Tide turns against Clean Air Zones: Professor says it will be a year before anyone knows if city centre crackdowns on drivers will benefit health after Andy Burnham put Manchester scheme on hold The scheme in and around Bradford was introduced in September last year Rosie McEachan said its impacts will not be known 'until at least a year' By Dan Woodland Published: 04:56 EDT, 17 August 2023 | Updated: 05:31 EDT, 17 August 2023 e-mail View comments It will be at least a year until experts can determine whether a clean air zone in Bradford has had any benefit on people's health, according to a professor. The scheme, which covers the area inside the city's outer ring road and also extends further north towards Shipley, was introduced in September last year. Drivers of buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and minibuses will face charges if they do not comply with certain environmental standards for their vehicles in a bid to improve air quality. But, Professor Rosie McEachan from the research group Born In Bradford told Radio 4's Today programme that the impacts of the scheme will not be known 'until the clean air zone has been in place for at least a year'. There are currently seven cities across the UK with clean air zones in place. Metro Mayor Andy Burnham paused plans for clean air zone in Greater Manchester in February 2022 following concerns that it would have an unfair impact. It will be at least a year until experts can determine whether a clean air zone in Bradford has had any benefit on people's health, according to Professor Rosie McEachan from the research group Born In Bradford (pictured) There are currently seven cities across the UK with clean air zones in place Metro Mayor Andy Burnham paused plans for clean air zone in Greater Manchester in February 2022 following concerns that it would have an unfair impact Speaking on Radio 4 this morning, Professor Rosie McEachan said: ‘So Bradford like many other big cities has very high levels of pollution in fact we have illegally high levels of pollution. ‘And we know from research that pollution is one of the biggest causes of ill health. ‘It’s still to early to tell [whether the Bradford clean air zone has been a success]. ‘We need to wait until the clean air zone has been in place for at least a year to be able to look at the impact on air pollution but also to be able to look at the impact on health in Bradford.’ The Bradford clean air zone aims to encourage vehicle owners to consider upgrading their vehicles to compliant standards to reduce the amount of air pollution in the city. HGVs, coaches and buses face a £50 daily charge for not complying with the scheme. Minibuses and large good vehicles can also be fined £9 and taxis (Hackney Carriages) and private hire vehicle face a charge of £7 if they do not meet certain standards. The Bradford clean air zone aims to encourage vehicle owners to consider upgrading their vehicles to compliant standards to reduce the amount of air pollution in the city A map of the Bradford Clean Air Zone which has been in place since September 2022 A similar scheme in Manchester was due to begin in May 2022 but was delayed after public backlash. Mr Burnham said pandemic problems had caused a shortage of electric or hybrid vehicles for road users to convert. The scheme, which would have charged some motorists although not private car drivers, had also provoked fury from groups including taxi drivers before it was due to be introduced. Greater Manchester's clean air zone would have charged buses and lorries £60 a day to enter. Vans and minibuses would have been charged £10 a day, taxis registered in Greater Manchester £7.50 a day, and coaches £60. The scheme was further delayed by the government earlier this year after it found that buses that were retrofitted to reduce the levels of nitrogen dioxide they produced did not cut emissions as much as expected. About 1,150 of the Greater Manchester's 2,063 buses were modified to meet emissions standards, costing £15million. The delay has cast doubt over whether the region will meet the Government's requirements for it to comply with legal air quality limits by 2026. Share or comment on this article: Tide turns against Clean Air Zones: Professor says it will be a year before anyone knows if city centre crackdowns on drivers will benefit health after Andy Burnham put Manchester scheme on hold e-mail Add comment Comments 1 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have not been moderated. 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