Highly polluting vehicles could be banned from Dundee city centre if proposals to create a Low Emissions Zone are accepted.
The Scottish Government wants to create Low Emission Zones (LEZ) in all four of Scotland’s major cities by next year.
Dundee City Council’s proposal is to create a city centre LEZ, whose boundary would be the A991 Inner Ring Road.
This would mean that only vehicles that meet stringent air quality criteria could drive within the LEZ.
Older lorries, vans, and diesel cars registered before August 21 2015, and petrol cars registered before 2006, may effectively be banned from the city centre and waterfront areas, or would have to pay more to enter them.
There are a number of options for how the LEZ will operate being put forward, including one where it only applies to buses, and another where council car parks are excluded.
Councillors will be asked to approve putting the proposals out to public consultation when the community safety and public protections committee meets on Monday.
Convener Kevin Cordell said: “We are fully committed to improving the air quality in the city for everyone who lives, works and visits through the introduction of an LEZ.
“We want to share that work with everyone who will be affected by the introduction of an LEZ in order to have the best-informed and most transparent debate possible, before we decide where it should be and what category of vehicles it will include when we bring it in.”
Alan Ross, city development committee convener, added: “Whatever option we choose to take at the end of the consultation process, it is important that it balances air quality with ensuring commerce and industry is not brought to a standstill.”
A delivery group was established in September last year to lead the development of a Dundee LEZ.
The Dundee LEZ is intended to help protect public health by improving air quality.
Alison Henderson, chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said: “The introduction of a Low Emission Zone is a key issue, and needs to be handled sensitively.
“It’s important that our city achieves the difficult balancing act of protecting public health while ensuring that the business community continues to prosper and thrive.”
Daniel Jones from the British Heart Foundation said: “BHF Scotland has long supported the introduction of Low Emission Zones in Scotland as a way of tackling air pollution across the country.
“Our research shows that air pollution – especially particulate matter found in diesel exhausts – can damage the heart and circulatory system. This can lead to devastating effects, such as heart attack and stroke.
“We believe the introduction of LEZs has the potential to bring about real health benefits and it is great to see Dundee considering such a move.”
