While drivers will be comfortable making their way into Birmingham, the Clean Air Zone that’s in place can spark some confusion.
To help you out, we’ve rounded up some key information to help you understand how the Clean Air Zone works including who has to pay the charge, when the charge is enforced and more.
The Clean Air Zone is in place to help make the air cleaner and the Birmingham City Council website further explains that it’s “an area where targeted action is taken to improve air quality, in particular by discouraging the most polluting vehicles from entering the zone. No vehicle is banned in the zone, but vehicles that do not meet the emission standards for the zone are subject to a daily fee.”
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Where is the Clean Air Zone in Birmingham?
Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone is in the centre of the city within the A4540 motorway.
Drivers can look out for road signs which indicate where the start of the zone is as well as signs which are placed on the boundary.
Motorists can pay the daily fee either online or by phone – a charging day is from midnight to midnight, the Birmingham City Council website explains.
If you need to make the payment, you can do this six days before or six days after the journey or on the day of your journey.
How much does it cost to pay the daily fee?
Cars, taxis, vans (LGVs) that qualify will need to pay £8 per day while coaches, buses and HGVs that qualify will need to pay £50 per day, according to the Pete Barden website.
Since a charging day runs from midnight to midnight, if a driver enters the zone before midnight and then exits after midnight, they will need to pay the fee twice.
Who needs to pay the Clean Air Zone fee?
To find out if you need to pay the Clean Air Zone daily fee, you can fill in your details on the government website.
It will ask for your vehicle registration number and you’ll be able to check if you are eligible to pay to use any Clean Air Zones in England.
Any daily charges for the Clean Air Zones will be listed and you can also find maps of each zone boundary.
Do you need to pay the Clean Air Zone fee on evenings and weekends?
The Clean Air Zone runs 24 hours a day and 365 days a year so there is never a time you won’t need to pay the fee, if you’re eligible.
How much will you be fined if you don’t pay to use the Clean Air Zone?
A penalty charge of £120 will be issued if you fail to pay the daily fee and you’ll have 28 days to pay this.
However, if you pay it within 14 days, it halves to £60.
The fine can be paid online or by phone, by cash, by cheque or postal order.
More information about the Clean Air Zone can be found via the Birmingham City Council website.
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