. There is a perfectly acceptable route on the opposite side of the river which goes via Ashton Gate and misses the zone."
