Famed as a spa town where the Romans soaked in the waters, the British city of Bath has long been a magnet for the health-conscious visitor.
However in the age of the automobile, nitrogen dioxide levels, mainly caused by diesel and older gasoline-powered vehicles, regularly exceed legal limits.
The toxic emissions can trigger asthma attacks, a condition that affects about 12,000 people in the city and surrounding areas.
Photo: AFP
However, from yesterday, a new initiative charges polluting vehicles a daily charge of ￡10 to ￡100 (US$13 to US$139) to drive in the center of Bath, with its Roman ruins and majestic neoclassical buildings.
The overhaul — the first of its kind in Britain outside of the capital London — aims to cut health-threatening emissions.
Shop owner Michele Dicorato is affected by the change. He keeps his brand new ecologically friendly white van parked near his business in front of the local market in the heart of city.
The hardware store owner had not been looking for a new vehicle, until he learned that local officials were planning a new charge on the most polluting vehicles.
“If I’d had it my way, I wouldn’t have changed it ... but I got good financial support,” he said.
Backed by government support, similar measures are on the way in Birmingham, Bradford and Bristol. The British government has been criticized in court — most recently in 2018 — over its consistent failure to cut illegal levels of pollution.
As the COP26 climate conference being hosted by Britain in November draws closer, the country has sought to put itself at the forefront of international efforts to confront the worsening situation.
Ahead of the international conference, which is to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, the British government has pledged to go carbon neutral by 2050.
Taxi drivers, like Tim Elbehiry, were critical of the measures.
“It is not the right time to do that. We are struggling,” the 49-year-old said. “We barely can get our heads above water. We don’t have enough business.”
With a family to support, Elbehiry said he was lucky to avoid the charge, as the Mercedes he bought in 2015 is not covered by the levy.
The zone, which applies 24 hours per day and seven days per week, rises to ￡116 for polluting buses, coaches and trucks.
Chris Ashley, head of policy, environment and regulation at the Road Haulage Association criticized the measure for “condemning vehicles that are only five, six or seven years old.”
Despite subsidies to facilitate the purchase of cleaner vehicles, Ashley said that members of his association were struggling to adapt due to a shortage of environmentally friendly trucks.
Imogen Martineau, manager of the Clean Air Fund in the UK, said that low-emission zones like Bath’s had been identified as “the fastest way of reducing nitrogen dioxide levels within legal limits.”
If Britain could reduce air pollution to the limits recommended by the WHO, it would prevent 17,000 premature births each year, said the fund, which raises awareness of air pollution worldwide.
Martineau added that the positive health effects are linked to improved economic outcomes.
“Three million working days are lost each year as a result of air pollution causing workers to become sick or taking time off to care for sick children,” she said.
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