Bristol secures £42m of government funding for CAZ

A Clean Air Zone will launch next summer enabling Bristol to meet clean air targets in 2023 with £42 million of government funding available for greener transport initiatives.

While around 71 per cent of vehicles in Bristol are already compliant so won’t have to pay to enter the zone, the approved plan includes significant measures to reduce pollution in the city and meet clean air targets.

The council has said that £5.9 million will be spent on helping people switch to public transport and make more journeys by walking or cycling with free bus tickets, free electric bike loans and cycle training, whilst a further £2.1 million of funding has been allocated to help local bus and coach companies.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said: “This is a real win for the city. We are introducing one of the most wide-ranging clean air zones in the UK which will see us not only reduce air pollution but also help people change how they travel, delivering a cleaner, greener and healthier city for years to come.

“We are tackling a climate emergency, but we also have people facing financial crisis. We can’t look at these two things in isolation. We have taken our time to find a way to clean up our air while not adding huge financial strain to people that live and work in our city.”