Are you ready for Bristol’s Clean Air Zone?

Clean air zone Bristol

There’s only one month to go until Bristol’s Clean Air Zone launches on 28 November.

Bristol City Council estimates that over 71% vehicles in Bristol are already Clean Air Zone compliant and will not be charged.

The local authority expects this figure to rise following the launch of the Zone, much like Birmingham City Council, who introduced a CAZ D in June 2021. At the beginning of June 2021, they knew that 79.8% vehicles were already compliant and this increased to 88.8% at the end of December in the same year.

No vehicles will be banned in Bristol’s Clean Air Zone, but older and more polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily charge to drive into a small, central zone. All residents and businesses are urged to check their vehicles using the Government’s online vehicle checker.

Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: 

Photo of Bristol mayor Marvin Rees

We are committed to reducing air pollution in Bristol and continue to offer people support to consider alternative, more sustainable ways of travelling in our city. We want Bristol to be a healthier place for everyone to grow up, live and work, but recognise that this comes with challenges.

We’ve been able to secure financial support of £42m from government for people and businesses to use, but now Bristolians need to make sure they’re getting ready. I want to remind people that there are several types of support which are open for applications before the Clean Air Zone launches in four weeks’ time.

Marvin Rees Mayor of Bristol

Temporary exemptions are still available to eligible people, to give them more time to change or upgrade their vehicle. Grants and loans are available to apply for via the council’s website, which can be used to change or upgrade vehicles.

Free active travel offers are available for people in Bristol to try out new ways of travelling that are better for their health, wellbeing, and the environment too. Anyone who lives or works in Bristol is eligible to receive these offers and can apply on the council website now.

Drivers in Bristol will start to see Clean Air Zone signs appearing at the side of the road, in preparation for the Zone launching next month. These signs have a green cloud symbol on with the words ‘CAZ D’ inside. This reflects the type of Clean Air Zone chosen in Bristol, where older and more polluting commercial and private vehicles have will to pay a charge.

Once the zone is operating, daily charges will apply 24 hours a day (midnight to midnight), seven days a week, all year round when entering or driving in the zone.

Charges must be paid within six days via www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones or by calling the Clean Air Zone support line on 0300 029 8888 (Monday to Friday: 8am to 7pm, Saturday: 8am to 2pm). Users of smart phones can also pay the charge using free-to-use apps like Caura, but always make sure platforms are trustworthy before entering any personal payment information.

People will not receive written notification or any kind of alert that they have entered Bristol’s Clean Air Zone or that a payment is due. Individuals and businesses are fully responsible for managing this.

Business owners can sign up to the Business Accounts Feature, to set up a Bristol-specific account to help manage payment for multiple vehicles entering and exiting the Zone.

If Clean Air Zone charges are not paid on time, people may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice of £120, which is reduced to £60 if it is paid within 14 days.