Bristol Clean Air Zone officially launched - Saltford Parish Council

Bristol’s Clean Air Zone has officially launched. You can find out more about the Clean Air Zone on the Bristol City Council website. You can also read more about this on the Mayor of Bristol Blog.

Bristol City Council say that they have always sought to reduce air pollution in Bristol to improve the city’s health but they are also mindful of the financial strain people are under at the moment.

In a message from Bristol City Council, they say:

To reduce air pollution in the city, Bristol City Council has launched a Clean Air Zone. We have worked to find a way to clean up our air, while also providing support to those who need it most.

Check your vehicle(s)

Many vehicles that drive through Bristol Clean Air Zone are already compliant. Check if your vehicle(s) will be charged by using the government’s online vehicle checker.

Bristol Clean Air Zone – at a glance

  • Bristol Clean Air Zone is live from 28 November 2022
  • Road signage will tell you when you’re approaching or entering the zone
  • Charges apply 24 hours a day (midnight to midnight), seven days a week, 365 days of the year
  • The daily charge for cars, taxis and light goods vehicles is £9
  • The daily charge for heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches is £100
  • You won’t be notified about payment – the responsibility lies with you
  • You have six days to pay the daily charge – you can pay up to six days before and six days after travel
  • Pay your charge on www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones or by calling 0300 029 8888

Special Payment Offer

For six weeks after the launch date (28 November – 9 January) people will be given the option of a Special Payment Offer, if they drive through the zone in a non-compliant vehicle and do not pay the charge.

This Special Payment Offer gives people seven days to pay the appropriate daily charge for that journey, which is £9 for private cars, taxis and light goods vehicles and £100 for heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches.

If the charge is paid, the remaining Penalty Charge of £120 will be cancelled. Failure to pay this daily charge will result in a full Penalty Charge Notice of £120, or £60 if paid within 14 days, as well as the outstanding daily charge.

Further information from Bristol City Council (28 November):

No vehicles are banned from entering Bristol Clean Air Zone, which covers a small central area of the city and the Portway, but older and more polluting vehicles are being charged.

People will not receive written notification or any kind of alert that they have entered Bristol Clean Air Zone or that a payment is due. Individuals and businesses are fully responsible for managing this.

Daily charges for Bristol Clean Air Zone apply 24 hours a day (midnight to midnight), seven days a week, all year round, and must be paid within six days of travel. People can pay online at www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones or by calling the Clean Air Zone support line on 0300 029 8888 (Monday to Friday: 8am to 7pm, Saturday: 8am to 2pm). Users of smart phones can also pay the charge using free-to-use apps like Caura.

Business owners can sign up to the Business Accounts Feature, to set up a Bristol-specific account to help manage payment for multiple vehicles entering and exiting the Zone.

From today, the council will send Penalty Charge Notices to people who drive non-compliant vehicles in the Zone and do not pay the appropriate daily charge.

However, for the next six weeks, people will be given the option of a Special Payment Offer which gives seven additional days to pay the appropriate daily charge for that journey. This is £9 for private cars, taxis and light goods vehicles and £100 for heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches. If the charge is paid, the remaining Penalty Charge of £120 will be cancelled.

Failure to pay this daily charge will result in a full Penalty Charge Notice of £120, or £60 if paid within 14 days, as well as the outstanding daily charge.

Drivers in Bristol and surrounding areas are encouraged to look out for roadside signage showing when they are entering or approaching the zone. Some signs count down how many miles to go until the zone starts and others have a green cloud symbol on, with the letter D inside.

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