January 21, 2020
Abby Nuttall
Electric and Hybrid News
Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have published the final draft of their proposal for their city centre Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ). This will be the first zero emission city centre scheme in the UK, and draws inspiration in places from London’s Low Emission Zone.
The initial phase will involve just a few of the city centre streets, which has been designated the Red Zone. Take a look at the map below to see which streets are included:
Image sourced: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1288/final_draft_proposals_published_in_countdown_to_oxford_zero_emission_zone
There are future plans to expand the ZEZ to cover the entire city centre. The Green Zone, as this stage is known, will not come into play until 2021/2022 and it is not yet open for public consultation yet.
The Green Zone is expected to cover the below area:
Image sourced: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1288/final_draft_proposals_published_in_countdown_to_oxford_zero_emission_zone
Originally announced in 2017 both councils have worked closely with local residents, business owners, transport operators and health experts since then to design the ZEZ and the staggered implementation of this.
The final draft for the Red Zone proposes the below:
- Operating hours of 7am to 7pm.
- A daily £10 charge for non-compliant vehicles (rising to £20 from December 2024).
- There will be a 90% discount for residents until December 2030 in the red zone.
- Businesses in the red zone will be exempt until December 2024 and then have a discounted rate until December 2030.
- Buses and taxis are already on agreed zero emission plans and so they will be exempt from charges.
- Blue badge holders will have a discounted rate until December 2024.
The Red Zone is currently open for informal consultation until next Friday, the 31st of January, and the councils are looking for feedback on the proposed charges and discounts, the suggested operating hours and future phases of the ZEZ. If you live in, work in or even visit Oxford city centre you can have your say via the Oxford County Council’s website.
Formal consultation on the Red Zone will start in March with both councils aiming to make a formal decision in the spring which could see the scheme come into effect as early as December this year.
For more information on the ZEZ and the impact this will have in Oxfordshire click on the below link: