Local environmental groups welcome the CAZ: “I think it’s a brilliant start, but there is more to be done.”
Today marks the launch of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Birmingham, with a last minute change from the City Council who announced a soft launch. During the first two weeks, non-compliant vehicles won’t be required to pay a charge to drive through the City Centre.
After being delayed for a year, due to the pandemic, Birmingham joins Bath with a CAZ to reduce air pollution in the city. For local environmental groups it is a welcome step to combat air pollution.
Sandra Green, a Car Free Birmingham campaigner for Possible, said: “I think it’s a brilliant start, but there is more to be done. And the Birmingham City Council do state that they intend to do more.”
Same sound for Toqueer, an Outreach Campaigner for Birmingham Friends of the Earth. “We look at things holistically, so we want say example, a clean air everywhere. So, if this unbalanced kind of helps, towards that. But it has to go hand in hand with, you know, improve public transport networks” Toqueer said.
Alternatives to the car
The City Council already stated that they are working on improving the public transport. 20 hydrogen buses are set to arrive this summer and 200 more in 2022. Or the launch of the West Midlands Cycle Hire in Birmingham is another step in that direction.
A balance needs to be found to help reduce the use of private cars, and as Toqueer pointed out, that as an environmentalist the aim is to have less cars.
This needs to be accompanied with an increase of the usage of either public transport or cycling and walking.
Even if in the project’s name you have the words “Car Free”, this does not mean they are aiming to get rid of all the vehicles.
It is more about having people change their habits and not always favour the car over any other means of transport, especially for short distance travels. Sandra said:
“About a quarter of car journeys every day in a city, are less than a mile. And many of those journeys could be made in different ways. Redesigning the city, so that we can exist and we can still enjoy our city, and believe me it will be more enjoyable without this dependence on cars”
As she explained, Paris has implemented a car free day where one Sunday, every month, the Champs-Élysées and the city centre belongs to the pedestrians. Which could show the joys of discovering the city through a different lens.
The CAZ will impose a charge for non-compliant cars, in hope that those drivers will reduce the usage of the most pollutant cars, but in the end the responsibility is up to the driver.
Sandra said:
“With the Clean Air Zone, if your car is not compliant, then you have to pay. But nothing is stopping you from actually driving through. It’s a deterrent.”
How air pollution affects the health of Brummies
The goal is to improve in the fastest way possible the air quality of Birmingham, and the health of its inhabitants. Air pollution can be linked up to 900 deaths every year in Birmingham.
And how it affects people with asthma who experience more difficulty breathing in polluted areas. Sandra said: “Over the last five years, the number of deaths from asthma has increased by 20%”.
I asked Toqueer about how to explain the health benefits of the CAZ to Brummies and he said: “Education is key, but support within the community as well”.
He also mentioned how faith organisations also have a responsibility to talk to their congregation about the importance of health, especially after how minority communities were hit the hardest during the pandemic.
Social justice
Connected to the health benefits the CAZ could bring, there is also an element of inequality, and both Toqueer and Sandra mentioned how, in general, the most deprived areas are the most affected by air pollution.
“People in some of the poorer areas of our city, some of the most deprived areas, about half of the people don’t actually have access to a vehicle, but they have the worst air pollution. And that’s because everyone else driving through and looking for somewhere to park or whatever.”
It is a common responsibility for all to make sure that everyone benefits from the Clean Air Zone, and that no one is left behind. Be it with financial help, exemptions or making sure the public transport is affordable for every group, as Toqueer mentioned.
Even if the launch has been welcomed, environmental groups still want more, as they view any solution to reduce air pollution is a step in the good direction. As Toqueer said: “The benefit outweighs the cost”.
If you want to know how the Clean Air Zone will work, or which vehicles will have to pay a charge, you can read this expaliner.
You can also read more about Possible’s campaign about Car Free Birmingham here.
And for more information about Birmingham’s Friend of the Earth and their statement about the Clean Air Zone here.
