IN THE NEWS
TAXI DRIVERS LABEL BRIDGES TOLL PLAN ‘RIDICULOUS’ AS TYNESIDE REACTS TO CLEAN AIR CHARGES
The prospect of drivers being hit with new charges has sparked fierce debate, after New- castle, Gateshead and North Tyne- side councils rec- ently revealed their ideas to improve
air quality. According
to
ChronicleLive, there are two competing charging options being considered by the councils: a clean air zone (CAZ) around the centres of Newcas-
tle and Gateshead which high-pollut- ing vehicles could be charged either £12.50 a day for vans, taxis and cars to enter; or a toll of £1.70 for all cars to cross the Tyne, Swing, and Red-
heugh bridges. Additional mea- sures to help meet a Government or- der
emissions
also involve exclud- ing certain vehicles from parts of the city centre or limit-
to reduce could
ing their access to the Central Motor- way. The Newcastle Hack- ney Carriage Dri- vers Association has been vocal in its opposition to a CAZ that could force taxi drivers to pay £12.50 a day, but has now also branded the idea of a bridges
toll
“ridiculous”. Association chair- man John Hirst added: “£1.70 for any motorist
to
cross the bridge? You could be on minimum wage, liv- ing in Gateshead and working in Newcastle and you would have to find £3.40 a day. “It’s going to be bad for Newcastle. You might think taxi drivers would be in favour of it because it would mean fewer people driving into the city. “But it is not just about
that. We
want to be promot- ing the city and improving economy,
the not
putting people off coming here. “This is all happen- ing when other services are being cut back and it is the working class who are going to suffer.” A CAZ would result in a surplus of £43m over
five
years, while the toll system would pro- duce a five-year
36
profit of £17.5m - all of which would be reinvested in high- ways and public transport improve- ments, the councils say. Cllr Judith Wallace, leader of the North Tyneside Conserva- tives, said that any charge must not have an adverse impact on “people who really have no choice but to use those routes”. Green Party spokes- person Taymar Pit- man welcomed the long-awaited plans. She said: “Air pollu- tion is affecting the health of thousands of people in New- castle so we’re glad to see that clean air plans are finally being put out to consultation by the council.” A public consulta- tion on the plans will run between March and May. Cllr Nick Forbes, Labour leader of Newcastle
City
Council, said: “This is a public health crisis that has been several decades in the making. “As councils we are not prepared to stand by and let people continue to die as a result of poor air quality. “We
have a
responsibility both legally and morally to do something about
it. Doing
nothing is not an option.”
MARCH 2019
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