YEP says: More carrot and less stick needed in drive for a cleaner city

AT the end of this week consultation on recommendations for the Leeds clean Air Zone will end.

The proposal is effectively a pollution charge. The most toxic buses and lorries would be charged £100 to come into Leeds and taxis £12.50 a day to travel in a CleanAir Zone.

The consultation has involved many of the people who will be affected - taxi drivers and private hire car drivers being the most notable ones.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Leeds is a city where the alternatives to travelling by car are often neither reliable nor viable - and there is no mass transit system across the city at all. Car is still king here, and the taxi is surely a good viable alternative to bringing your own car into town?

There feels to be more stick than carrot in these proposals still, and we need to reward and support any move to low emission vehicles instead of punishing those who are driving more polluting vehicles?

We shall be reporting closely on the debate and outcomes of the consultation and do welcome the council’s pledge to seek Government funding to assist with transition costs for those moving to lower emission vehicles.