Beech Street, a heavily-polluted road will become Britain’s first zero-emissions street where all petrol and diesel cars will be banned.
This road which runs under the Barbican Estate will only be accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and zero-emission vehicles from Spring 2020 as part of a new City of London initiative.
Cars that breach the ban will be fined £130. Electric and hydrogen vehicles will be permitted to access the street while hybrid vehicles may only use it if they can drive for at least 20 miles in zero-emission mode.
Beech Street experiences high levels of air pollution as it is a busy, enclosed thoroughfare, the City of London said.
Emergency and refuse collection vehicles will be exempt from the ban. The 153 fully electric bus route will continue to be allowed to access Beech Street.
A significant improvement in air quality is expected. If successful, the ban may be made permanent. The trial will also consider whether other London streets should adopt similar measures.
CLC Environment committee chair Jeremy Simons said: “Drastically reducing air pollution requires radical actions, and these plans will help us eliminate toxic air on our streets.”
Oliver Sells QC, chairman of the Streets and Walkways planning and transport committee vowed the scheme would bring “substantial health benefits” to those who live and work in the Barbican area. “It will also help to reduce noise pollution” he said.
“The experimental scheme will be enforced using the latest in smart camera technology and I hope it will be the first of many other schemes like this.”
>Juthy Saha
