Major city cancels London-style ULEZ scheme set to charge drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles up to £60 a day

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Drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles will not face daily charges to enter a ULEZ-style emission zone in one of the country's biggest cities, it has been confirmed.

Plans for a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Greater Manchester have been ruled out after ministers promised an £86million investment to reduce the region's air pollution. 

The Government has committed to invest £51.1million to introduce low and zero-emission buses in Manchester, provide £8million towards a grant scheme to help taxi firms and drivers switch to electrified vehicles and £5million to adopt a raft of traffic measures to slash vehicle emissions.

A further £21.9million has been made available for administration, delivery, monitoring and other associated costs.

However, the latter could include incredibly low speed limits of just 10mph in some parts of the bustling city centre, it had previously been revealed.

The announcement puts an end to proposals to charge some motorists up to £60 a day following a huge public backlash. 

The plans for a CAZ has already seen more than 1,000 signs and 400 enforcement cameras installed in Greater Manchester using millions of pounds of taxpayers' funds. 

It also opens the door for reviews of other zones across the country, which are already charging motorists to drive in them on a daily basis when other measures could be implemented to achieve binding air pollution targets.

Plans for a Clean Air Zone in Greater Manchester have been ruled out after ministers promised an £86million investment to cut the region's air pollution levels

The Greater Manchester's Clean Air Zone was set to come into effect in May 2022 - almost 12 months after Birmingham became the first to introduce a similar scheme outside the capital.

Not only was it due to cover Manchester but also impact parts of Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. 

The Government's investment, announced on Thursday, largely accepts proposals put forward by mayor Andy Burnham in 2023 as he sought to avoid introducing a clean air charging zone similar to London's ULEZ.

Welcoming the announcement, Mr Burnham said it was a 'vote of confidence in our investment-led approach to cleaning up our air.

'This is the right decision for Greater Manchester and it gives people here the certainty they have long needed.'

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said plans to invest over £50m in his region's buses were a 'vote of confidence' in his approach to cutting air pollution without introducing daily charges for drivers

Mr Burnham paused his own plans for a charging zone in 2022 having seen a wave of local opposition. In December 2023 he abandoned the plans entirely, arguing he could meet his obligations to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels with an investment package

A joint CAZ C for Greater Manchester would have covered all or parts of Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan and the cities of Manchester and Salford to cut air pollution in those areas

Several local authorities in England, including those in Bath, Bradford, Bristol, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Oxford, Portsmouth and Sheffield have introduced charges for drivers as a way of cutting pollution and improving air quality in recent years, but the policy has proved controversial.

The Scottish Low Emission Zone in four cities - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee - have also been restricting drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles since summer 2023.

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Local authorities are obliged to develop plans to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels, and the UK has a target of reaching an annual average concentration of no more than 40 micrograms per cubic metre. 

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport said they had rigorously assessed the investment-led plan for Manchester to meet these air pollution obligations.

'While local authorities in other areas have found that a Clean Air Zone is the best route to cutting nitrogen dioxide pollution, Greater Manchester provided evidence they can achieve compliance with legal limits faster without charging,' it said in an official statement.

Mr Burnham paused his own plans for a charging zone in 2022 having seen a wave of local opposition.

In December 2023 he abandoned the plans entirely, arguing he could meet his obligations to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels with an investment package.

Among the proposals to reduce air pollution without enforcing a CAZ includes introducing a snail-paced 10mph speed limit in Quay Street from its junction with Peter Street and Deansgate down to Gartside street.

Councillors were presented with the proposal at the environment, climate change and neighbourhoods scrutiny committee meeting on Thursday 11 January. 

The suggestion sparked criticism from some in attendance who questioned how bringing traffic to an almost standstill would help to improve the city's pollution. 

Among the proposals to reduce air pollution without enforcing a CAZ includes introducing a 10mph speed limit on a stretch of Quay Street in Manchester's city centre

The 400 ANPR cameras installed to enforce the zone will also no longer be needed. However, they are likely to be retained to help police gather evidence in cases

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Commenting on the Government's £86m investment in Manchester, air quality minister Emma Hardy said: 'To improve our health, wellbeing and the environment, we must improve our air quality.

'Local authorities know their communities well and so they need to develop plans that are most effective for their local area, and I am pleased that Greater Manchester has found a clear way to reduce emissions without the need to charge motorists.'

Minister for the future of roads, Lilian Greenwood, added: 'Manchester will be able to reduce pollution from transport without having to charge motorists, and new, cleaner buses will help Mancunians get around easily while still bringing down emissions across the city.

'We will continue to work with local leaders to create better connected communities, meet our climate targets and make Britain a clean energy superpower as part of our Plan for Change.'

Clean Air Zone signs on Greater Manchester roads - of which there are over 1,000 - currently say 'under review' after the plans were scrapped in late 2023.

Signage will now be removed but is expected to 'take some time,' authorities have said.

The 400 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras installed to enforce the zone will also no longer be required. However, they are likely to be retained.

'Greater Manchester Police can currently make formal requests for ANPR data to help them gather evidence for criminal investigations,' Clean Air Greater Manchester says.

'If the government supports Greater Manchester using the ANPR cameras to be used for law enforcement activity, there will be a public consultation on any such measures.'