Newcastle and Gateshead’s Clean Air Zone launched on Monday 30th January 2023, meaning non-compliant vehicles will have to pay a charge to drive in certain areas of the cities. Find out what this means for businesses, and private drivers.
What is the Clean Air Zone?
The Clean Air Zone is a government scheme to help improve the quality of air by attempting to reduce the amount of high-polluting vehicles on the roads. By charging drivers when non-compliant vehicles enter the Clean Air Zone, the scheme should discourage high-polluting vehicles within the zone. The Clean Air Zone scheme will also offer financial help to those who are driving high-polluting vehicles, so that they can replace or upgrade their vehicle.
Where is the Clean Air Zone?
The Clean Air Zone encompasses the majority of Newcastle City Centre, and a number of bridges that allow vehicles to cross the Tyne River These include the Redheugh Bridge, the High Level Bridge, the Swing Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. The Clean Air Zone also includes the stretches of road that follow the Tyne Bridge and Redheugh Bridge.
You can see a map of the Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone at the following link. There are also road signs with the Clean Air logo at all the entrances to the Clean Air Zone, as well as reminder signs after vehicles have entered.
Which vehicles are affected?
Not all vehicles will have to pay a charge to drive into the Clean Air Zone in Newcastle and Gateshead. If you drive a private car, motorbike or low emission vehicle, you will not have to pay a charge. However, from Monday 30th January 2023, taxis and private hire vehicles, buses and coaches and HGVs will have to pay a charge if they are non-compliant. Vans and light goods vehicles will also have to pay a charge if they are non-compliant, but only from July 2023.
Non-compliant vehicles include taxis and private hire vehicles that are pre-Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel, buses and coaches that are pre-Euro VI, HGVs that are pre-Euro VI, and vans and light goods vehicles that are pre-Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel. If you aren’t sure whether your vehicle is compliant or non-compliant, you can check your vehicle at www.gov,uk/clean-air-zones, as long as your vehicle is registered in the UK.
What happens if I drive a non-compliant vehicle in the Clean Air Zone?
If you are driving a non-compliant taxi, private hire vehicle, bus, coach or HGV in the Clean Air Zone after Monday 30th January 2023, you will have to pay a daily charge. This is currently set at £50 per day for non-compliant buses, coaches and HGVs, and £12.50 per day for non-compliant taxis and minibuses. From July 2023, the charge for a non-compliant van or light goods vehicles will be £12.50 per day.
Payments can be made six days before entering the Clean Air Zone for the day of travel, on the day of travel itself or up to 11:59pm six days after driving in the Clean Air Zone. If this is not paid, a penalty charge notice will be issued to the driver.
How can businesses ensure all their vehicles are compliant?
Businesses can check a number of vehicles by creating an account on www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones. The website requests that you list the number plates of the vehicles you want to check on a spreadsheet in CSV format. You can also pay for a number of vehicles at once using this service.
Businesses should also be aware that owners of non-compliant vehicles can apply for funding to help replace or upgrade their vehicles. This is a grant, and does not have to be paid back. You can find out more about the vehicle upgrade grants and access the eligibility criteria on the Clean Air Zone website.
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