Press Release: Campaign Against the Birmingham CAZ

The Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) launched its ABCAZ (Against Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone) campaign as a result of Birmingham City Council’s controversial and unpopular plan to impose a daily charge on non-compliant vehicles using roads inside the A4540 Middleway Ring Road from 1st January 2020. Vehicles that fail to meet minimum emissions standards will be charged £8 per day if they are a car, taxi private hire vehicle or van. HGVs, coaches and buses will pay a daily charge of £50. ABD Environment spokesman Paul Biggs, who lives in the West Midlands, said: “The daily charges are unlikely to have a significant positive impact on air quality, but they could have a devastating financial effect on individuals and businesses that cannot afford to buy newer compliant vehicles. UK Air quality has improved significantly since 1970 with Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Particulate (PM2.5) emissions down 70% and 78% respectively. I urge Birmingham City Council to end its policy of deliberate congestion-causing measures, which increase emissions and create air pollution hot-spots.” The Birmingham CAZ charge fails any reasonable cost-benefit analysis: The purely theoretical health and environmental benefits are £38 million over 10 years, at an overall negative cost of £122 million. Birmingham are also seeking an additional £69 million from the government to support the CAZ plans. Given the potential damage to the local economy, plus the fact that only 11.5% of people who responded to the CAZ consultation supported the plan, the ABD is calling for the CAZ to be scrapped. Ends Notes for Editors: ABCAZ Website: www.abcaz.org.uk ABD Contact Page: https://home-5010050506.webspace-host.com/wordpress/xabout/contact/ ABD Report: Air Quality and Vehicles – The Truth: https://www.freedomfordrivers.org/Air-Quality-and-Vehicles-The-Truth.pdf