Efforts to clean up the environment in Oxford city centre continue apace with the news this week that the city and county councils are to declare a low emission zone (LEZ).

The move has been long-awaited but there will be many disappointed that it will only include the bus companies.

Some of the bus companies could be hit quite hard, particularly those who have not anticipated the change which will see them having to convert their fleet in its entirety to the new Euro 5 standard.

A third of Oxford Bus Company’s fleet already meets this standard. One has to wonder how Stagecoach has managed to invest in 48 coaches that only meet the Euro 4 standard.

Still, both bus companies can legitimately wonder why the LEZ will apply to buses only. For sure, the bus is the biggest polluter in the centre of Oxford by dint of volume of traffic.

Commercial vehicles, however, remain a significant factor, and, unlike the bus companies, investment in low-emission vehicles is not so great.

We take the city council’s point that enforcement of the rules on commercial vehicles will be far harder than it is with the bus companies.

The proposed quality partnership between local authorities and bus companies using Oxford provides an easy and cost-effective means of ensuring compliance by the bus companies.

However, we find it hard to believe that, with the use of modern technology and the co-operation of businesses in the city centre, the LEZ c ould not be extended to encompass commercial traffic.