WILTSHIRE MPs Michelle Donelan and Andrew Murrison have written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, to object to the “improper extension” of Bath’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
In December, Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) resolved to charge the owners of Euro VI diesel powered vehicles whose weight exceeds 12 tonnes for passing through the Bath CAZ. In the letter, the MPs state that the decision is unnecessary, has been carried out improperly and that it will shift heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) through their constituencies.
Melksham MP Michelle Donelan said, “ I am concerned by this decision which, if enacted, would yet pile more and more traffic into villages in my constituency such as Atworth, Beanacre, Challeymead, Shaw and also through the town of Melksham. I will continue to work closely with Wiltshire Council and neighbouring MPs to oppose this disastrous decision by BANES.”
The two MPs say in their letter, “The CAZ was designed to bring Bath’s air quality into line with national legal limit for concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at 40μg/m3 as an annual average.
“This goal has been exceeded since then. By 2021, that average was 22.99μg/m3. Instead of serving climate goals, this limit on HGVs is likely intended to prevent use of historic infrastructure, namely Cleveland Bridge.
“BANES has recently established temporary weight restrictions for vehicles travelling over the bridge and have even stated that the ban Euro VI vehicles is designed to protect Bath’s road infrastructure.
“This decision is therefore an improper use of environmental policy. More- over, BANES has not conducted the engagement with neighbouring authorities upon which the decision was supposed to be conditioned, at least as far as Wiltshire Council is concerned.”
Westbury MP Andrew Murrison added, “BANES, in the run up to local elections, is manipulating environmental legislation to shift heavy traffic from its doorsteps onto its neighbours. If it is successful, yet more traffic will rumble through Westbury, up the A350 and through Wiltshire villages. I share Wiltshire Council’s dissatisfaction with BANES’s conduct and cynical disregard of its neighbours which, I’m sorry to say under its current leadership, is fairly typical.”
