Edinburgh will become the second city in Scotland to introduce a low emission zone (LEZ) following consultation with both the public and businesses in the city. Councillors on the Transport and Environment Committee will debate the details at their meeting on 16 May.
The boundaries of the LEZ are now published in detail on the council website along with details of the vehicles affected. This is part of a three pronged approach to make Edinburgh a more pleasant place to live and visit by reducing air pollution from higher emission vehicles. The council has already agreed to extend the tram to Newhaven and has already published plans for the City Centre Transformation which will remove vehicles from many city centre streets.
Transport and Environment Convener at City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: “Tackling air pollution benefits everyone – residents, commuters and visitors – particularly the most vulnerable members of society. Like cities across the UK and globally, we are committed to improving air quality and realising the health benefits this will bring.
“Edinburgh is one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK and it’s clear that we need to take action to build resilience while ensuring a high quality of life for everyone who comes here. Our plans for an LEZ, as part of a broader package of measures to improve sustainability and connectivity across the city, will be central to achieving this.”
The council has already spoken at length with Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Transport Scotland and proposes a city centre boundary for all vehicles and a city wide boundary for certain polluting vehicles. Although there will necessarily be exceptions those will incur a penalty by entering the LEZ.
It is hoped that the plan will come into effect by the end of next year with a grace period for certain vehicles and those living in LEZ areas. Within the city centre boundary, the grace period for buses, coaches and commercial vehicles would be until the end of 2021 and to the end of 2024 for cars. Buses, coaches and commercial vehicles will have until 2023 to comply with the city-wide boundary. Cars will not be affected by the city-wide boundary.
British Lung Foundation research showed that around two thirds of those living in Edinburgh and Lothian support the introduction of an LEZ in the city.
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