Emission zone penalties approach 10 million
Nearly 10 million Penalty Charge Notices have been issued to drivers contravening emission zone rules across UK cities since 2019.
A Freedom of Information request by MotorEasy has revealed that 9.6 million penalties have been issued from just three low emission zones, with more than 300,000 drivers receiving multiple fines.
It believes this is due to driver confusion, with zones in London, Bath, Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle and Gateshead, Portsmouth and Sheffield, as well as Scotland, all setting their own rules.
Duncan McClure Fisher, CEO of Intelligent Motoring and the founder of MotorEasy, said: “It’s really encouraging to see robust studies highlighting the positive health benefits of Low Emission Zones.
“However, with eight emission zones currently operating in England, alongside schemes in Scotland, and each authority setting its own rules, it is easy for motorists to get caught out when travelling to a new city and face an unexpected fine.
“With different demands placed on varying infrastructure across UK cities, it is sensible that emissions zones are operated at a regional level. However, there’s no doubt that the different CAZ rules do lead to confusion.”
