Clean Air Zones – seems unfair

Clean Air Zones – seems unfair

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Kewy

Original Poster:

1,462 posts

94 months

Friday 14th June 2019
quotequote all
Portsmouth is considering introducing a clean air zone into the city meaning that it would cost £8 for older cars to drive on the island.

Article here: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/portsmo...
(there is also a follow up article saying it is highly likely)

I have a bit of a problem with this. I drive a 2005 petrol car, a car I imported and paid hard earned money for. A car that I look after meticulously, meaning its serviced a lot more regularly than your average car, and therefore emissions-wise I keep it as healthy as I possibly can.

It's also a car that I don't like to put unnecessary miles on, therefore I cycle to work most days, and go out of my way to use my bike or walk if it means I don't put miles on my car or lose my parking space. I often go 3 or 4 days without using it.

With all that in mind, if this new scheme come's into affect, I'd be looking at an £8 charge per day that I decide to start her up and drive out of my parking space? I live on Portsea Island and therefore there's no way that I could 'avoid' the zone, the car parks within it! Seems a bit unfair to me…

Saleen836

11,110 posts

209 months

Friday 14th June 2019
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They tried similar in Bath, but once they calculated the actual cost of doing it they gave up

normalbloke

7,450 posts

219 months

Friday 14th June 2019
quotequote all
Lose your parking space?

Blib

44,014 posts

197 months

Friday 14th June 2019
quotequote all
For a precedent, check out London's ULEZ.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Friday 14th June 2019
quotequote all
normalbloke said:
Lose your parking space?
OP needs to utilise some police cones to keep his space free when his car isn't there.



smile

South tdf

1,530 posts

195 months

Friday 14th June 2019
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I think it will be a long way off if it does ever happen.

As for parking comments, girl in the office gets in at 7 so she can leave at 3 just to park in her road. Thought she was joking until I tried parking in Chichester Road one evening and ended up about 3 roads away.


AW10

4,433 posts

249 months

Sunday 16th June 2019
quotequote all
I appreciate that something needs to be done about the air quality in urban environments but this seems a bit draconian.

And not that it helps the OP but if PCC wanted to show themselves as pragmatic and progressive they would make the park and ride free for the vehicles affected.

normalbloke

7,450 posts

219 months

Monday 17th June 2019
quotequote all
funkyrobot said:
normalbloke said:
Lose your parking space?
OP needs to utilise some police cones to keep his space free when his car isn't there.



smile
Would that be classed as dominating the said parking space..?

Kewy

Original Poster:

1,462 posts

94 months

Monday 17th June 2019
quotequote all
Are the parking references just a comment on the state of parking in the city? Or am I missing something? smile

To be honest, I leave work at 5pm and rarely have a problem with parking, although later at night it can be a pain in the arse. There's a couple of roads about a 5 min walk from me that always have spaces though, so I'll normally do the normally loop around my road and if nothing then just drive down the road and walk back.

The mrs on the other hand plans her whole life around whether or not she'll get a space when she gets back rolleyes

ecsrobin

17,111 posts

165 months

Tuesday 18th June 2019
quotequote all
The problem with all of this is the current PCC have published their pollution paper which shows that the main pollutant is central heating and background pollution from outside the city. The next big pollutant from memory was commercial transport and the commercial ferry port (no research has been done on the impact of the naval dockyard) then finally us motorists.

Now I’d happily put some money on the main cause of pollution being the harbour, commercial ships and warships sitting with engines running, then there’s the staff. The dockyard employs thousands who drive in, when I finish work in the morning the majority of traffic is going into the dockyard and port.

Then you have all the commuters and lorries on the cross channel ferry driving into the city.

I have mentioned this to councillors but it falls on deaf ears as the Lib Dem’s in Portsmouth hate the motorist.

Pothole

34,367 posts

282 months

Tuesday 18th June 2019
quotequote all
Blib said:
For a precedent, check out London's ULEZ.
The one in which it turns out lots of pre-period touted vehicles are actually below the threshold for charging?

Stuart J

1,301 posts

257 months

Tuesday 18th June 2019
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ecsrobin said:
The problem with all of this is the current PCC have published their pollution paper which shows that the main pollutant is central heating and background pollution from outside the city. The next big pollutant from memory was commercial transport and the commercial ferry port (no research has been done on the impact of the naval dockyard) then finally us motorists.

