Council issues more than 6,000 LEZ fines in a month

The City of Edinburgh Council has issued more than 6,000 fines to drivers in the first month of its low emission zone (LEZ) coming into force.

Under LEZ rules, which aims to reduce air pollution, vehicles must meet certain emission standards or drivers will face a penalty that initially starts at £60 and doubles with each breach recorded within 90 days.

The LEZ was introduced in May 2022, with drivers given a two-year grace period.

Enforcement in the Scottish capital began in June, with a total of 6,030 penalty charge notices handed out over the month.

The local authority said 5,756 first contravention fines were issued, while a further 274 were given to second offenders.

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Councillor Scott Arthur, transport and environment convener, said: “Whilst our objective is to ultimately see zero non-compliant vehicles enter our LEZ, I’m conscious that this is a process which will take time to fully materialise.

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“I was encouraged to see the relatively low level of second contraventions in the figures alongside none for further levels.

“This shows clearly that people are getting used to the LEZ and modifying their transport habits accordingly.”

Edinburgh’s LEZ covers the entirety of Princes Street and the Old Town, and encompasses landmarks such as Edinburgh Waverley Station, St James Quarter, the Scottish Parliament, and Edinburgh Castle.

Revenue generated from the fines will go towards maintaining the LEZ, with any surplus funding used to support LEZ objectives.

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Councillor Arthur added: “These ambitious goals include achieving net zero, accommodating sustainable growth, cutting congestion, and improving air quality, amongst other commitments to create a safer and more people-friendly city.

“Edinburgh is a city with big ideas for the future and the LEZ forms a key part of these.”

LEZs are currently in force in four of Scotland’s largest cities.

Glasgow’s began last summer in an effort to tackle air pollution. Between June 2023 and April 2024, the local authority received £1,010,585 in penalty charge payments.

Dundee’s LEZ got under way on 30 May this year, with Aberdeen and Edinburgh following suit on 1 June.

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Scotland’s LEZs:
• The LEZs will operate continuously, all year round.
• Emergency vehicles, motorbikes and mopeds are exempt.
• Blue badge holders are also exempt. However, drivers of vehicles that are non-compliant and those that do not have disabled vehicle/disabled passenger vehicle tax class will have to register for exemption in advance of travel into a LEZ.
• Fully electric vehicles comply with LEZ requirements across Scotland.
• Petrol cars and vans will need to have engines at the Euro 4 standard, which generally applies to vehicles registered after 2006.
• Diesel-powered cars and vans will need to be at the Euro 6 standard, mainly applying to vehicles registered after September 2015.
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras linked to local and national vehicle licencing databases will help enforce the LEZs. When a non-compliant vehicle is detected in a zone, a Penalty Charge Notice will be issued to the registered keeper.
• Penalties for bringing a non-compliant vehicle into a LEZ area will typically be set at £60, halved to £30 if paid within 14 days.
• The fine will be doubled for each subsequent breach detected, with a cap of £480 for cars and LGVs and £960 for minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs. If there are no further breaches within 90 days following a previous breach, the penalty rate will be reset back to £60.
• A national online vehicle checker – linked to a DVLA database – has been set up to allow drivers to check if their vehicle will comply with LEZ restrictions.

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