'Scrap the plan': Trafford Conservatives call for suspension of Clean Air Zone pending 'full investigation'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukConservatives in Trafford are calling for the suspension of Clean Air Zone pending a 'full investigation' into the plan. Currently due to be launched in May to tackle illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) has churned up a toxic political storm.
The scheme, entailing the installation of cameras across the 10 boroughs to monitor drivers of high-emission vehicles, will see a £60 for HGVs, buses and coaches, £10 for vans and £7.50 for taxis and private hire cars. READ MORE: It's grossly unfair': Those being hit by the Clean Air Zone - who don't even live in Greater Manchester Failure to pay the charge will result in a £120 fine plus the daily charge.
Polluted air is estimated to cause more than a thousand premature deaths a year here. And after the government was defeated multiple times by environmentalists in the High Court, the legal duty to fix that problem was passed to local authorities.
Enter the Clean Air Zone, which has become central to the proposed solution to keep them out of court. But, despite a package of funding available for drivers to either buy new vehicles or retrofit their existing ones, there are growing concerns that, amid supply issues caused by the pandemic and Brexit, business owners will be left financially crippled.
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