Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone BANS older cars from entry tomorrow

Enforcement of Scotland’s first Low Emission Zone (LEZ) begins tomorrow and will see drivers of older vehicles entering it hit with huge fines that increase for each subsequent breach.

The scheme is far stricter than London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ), both of which have daily charges for drivers who enter in non-compliant vehicles.

Instead, the first Scottish LEZ introduced in Glasgow from Thursday is a blanket ban on older cars that’s operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – and with harsh punishments for those who fail to adhere to the restrictions.

A driver entering the LEZ in a non-compliant older car will be hit with a £60 penalty charge notice – and if they break the rules again, the PCN amount doubles each time. 

Scotland’s first vehicle emission charging zone to go live: Enforcement of Glasgow’s LEZ begins on Thursday – and penalties for breaching the rules are huge – and will escalate with each rule break

This map shows the size of the Glasgow LEZ, which cover the city centre from the M8 motorway to the north and west and River Clyde to the south

This map shows the size of the Glasgow LEZ, which cover the city centre from the M8 motorway to the north and west and River Clyde to the south

Glasgow is the first of Scotland’s four biggest cities to enforce the LEZ scheme.

While signage and automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) cameras have also been installed in preparation for similar zones in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh since last May, Glasgow City Council is the first to set them live from 1 June 2023.

Dundee’s won’t be enforced for another year from 30 May 2024, and in Aberdeen and Edinburgh from 1 June 2024.

The extended delay between installation and enforcement of the zones is intended to give drivers and businesses time to prepare and replace their older – non-compliant – motors.

However, time is due to run out for those living and commuting into Glasgow from tomorrow.

Escalating penalties for drivers of non-compliant cars

The Glasgow LEZ covers an area of the city centre bounded by the M8 motorway to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south, and Saltmarket/High Street to the east.

In total, 299 of Glasgow’s streets will be within the zone perimeter.

ANPR cameras installed around the boundary identify the vehicles entering the zone. 

Any car that fail to meet the minimum required emission standards – Euro 6 for diesel cars (generally those registered after September 2015) and Euro 4 for petrols (typically those registered from 2006 onwards) – is banned from entering this boundary from Thursday.

The restriction will also impact diesel-powered Euro VI HGVs and buses, though mopeds and motorcycles are exempt.

Motorists are advised to use the official LEZ vehicle checker to understand if their motor is complaint or not. 

Instead of being able to pay a non-compliance charge like London’s £12.50-a-day ULEZ and £8 for Birmingham’s CAZ, the Glasgow LEZ will see owners of ineligible motors issued with a Penalty Charge Notice each time they enter.

The initial PCN for non-compliant vehicles is £60, which will be halved if paid within a fortnight. 

Only one PCN will be issued per day, no matter how many times the vehicle enters or leaves the zone. 

However, a stepped surcharge system means the penalty will double with each subsequent breaking of the rules thereafter. 

That means a second day entering the LEZ in an older car will result in the PCN amount rising to £120, and a third day will see it increase to £240. 

The penalties escalate regardless of whether the first fine is paid, though the maximum penalty charge is capped at £480 for cars and vans, and £960 for buses and HGVs.

After 90 days of a driver last breaching the rules, the surcharge rate is reset to £60. 

It means a driver in a non-compliant vehicle who drives into the zone every day would – in theory – incur annual PCN’s up to a value of £174,180, according to a calculation by car selling website, Carwow.

That’s around the same price as a two-bed semi-detached home in St Helens. 

With the Glasgow LEZ operational continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round, it will force thousands of drivers to ditch older cars if they haven’t done so already.

Glasgow City Council estimates that just 10 per cent of vehicles driven into the zone at the beginning of May failed to meet the LEZ standards required. Across Scotland, it is reported that just over a fifth of vehicles fail to meet the emissions standards, with the lowest compliance among diesel models.

From 1 June, penalties can be paid via Glasgow City Council’s website. Failure to make payment will result in enforcement action.