Now I’d happily put some money on the main cause of pollution being the harbour, commercial ships and warships sitting with engines running, then there’s the staff. The dockyard employs thousands who drive in, when I finish work in the morning the majority of traffic is going into the dockyard and port.

Then you have all the commuters and lorries on the cross channel ferry driving into the city.

I have mentioned this to councillors but it falls on deaf ears as the Lib Dem’s in Portsmouth hate the motorist.
Your arguments are correct but sadly the council will only view it as a means of raising revenue and using the anti pollution argument to justify it . I wonder if they had thought of charging £500 every time a ferry or naval boat docks, far easier to enforce. Sadly the navy can’t be taxed and ferry companies could use other ports , the local people have no choice so an easier target

Lovey1

429 posts

181 months

Wednesday 19th June 2019
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Heres your chance to have your say. i have links with the Economic growth team and they sent me this survey today.
https://www.research.net/r/CAZconsultation

Kewy

Original Poster:

1,462 posts

94 months

Wednesday 19th June 2019
quotequote all
Lovey1 said:
Heres your chance to have your say. i have links with the Economic growth team and they sent me this survey today.
https://www.research.net/r/CAZconsultation
Thanks, this got circulated round my work last week so I filled it out then.

What did strike me though is that pretty much all of the possible answers go in their favour:

'I'll pay the charge' – great, income.
'I won't make the journey' – great, less pollution.

No options to move out of the city and/or take my business elsewhere. Which is what I will seriously be considering doing if this come's into full affect in the way they make out.

ecsrobin

17,111 posts

165 months

Wednesday 19th June 2019
quotequote all
Kewy said:
Lovey1 said:
Heres your chance to have your say. i have links with the Economic growth team and they sent me this survey today.
https://www.research.net/r/CAZconsultation
Thanks, this got circulated round my work last week so I filled it out then.

What did strike me though is that pretty much all of the possible answers go in their favour:

'I'll pay the charge' – great, income.
'I won't make the journey' – great, less pollution.

No options to move out of the city and/or take my business elsewhere. Which is what I will seriously be considering doing if this come's into full affect in the way they make out.
Reading a lot of the comments on the news story everyone was saying this that it was a win win to whoever wrote the survey.

Kewy

Original Poster:

1,462 posts

94 months

Wednesday 19th June 2019
quotequote all
ecsrobin said:
Reading a lot of the comments on the news story everyone was saying this that it was a win win to whoever wrote the survey.
Yeh it's a joke mate, very carefully written I think.

I guess time will tell, but if this happens and it's a blanket fine for any pre-2006 petrol cars to drive on the island, then my house will be going on the market immediately. I could do with a bit more space and a driveway anyway, or just a parking space in general rolleyes

ecsrobin

17,111 posts

165 months

Wednesday 19th June 2019
quotequote all
Kewy said:
Yeh it's a joke mate, very carefully written I think.

I guess time will tell, but if this happens and it's a blanket fine for any pre-2006 petrol cars to drive on the island, then my house will be going on the market immediately. I could do with a bit more space and a driveway anyway, or just a parking space in general rolleyes
Whilst both cars are post-2006 we’re currently looking to buy and we were happy to make sacrifices to stay on the island however this constant campaign against the motorist from PCC I think is sealing the deal for us.

Kewy

Original Poster:

1,462 posts

94 months

Thursday 20th June 2019
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ecsrobin said:
Whilst both cars are post-2006 we’re currently looking to buy and we were happy to make sacrifices to stay on the island however this constant campaign against the motorist from PCC I think is sealing the deal for us.
I believe its pre-2011 for diesel cars, 2006 for petrol. The o/h has a newer diesel so that no problem, but I'm not finished with 90s and 00ies race cars just yet! frown

If I was buying again now, I'd be looking for somewhere off the island with a drive or garage I think, thats with or without this clean air charge.

Saleen836

11,110 posts

209 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2021
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So much for BANES (Bath and North East Somerset) giving up on the idea! Bath Clean Air Zone comes into effect on March 15 2021
Map and rates can be found on the website...
https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/bath-clean-air-zone

If I want to drive my 2012 Astravan 1.7cdti (euro 4 I think) into the center it will cost me £9 a day, so looks like I will drive into the center in my V8 petrol as that is free! biggrin

ecsrobin

17,111 posts

165 months

Thursday 25th March 2021
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https://airqualitynews.com/2021/03/25/32646/

Portsmouth awarded funding. Crazy that it ignores the port which is likely the reason behind the high levels of pollution in that area.