GREEN MEANS GO...
SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL TO BACKTRACK ON CLEAN AIR ZONE PLANS
Sheffield City Council has announced that it will backtrack on Clean Air Zone plans fol- lowing significant improvements to air quality during the lockdown period. The proposed CAZ was due to come into effect in 2021 and would have seen a daily charge of £10 for taxis, lorries and vans. However the council has said that following a 33 per cent drop in air pollution since lock- down it will now consider alternative methods as the current situation is ‘dramat- ically different’ to the one in the which proposals were originally developed. Sheffield is now the third city to have CAZ plans cancelled, similar announcements were made by both Bristol and Leeds coun- cils last month. Bob Johnson cabinet member for transport and development said: “During the Coron-
avirus pandemic, we have seen im- provements in air quality and we want to sustain them.
‘However, we are reviewing our plans for the CAZ in light of Coronavirus. If we can hold onto clean air by introducing other mea- sures without resorting to charging people, we believe this is the best way forward. ‘Many of the businesses who will need to upgrade their vehicles in order to be com- pliant with the CAZ are focusing quite rightly on controlling the spread of the virus, and working to keep people safe, local people in jobs and businesses afloat. If they cannot afford to upgrade to cleaner vehi- cles, they may end up paying to pollute and we will all still breathe dirty air. ‘With the right clean air plan and crucially, with the right funding from the Govern- ment, we can reduce pollution in a fair way, and in a way that is aligned with our zero- carbon goals.’
COUNCIL PUTS BRAKES PUT ON THE FIRST ELECTRIC TAXI IN MINEHEAD
Somerset West and Taunton Council has blocked an application by Keith Griffiths to license a Nissan Leaf electric car as a taxi. This is the second time the owner of Alcombe Taxis has applied, having bought the electric car in 2018 hoping to provide Minehead with its first fully electric taxi. He was refused a full hackney carriage licence by the then West Somerset Council on the grounds that its rules made no provision for licensing electric vehicles. This week Mr Griffith suffered a further set- back when the district council (SWAT) refused permission for him to take over a hackney carriage licence handed back by a retiring taxi owner, saying that under the current rules only cars, not licence plates can be transferred. “My answer to that is that if they are the rules, they are out-of-date, backwards and stupid,” Mr Griffiths told the Free Press. “Am I the only person who thinks that the lunatics have taken over the asylum?” He was backed this week by local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, who said: “Common sense appears to have been thrown out of the window at SWAT. It really is time a few heads were banged together and this scandalous situation was resolved.” And Minehead mayor Cllr Paul Bolton added: “We are all trying to go down the green route and have signed up to climate
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change and they are putting obstacles in the way of someone who is trying to do the right thing. “I don’t agree with what the district council is doing and I think the treatment of Mr Griffith is disgraceful. “Minehead Town Council has supported Mr Griffith in everything he is trying to do. Electric vehicles will be the future for all of us and it’s ridiculous that this green alter- native is being denied to anyone who wants to take a taxi in Minehead.” For the past two years, the electric car has only been used for private hire while Mr Griffith pressed the council to sort out what he claimed was a mass of red tape and confusing rules. He said: “I’m stuck with a vehicle I can’t use
as a taxi while the Government is spending millions encouraging the use of electric vehicles and the local council actively pro- motes the message of being green and sustainable.” A spokesman for SWAT said: “We fully support local taxi operators who are look- ing to change their vehicles to electric ones and will be looking at ways we can encourage more to go green in the future in line with our commitment towards achieving carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2030. “Council policy was changed in 2006 requiring all new taxi vehicles to be capa- ble of carrying wheelchairs; this was done in line with advice from central govern- ment and in order to support those with disabilities to live independently. Our poli- cies are readily available to all and they form a cornerstone to ensure a level and consistent playing field. “The application for the electric vehicle was refused on the grounds that the vehi- cle is not suitable to carry wheelchairs. The transfer of private hire plates and hackney carriage licences is not allowed as this could bring non-compliant vehicles into operation, which would be the case here. Since 2006 it has been clear to all that taxi vehicles needed to be accessible to wheelchairs.”
OCTOBER 2020
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