Almost 3,000 penalty charge notices have been handed out to motorists for breaching Dundee’s low emission zone (LEZ) in its first six weeks.
The fines imposed between May 30 – when the zone became legally enforceable – and last Friday total £88,980 if paid within two weeks of being issued.
But Dundee City Council has only collected £39,030 – less than half of that.
Chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce Alison Henderson said: “It’s difficult to know from those fines and numbers how much has been business or individual travel.
“It’s important people know that the city centre is definitely still open for business.”
LEZs are designed to combat air pollution and greenhouse emissions in Scotland’s four largest cities.
Aberdeen’s LEZ was introduced two days after Dundee’s LEZ. There 1,956 of fines were issued in the first 11 days.
The end of May marked the finish of a two-year grace period for Dundee’s LEZ.
Drivers who enter the zone in offending vehicles are fined £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
But the fine is doubled for every ensuing time a motorist breaks the rules.
Maximum fines are £480 for smaller vehicles and £960 for buses, coaches and HGV lorries.
According to the council’s figures – provided to The Courier in response to a freedom of information request – no drivers have been charged the maximum penalty of £960.
How many Dundee LEZ fines have been handed out?
Dundee City Council figures revealed that motorists have been caught out 2,966 times since May 30.
West End Liberal Democrat councillor, Fraser Macpherson says the money collected should be invested in city centre projects.
But he also conceded that it was “very early days”.
“The money from fixed penalties should be used positively to benefit the city”, he said.
“Given the issues facing the city centre – such as empty units – it would make sense that we make it as positive as possible. For example, making environmental improvements.
“Hopefully everyone gets the message over time about which vehicles can travel into the LEZ and the level of fixed penalties is reduced.
“Revitalising the city centre is absolutely vital and making environmental improvements would be a good way forward.”
Local authorities previously stated that the money taken from penalty charges will go towards lowering air pollution and meeting Scotland’s wider net zero aims.
Dundee City Council noted in its FOI response that “any monies collected are to pay for the scheme and its objectives and then to pay back any grant awarded”.
Although just a snapshot of the LEZ’s impact so far, Dundee’s figures are much lower in comparison to Aberdeen and Glasgow.
However, Dundee has a smaller population than both these cities. Its LEZ also does not encompass any major A-roads – unlike Aberdeen’s.
Dundee City Council estimates that 12% of vehicles are impacted by the restrictions.
Predominantly, the restrictions ban vehicles that were registered before 2015 and most petrol vehicles older than 2006 from entering the city centre.
Should the Dundee LEZ campaign have been less ‘doom and gloom’?
The LEZ encompasses the city centre area of the city. Its boundaries are marked by the A990 inner ring road.
But it does not include the Wellgate Centre, West Marketgait and the closed Bell Street car parks.
Previously, business owners told The Courier about their concerns about the LEZ’s impact on the city centre.
The Casa di Gelato ice cream shop moved out of Albert Square, citing the cost of replacing three non-compliant vehicles.
Earlier this year its owner Stephen Bennett said the LEZ “was the straw that broke the camel’s back for us“.
Ms Henderson says the Chamber of Commerce received a lot of reaction before the LEZ was enforced.
“There were definitely some businesses at that point that told us they were going to have to turn down business within the LEZ,” she said.
“They knew their vehicles weren’t going to be compliant. But since then we have had less enquiries asking about the LEZ.
“We clearly don’t want to see businesses adversely affected by the LEZ.
“And we would hope we can work with the council to ensure nobody is receiving fines for doing business within the city.”
Ms Henderson says the chamber raised awareness amongst businesses of the restrictions before they came into force.
She also finds it “interesting” that Dundee was less impacted by Aberdeen.
“I would have liked to see the campaign focus more on what you could do to avoid a fine in Dundee, rather than doom and gloom,” she adds.
“There are lots of ways to still enjoy the city centre and there has been a lot of misinformation about the area the LEZ covers.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “It is forecast that income from the LEZ will decline overtime.
“Revenue received in the first year will be set aside to contribute to future years costs of operating and maintaining the LEZ infrastructure.”
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