Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone finally launched on Monday – with the city centre pollution tolls coming as a long-awaited relief for some but branded a “nightmare” for others.
After years of debate and a string of delays, measures to try and crack down on illegal and dangerous levels of air pollution are finally in force. Cameras dotted around the edge of the city centre are now on watch for high-emissions vehicles that do not comply with the environmental standards of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
While all private cars are exempt from any tolls, drivers of older buses, coaches, taxis, and HGVs must now pay daily charges of either £50 or £12.50 if they want to go to or through the city centre. There will also be £12.50 tolls for non-compliant vans coming this summer under the CAZ scheme, which has been imposed by local councils in response to a Government order to cut air pollution in the quickest possible time.
