Glasgow City Council has made almost £500,000 from the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) during its first four months, new figures have revealed.

Under LEZ rules, which aims to reduce air pollution, vehicles must meet certain emission standards or drivers will face a penalty.

The local authority has issued 20,134 LEZ fines between June and the end of September, recovering a total of £478,560.

LEZ penalty charge notices issued:
• June: 2,897 in total (2,897 x £60)
• July: 6,139 in total (5,356 x £60, 687 x £120, 85 x £240, 1 x £480 and 1 x £960)
• August: 5,757 in total (4,848 x £60, 607 x £120, 201 x £240, 80 x £480 and 21 x £960)
• September: 5,341 in total (4,404 x £60, 569 x £120, 196 x £240, 83 x £480 and 89 x £960)

The council said no specific decisions have been made yet regarding surplus revenue spend but the local authority continues to pledge that the money will be used to reduce air pollution and help meet climate change targets.

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Scottish LEZs operate by way of a penalty system, set in legislation to discourage non-compliant vehicle entry and to maximise the air quality benefits that can be delivered.

“Penalties are reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days, with all revenue above that incurred in running Glasgow’s LEZ scheme itself only used for activities that help reduce air pollution or contribute toward achieving our climate change targets.

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“We would remind drivers that Glasgow’s LEZ is now in force and to familiarise themselves with its emissions requirements.”

Read more:
Glasgow LEZ: Everything you need to know

Glasgow’s LEZ operates continuously all-year round and covers an area of the city centre bounded by the M8 to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket/High Street to the east.

The fines start at £60 and are halved if paid early. The penalty doubles each time a subsequent breach is detected, with a cap of £480 for cars and LGVs and £960 for buses and HGVs.

If there are no further breaches within 90 days following a previous breach, the penalty rate is reset back to £60.

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Last month, the Court of Session ruled the LEZ was lawful and proportionate following a legal challenge from business owner William Paton, owner of Paton’s Accident Repair Centre in the Townhead area of the city.

Glasgow is the first of four major Scottish cities to enforce the scheme, with Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee to follow in 2024.

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Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson Graham Simpson said: “It is clear that Glasgow’s low emission zone has clobbered hard-pressed motorists for huge sums of money, only a few months since it was imposed.

“A rising number are being hit with the council’s new full-penalty fines, which total nearly £1,000.

“Ordinary Glaswegians, and in particular motorists and city centre businesses, are paying a huge price for this ill-thought-out policy.

“The SNP council must be upfront about how they intend to spend this money and other cities across Scotland must learn from how Glasgow’s low emission zone has been so badly botched.”

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