Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone brings in £7M since launch
Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) has generated almost £7 million in toll fees and penalty charges since its launch.
Last week marked two years since the introduction of the first set of tolls for high-polluting vehicles to drive into Newcastle city centre, in an effort to cut illegal emissions levels.
Older buses, coaches, vans, taxis, and lorries that do not comply with modern emissions standards face charges of either £12.50 or £50 per day to enter the CAZ, though all private cars remain exempt.
New figures released to the Local Democracy Reporting Service by Newcastle City Council on Monday confirm that, up to the end of December 2024, £2.8 million worth of tolls have been paid in respect of 181,785 separate CAZ charges.
A further £3.9 million has also been paid in response to 94,047 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued for unpaid tolls, with offending motorists fined up to £120 plus the original toll fee.
Since the CAZ began operating in January 2023, 44,205,253 vehicles have entered the charging area – which covers most of Newcastle city centre, plus the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges.
The council said that less than 1%, a total 265,045, of those did not comply with the CAZ’s environmental restrictions and were therefore required to pay a toll.
City bosses say that they believe that there has been an improvement in air quality since the scheme’s launch and that there are “no planned changes” to its rules.
Newcastle City Council said that all money generated from the CAZ was put towards the system’s running costs, with any surplus used in other local transport schemes.
A spokesperson for Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone said: “Following the launch of the Clean Air Zone two years ago, we have seen a gradual reduction in the number of older, more polluting vehicles using our roads.
“Hundreds of vehicle upgrades have been supported through grant funding, with a total of £4.7m being paid out to local businesses, tradespeople and taxi drivers since the start of the scheme.
“Pollution data published since the CAZ began also indicates that overall, our air quality is improving.
“This includes improvements on the Tyne Bridge and A167, which was one of the key areas of concern highlighted in the government legal order requiring the introduction of the CAZ.
“However, there are some areas where further improvement is still required, including part of Newcastle city centre, and at this stage there are no planned changes to the current Clean Air Zone arrangements.
“We know that poor air quality is harmful to everyone’s health and we remain committed to tackling this issue.”