Britain’s first zero emission zone to launch in Oxford

Oxford is to become the first city in Britain to introduce a zero emission zone (ZEZ), with the launch of a pilot project on 28 February.

While many cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Bath have already introduced or are in the process of introducing Clean Air Zone restrictions and charges for vehicles, Oxford’s scheme will be a ZEZ by virtue of having fewer exemptions. 

Under the pilot all petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, will incur a daily charge unless eligible for an exemption. The charge will vary from £2 to £10 per day depending on the emission levels of the vehicle. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras are being installed to enforce rules within the zone.   

The pilot will launch in a small number of city centre streets (shown in red below) This will allow Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council to gain useful insights before introducing a larger ZEZ covering most of Oxford city centre next year (shown in green), subject to further public consultation.

The Oxford ZEZ aims to reduce air pollution in the city and encourage people to make positive changes in travel behaviour. Duncan Enright, the county council's cabinet member for travel and development strategy, called it a "proud moment" for the city that is "taking concrete actions”. 

Tom Hayes, deputy leader and cabinet member for green transport and zero carbon at Oxford City Council, said the authority had "chosen to set the toughest air quality standards of any local authority in the country".