Oxford's Zero Emission Zone to begin in August

The Oxford Zero Emissions Zone was signed off yesterday afternoon by senior councillors on Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet.

The zone is due to begin operating in a pilot area of the city centre from August 1, and will then roll out to a wider area from spring 2022.

The pilot comes after years of discussion and three rounds of public consultation by the two councils involved in the plan: Oxford City Council and highways authority Oxfordshire County Council.

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As the ZEZ was signed off by the county council cabinet yesterday, the cabinet member for the environment, Yvonne Constance, said it was aimed at reducing air pollution, which she described as ‘the most significant impactor on urban health’ in the UK.

Council leader Ian Hudspeth emphasised there was still need to encourage people to shift away from using private cars, so-called ‘modal shift’ to reduce traffic jams in the city.

Mr Hudspeth said: “We have got to look at the longer term to reduce congestion, as well as the important factor of air quality in Oxford.”

Tom Hayes and Yvonne Constance, of Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, who are both responsible for environmental issues

A scheme called Connecting Oxford, due to be rolled out in the near future, is aimed at reducing congestion and encouraging more people to use buses.

The newly approved pilot Zero Emissions Zone only covers a small group of city centre streets, including Cornmarket Street, Queen Street, New Inn Hall Street and Market Street.

The pilot streets for the Oxford Zero Emissions Zone.

It will see drivers charged between £2 and £10 a day to drive through the middle of the city.

The toll will have to be paid during daytime hours between 7am and 7pm.

Only electric cars which do not burn fossil fuels and create emissions will be able to enter the zone for free.

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However, in 2022 a larger area covering the entire city centre will be introduced, meaning people would be charged for driving on the High Street, Hythe Bridge Street, Oxpens Road, and South Parks Road among others.

The Oxford City Centre Zero Emissions Zone mapped

Last week, when the city council’s cabinet approved the plans, its deputy leader Tom Hayes said he was ‘thrilled’ by the introduction of the zone, sometimes called the ZEZ.

The zone will be enforced by automatic number plate recognition cameras, according to a press release from the city council.

These will be placed around the edge of the zone, and drivers passing them who have not paid the charge will be fined.

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There were previously suggestions that traffic wardens could use handheld number plate recognition cameras while patrolling the pilot area.

The ZEZ is one of the first schemes of its kind in the UK, similar schemes include Clean Air Zones in Birmingham and Bath, and there is an Ultra Low Emissions Zone which operates in central London.

Air pollution is responsible for 4.2 million deaths a year according to the WHO.