The Welsh Parliament has given approval for powers to be granted to charge drivers for pollution on the M4 and major A roads. The power to implement the charge is included within a proposed clean air law, but officials within the Welsh Government have said they have no intention of using it. The possibility of using these powers was put forward by the Labour Party, and this saw efforts by the Conservatives to remove the powers from the Environment Bill being defeated during a series of Senedd votes.
The current rules in place means charges can only be imposed on Wales’s trunk road network, which includes major A-roads, in limited circumstances. The new legislation means the Welsh government would be able to charge drivers to enter clean air zones anywhere on the network. Despite this, the current Welsh government has no plans to implement the policy.
The idea of possible clean air zones on the M4 near Newport, and a stretch of the A470 near Pontypridd has been proposed. The areas have already had their speeds limited to 50mph in a bid to reduce the levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air. If there is no long-term reduction, then clean air charges could be considered, but only if other measures are insufficient to meet necessary obligations.
As part of the new legislation, ministers will need to set a target to reduce the amount of small, harmful particles known as PM2.5, which are known to cause health problems. The opposition parties tabled amendments to the bill to include targets for NO2 but these were defeated, despite hundreds of deaths in Wales being linked to NO2 by doctors and environment charities.
Despite interest in setting new targets, the Welsh government has not provided plans for reducing pollutants at this time, as they are still missing the necessary suite of evidence. The government has been criticised for their lack of support for public transport by the Conservative Party, but no other political party agreed to include targets on transportation policies in the bill
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