The devil is in the detail – that’s the opinion of the Road Haulage Association following the publication of Government’s air quality plan aimed at reducing vehicle emissions and creating clean air zones.

Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “While local authorities have been ordered to implement Clean Air Zones across the country, there is still a failure to commit to tackle the local congestion and traffic management issues that underpin the problem locally.  Local authorities that a have been given the responsibility to implement this, they need to focus on hot spots, especially where buses and taxis get stuck in jams.

“Today’s report indicates that applying the scrappage scheme to all pre-Euro 6 diesel cars and vans in the UK in 2019 (eight million cars and two million vans, with grant levels of between £6,000 and £6,500 respectively) could cost the Government £60bn.

“With the price of a new, Euro-6 HGV costing upwards of £80k, the same scheme cannot realistically, be applied to road haulage operators; the industry sector responsible for the movement of 85% of the UK economy.”

Road Haulage Association

About the Author: John Loughran