The popularity of zones is a contentious issue across the UK. Whether it’s the use of zonal marking during football matches or Clean Air Zones and Low Emission Zones in cities, there are many opinions on them as a way of delivering an outcome.
When? How big? What should they include? Where does the money go? Why do they capture coaches and buses and not cars?
The first thing to say is that buses are always included in emission control zones’ scope as they operate so frequently in central urban areas. They also run along defined routes, many of which exceed legal NO2 limits.
Buses are entwined in the idea of ‘public’ transport and they are a natural focus for regulators. To their benefit, bus operators in or near these zones have received the most support from central government of any sector by a country mile. £65m through the Clean Bus Technology Fund will retrofit over 4,000 buses in England. Over £16m has been made available in Scotland.
Why are coaches in Clean Air Zones’ scope?
The reason that coaches have also been included is that they are considered by some to be the same as a bus.
There is little understanding of the differences between the two sectors outside the industry. There is also a distinct lack of knowledge of the coach market in policy circles in terms of size, areas of operation and other key issues.
As such, emissions impacts cannot be determined, and no financial support has been forthcoming for either retrofitting or other ‘green’ alternatives. The Confederation of Passenger Transport’s forthcoming coach strategy will undoubtedly help to move that issue forwards.
The second thing is that emission control zones are here to stay. It is highly unlikely that, once cities meet the legal limits for roadside NO2, controls will be removed. But it is likely that the current legal limits will become lower, perhaps to the World Health Organisation’s levels or even beyond.
Zones will get bigger (as we see in London), and more stringent emission standards will be introduced.
Even though London and Oxford have already signalled potential Zero Emission Zones (ZEZs) in the coming decide, their introduction will be small and gradual.
‘No ZEZs any time soon’
It will be challenging for any large town or city to have a ZEZ any time soon. There simply are not enough zero emission vehicles on the road, and nor is there provision of infrastructure for commercial fleets such as taxis and vans that cannot always rely on home- or depot-based charging.
However, the goalposts will move. They will get wider and thicker. But coaches and buses should benefit from that. My optimistic belief is that in the long term, these zones will evolve not just to focus on the emissions standards of particular vehicle types, but to start to shape which vehicles are permitted to enter city centres.
That should mean better access for coaches and buses, less congestion, improved speeds and fuel consumption and a rise in customer satisfaction.
The shift to Euro VI continues to be challenging for the industry. But short-term pain should be repaid in double gains in the future, at least where Clean Air Zones and Low Emission Zones are concerned.
