YEP Letters January 24

Leeds Clean Air Zone go ahead: your views

Leeds Council has confirmed its new Clean Air Zone will go ahead. The council has revealed its plans for the £29 million scheme after its approval by government. The new charge would be monitored using an ANPR camera which automatically recognises vehicle registration plates. Drivers would not have to pay more than once for entering the zone as the charge would cover a 24-hour time period. It is believed that a national payment portal would be developed and implemented by the Government with payments due by midnight on the day after a vehicle enters the zone. All revenue raised would be ring-fenced to only be spent on the cost of running the scheme and for more air quality improvement plans. The Clean Air Zone is planned to “go live” on January 1 2020. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

David Gould

The key to reduce emissions is to keep traffic moving. Sort out the traffic lights that keep changing when there’s nothing else on the road and reduce lane closures and roadworks.

This stupid idea of charging is to cover the shortfall the council loses from the government.

Emy Sani

Surely the key is to spend money on trams, electric or non electric buses, more park and rides, efficient trains and maybe an underground system – most people would use public transport if it was efficient.

Dave Fawcett

This is all about money, not people’s health... I’m in the recovery breakdown business supplying and affordable professional service it will cost me around £65k for a new Euro 6 truck, so one of two things will happen – prices double or I go sign on.

Bryony Victoria

Improving infrastructure and public transport would be a better solution.

The public transport in Leeds is shockingly bad and expensive, if it were improved people might be more inclined to ditch their cars.

Emma Batchelor

So basically it’s going to put the price up on public transport!

Stephen Morton

HGVs will have to pass on the cost to the traders, which will pass the cost on to customers and town centre shops cannot afford to lose customers who will not shop in the towns but will go to out of town shopping centres.

The town centres will become ghost towns but never mind Leeds council can build more homes and flats in the centre.

Mickster Ell

This starts in London in April. Thousands of SE couriers will be affected as they can’t just go and buy a new van. It’s going to cost £12.50 plus £11.50 congestion charge to take a modern Euro5 van in. Now Leeds are doing it.

Karen Humphrey

Another way getting money off you and finish the shops.

Shirley Clubb

So the buses pay £50 a day but taxis and delivery vans pay £50 a week, how does that work? The buses are greener than any of these vehicles. The government again wasting money.

The stores are the ones that are going to suffer, are they not losing enough customers to online shopping?

David Bob Wilson

Leeds needs a tube system, expensive, yes, but a transport system fit for the future of the city and its people.

It will also create thousands of jobs for life during the design, build and running.

It would remove the need for buses (they’re terrible anyway) and free up the roads and carparks of commuters in thier own cars because they had a better, cheaper, faster alternative to the car.

Trucks would be able to go about their delivering without the stop starting that causes the additional pollution.

Martyn Dawson

All these so called initiatives are just hidden agendas to grab money. We all know this, Leeds City Council. I await the window tax on all those glass facades sported by every shop in the centre.

Shawn Williams

We just need to Leeds City Council to get on with rolling out rapid chargers throughout every car park please, they’re pretty backwards in terms of charging infrasture, even good old Bradford has committed to installing 50 rapid chargers.

Leeds City Council currently sitting on millions that should of already been spent on charging infrastructure, had this got under way earlier, it would of made many more motorists been able to make the switch to EV vehicles a lot earlier, I’ve been driving electric for over 10 years now.

Jonny Tango

If electric vehicles are so good then make all buses and taxis electric. This should reduce the pollution in town but unfortunately won’t raise any money for Leeds City Council so I doubt it’ll happen.

Boyd Denton

Why don’t the council concentrate on implementing a mass transport system for Leeds and get some real traffic off the roads?

Amanda Ellis

This just pushes everyone even more out of the town and will just shop on retail parks.

Murray Craigen

So if people are going to be changing to Euro 6 engines over the years anyway, would the air not naturally become cleaner over the years?

Hydrogen on demand kits can clean emissions now, so why pay for a system that will be obsolete in the near future?

Actually, I’m sure they will dream up all kinds of taxes with this kit. Clean air was the excuse, not the reason.

Mark Organ

More online shopping then.

Linda Garczynski

The cost to the public will rise to pay the extra charges.

Jenny Wren

Let’s go back to horses and carts.