Clean Air Zone - Bath

v8oholic wrote:Hmmm, I don’t think I went through it last week, but I’m not sure. I think TomTom routed me round it on the way there, and coming back I went via the Bristol road.

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We live in Bath and the information on the local authority (Bath & NE  Somerset) website for CAZ charging is highly confusing, if not inaccurate. Our van is taxed as PLG which, according to the table of charges, does not get charged and the issue of Euro emissions is stated as not applicable, even though we have a Euro 5 diesel.  B&NES made a concession when the scheme was set up that private cars would not be charged, regardless of emissions.

Just before the zone went live I checked on the website by entering the registration plate and it confirmed there was no charge. I checked again after it went live and got the same result. A week or so after the scheme had been running I was tipped off by a neighbour that there was some tinkering going on with the charging system and that I should check again. I did so and found that the van now incurred a £9 daily charge.

I queried it and was told by DVLA, who seem to be central in the management of the CAZ charging, that the emission levels were the deciding factor in determining whether charges were incurred. They implied that the tax category of PLG was irrelevant. To be honest that’s what I’d always expected but the local authority’s web page that lists the CAZ charging by tax category is totally consistent with the DVLA’s stance. 

The best advice is to ignore the table of charges on the website and enter your registration plate into the online checker (link below).  That removes all doubt, but if you’re driving a Euro 6 diesel you should be exempt from being charged and likewise if your engine is petrol I believe. Birmingham’s CAZ follows imminently so hopefully they’ll benefit from the learning applied down here. 

If you’re visiting Bath for the day be aware that motorhome parking provision is poor. Only the Lansdown P+R site to the north of the city has parking for high vehicles, the other P+R sites have height barriers. Getting to Lansdown P+R without entering the CAZ from any direction other than from the north is, to put it mildly, circuitous.  I wrote to the council earlier this year to make a plea for better provision and to avoid motorhomes driving across the city to get to the only P+R without height barriers, but I’ve been told there is no money available to do so this year. I suspect they’d prefer you all to incur a daily £9 charge, never mind that this does nothing improve our air quality in the city.

A better plan would be to stay a few days and use the campsite opposite the Newbridge P+R. That way you’ll avoid the CAZ more easily (but check your route to/from the site with the CAZ map on the website) and help our local economy. Do come, Bath and the surrounding area is a wonderful destination, but do your homework first!

Tim

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