GLASGOW’S Low Emission Zone has been implemented to improve air quality by restricting the use of heavily polluting vehicles.

This is effective in minimising people’s exposure to polluted air and protecting public health.

We have been aware for many years that pregnant women, children and those with heart and lung conditions are at a disproportionately high risk from air pollution. Air pollution can trigger asthma and childhood cancer. Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at increased risk of developing chronic health conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and strokes.

The plans for the Low Emission Zone have been in the pipeline since 2010. There were proposals to improve air quality and create a Greener Legacy, with Low Emission Zones around the 10 venues at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. This did not come to fruition but led in 2016 to the Scottish Government promising to deliver Scotland’s first Low Emission Zone by 2018.

In October 2017, it was confirmed that Glasgow would be home to Scotland’s first Low Emission Zone. Councillors agreed in principle to a LEZ being implemented by the end of 2018. This aimed to accelerate action to tackle air pollution in the City Centre Air Quality Management Area and a delivery group was established towards the implementation of the Low Emission Zone.

On December 31, 2018, Glasgow’s LEZ, which only impacted buses for the first four years, came into force.

We can welcome the restricting of the most polluting buses over the last few years, and this has already brought some big improvements to air quality in the city centre.   

During this time, following representations from the taxi trade, extensive funding was put in place to support taxi drivers to ensure their vehicles were compliant, or that they were in the process of making their vehicles compliant or purchasing a compliant vehicle.

Increased funding has been sought from the Scottish Government to ensure the viability of the taxi sector within Glasgow. Due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly on the taxi trade, the implementation date has already been revised to June 1, 2023.

Plans for a LEZ in Glasgow have been underway for a decade, and the introduction has been delayed significantly, with concerns from residents, business owners and especially the taxi trade sector listened to and reflected in the scheme design. 

There has been robust local consultation and evidence-based decisions to get the details right. We can support the retaining of June 1, 2023 as the enforcement date, which includes temporary taxi exemptions until June 1, 2024, with restrictions on cars and other vehicle types to bring the air pollution levels down further.  

Many other cities including London, Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Bradford, Bath, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh are improving their air quality through the introduction of Low Emission Zones. 

Tackling dirty air and prioritising public health benefit our economy. Improved air quality supported by the LEZ is vital for better health and helps to promote Glasgow’s wellbeing.