The initial PCN for non-compliant vehicles is £60, reduced to £30 if it is paid within a fortnight. However, the penalty amount will be DOUBLED with each subsequent breach of the rules detected thereafter. Penalty charges are capped at £480

The initial PCN for non-compliant vehicles is £60, reduced to £30 if it is paid within a fortnight. However, the penalty amount will be DOUBLED with each subsequent breach of the rules detected thereafter. Penalty charges are capped at £480

There are some exemptions

Exemptions are in place for residents living within the zone’s limits with a non-compliant car. However, they will need to apply for an exemption and it is only valid until 1 June 2024.

Operators of public-hire taxis can also apply for an exemption that ends on the same date.  

Blue Badge holders will not incur any penalties, though they also need to apply for this exemption.

The Scottish LEZ site also says ‘historic vehicles’ older than 30 years will not be issued PCNs.

Other exemptions include vehicles used by the police, ambulance and emergency services, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Her Majesty’s Coastguard and the National Crime Agency.

Military and ‘showmen’ vehicles – a ‘highly specialised vehicle used for the purposes of travelling showmen, where the vehicle is used during the performance, used for the purpose of providing the performance or used for carrying performance equipment’ – are exempt too.

‘LEZ is an important milestone for Glasgow…’ 

Commenting on the zone’s enforcement, councillor Angus Millar, the SNP convener for climate and transport in Glasgow said earlier this month: ‘Expanding the reach of the LEZ to include all vehicles is an important milestone in ensuring cleaner air for Glasgow – addressing levels and concentrations of air pollution which have remained stubbornly high in the city centre in breach of the legal limits.

With the Glasgow LEZ operational continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round, it will force thousands of drivers to ditch their older cars - if they haven't done so already

With the Glasgow LEZ operational continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round, it will force thousands of drivers to ditch their older cars – if they haven’t done so already

‘Poor air quality is harming Glaswegians’ health and contributing to the city’s health inequalities, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable. 

‘While the vast majority – up to 90 per cent – of vehicles currently entering the city centre will be unaffected, the LEZ standards will address the most polluting vehicles which are disproportionately creating the harmful concentrations of air pollution.

‘We know that this will work – the first phase of implementation which focused on cleaning up the city’s bus fleet, has already seen improvements in air quality, but only with a full roll-out will we realise the full benefits.

‘Alongside our wider work as a city to promote and secure improvements to public transport and active travel options, Glasgow’s LEZ will help create a shift towards sustainable transport and the uptake of less polluting vehicles. 

‘And by ensuring cleaner air, we can create a more pleasant experience for everyone who visits, works and lives in the city centre, while improving public health.’

However, earlier this week the Glasgow Labour called for the Glasgow LEZ to be delayed by another year.

Posting on Twitter, the group said: ‘This Thursday the Low Emission Zone will be implemented.

‘We are calling for a delay in the implementation of the LEZ so that charities, businesses and workers can have more time to prepare as the cost-of-living crisis continues.’

Huge Griffiths, consumer editor at Carwow, says that while there’s public acknowledgement that pollution levels – especially in big cities – need to be curtailed, the decision to introduce a scheme as harsh as Glasgow’s LEZ is questionable in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

‘It’s worth having the debate about whether this is fairer than the ‘pay to pollute’ daily fee option provided by schemes such as London’s ULEZ,’ Griffiths said. 

‘It’s certainly interesting to note that the penalty-escalation scheme Glasgow is implementing could see drivers fined up to £174,180 a year if they drive into the zone every day. 

‘You really wouldn’t want to move house and forget to change the address where your car is registered; the build up of penalties over time could be painfully expensive.’

He also warned that the extension of the LEZ scheme to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee next year will have a huge impact on second hand car values in Scotland as drivers desperately offload non-compliant older models.

‘Given the broad geographical area these cities span, and that (roughly) pre-2015 diesels and pre-2006 petrol cars will be banned from entering their centres, non-compliant cars could soon experience a marked drop in value north of the border,’ he added.



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