NEW consultation on regulations and guidance for Scotland’s Low Emission Zones has been opened.
This second consultation on Scotland’s Low Emission Zones seeks views on enforcement, penalties, national exemptions and more as the Scottish Government seeks to ensure consistency in how the zones operate across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen by the end of 2020.
The Scottish Government’s vision is for Scotland to have the best air quality in Europe in conjunction with its new legally-binding target to become a net-zero society by 2045.
Low Emission Zones contribute directly to the health, environmental and transport agendas, and the ambition of the proposals outlined within this consultation will mean significant changes for how we move around Scotland’s biggest cities.
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, commented on the consultation: “Since we first announced the ambition to deliver Low Emissions Zones in our four biggest cities by the end of 2020 – there has been considerable interest in their scope, national exemptions and what this means for communities across Scotland.
“We know from previous consultations that there is broad support for the potential of Low Emission Zones to protect public health and improve air quality – but there are a variety of views on our proposals for how the zones will work consistently across Scotland, which I recognise is vitally important for their success.
“Through the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 we have created the legal framework to create nationally consistent Low Emission Zones.
“We are now consulting on regulations for substantive issues such as emission standards, exemptions, the enforcement regime and the setting of penalty charges.
“To do so in a just and equitable manner, it is critical that we design these regulations in a collaborative way with the public, private and third sector – and I would encourage anyone with an interest to respond to this consultation on these very ambitious proposals for Scotland’s Low Emission Zones.”
The consultation closes on 24 February.
