Council approved plans to make Portsmouth city centre a chargeable clean air zone (CAZ) have been met with opposition by Isle of Wight ferry company, Wightlink.
The class B zone (see map below) will affect coaches, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and taxis that are not compliant (euro 4 emission petrol vehicles and euro 6 diesel vehicles).
Wightlink say they’ve told Portsmouth City Council they believe traffic to and from the Isle of Wight should be excluded from any charging system
What’s next?
Government will now consider the Clean Air Zone plans, which will be followed by a 12-week consultation to take place next year.
A spokesperson for Portsmouth City Council told OnTheWight,
“At present the zone is modelled based on all Class B vehicles (HGV, Bus, Taxis) that travel into and out of the zone. Once the approach is approved by Government we will carry out a full consultation with affected people on the Isle of Wight and in Portsmouth.
“Based on this there may be some exemptions, however we can only exempt vehicles if we still achieve compliance in the same timescale.
“During the consultation we will also look at the timings of the zone, so there are still some specifics we will be investigating further.”
Wightlink: IW traffic should be excluded from charging system
Chief Executive of Wightlink, Keith Greenfield, told OnTheWight,
“Wightlink doesn’t have hard data on how many class B lorries are not Euro 6 or Euro 4 as this is known only to the operators of those vehicles.
“Wightlink believes that traffic to and from the Isle of Wight should be excluded from any charging system and has already made representations to Portsmouth City Council for exemptions should the charge go ahead. This is because such a charge would unfairly disadvantage Isle of Wight business and consumers.
“Charging coaches to drive through the city would also increase costs for their operators who would then need to charge higher fares.
“If a Clean Air Zone was imposed, lorry drivers may well take longer routes to avoid the charge, resulting in greater emissions both on the Island and on the mainland.
“Wightlink will continue to make representations for exemptions to the City Council during the consultation period next year.”
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