BOLTON Seventy-six roadside cameras set to enforce clean air zone charging

More than 75 roadside cameras will enforce the Clean Air Zone policy in Bolton once its is introduced in just over 10 months.

The whole of Greater Manchester is set to push ahead with the initiative that would see drivers of heavily-polluting vehicles hit with daily charges.

Vans, buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and lorries driving in Bolton which fail to meet emission standards would be affected by the plans from May 30, 2022.

Goods vehicles, buses and coaches would need to pay £60 a day to drive within the zone, with vans paying £10 and taxi and private hire vehicles paying £7.50.

Failure to pay the charge will also result in a £120 fine plus the daily charge.

Private vehicles and emission efficient vehicles will not fall within the Clean Air Zone, which will cover all 493 square miles of Greater Manchester, making it the largest such project in the UK.

Bolton Council has now published its ‘final plan’ on the clean air policy, which has received much opposition from the taxi industry and firms which use commercial vehicles.

Included in the plan are the creation or installation of new technology at 76 roadside automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in Bolton to enforce the policy.

The document, presented to the council’s place scrutiny committee, sets out the locations of the cameras.

Twenty of the sites will be ‘replacement structures’ while 56 existing ANPR sites will be adapted for clean air zone enforcement.

Among the new structures are two sites each at St Peter’s Way and Watergate Lane and sites at Bank Street, Chorley New Road, Bridgeman Place, Salford Road, Hindley Road, Montserrat Brow, Lever Park Avenue, Belmont Road and Hall Lane.

Existing ANPR cameras will be used at sites including Chapeltown Road, Blackburn Road, St Helens Road, two sites on Scholes Bank, Manchester Road, Beaumont Road, Bradford Road, Dicconson Lane, Lower Leigh Road, Newbrook Road, Glynne Street, two sites on Moss Bank Way, Crompton Way, Bradshaw Brow, Wigan Road, Green Lane and Lower Bridgeman Street.

Air pollution, primarily caused by vehicles, is said to contribute to 1,200 deaths a year in the region, and local authorities have been mandated by the government to improve air quality.

All 10 Greater Manchester councils have given their commitment to the zone.

Metro mayor Andy Burnham, said last month: “Coming out of the pandemic I think we’ve got to get a lot more serious about people’s health and health inequalities that we have in this city-region and across the country.

“We just shouldn’t accept things that harm the health of our residents.

“It’s a fact that it’s the poorest kids in the poorest communities that have to breathe in the most polluted air.

“It’s not something we should ignore any more.”

The zone was due to come into effect this year but was delayed due to the pandemic and a stand-off between councils and the government over funding.

The combined authority has now received the £150m it had asked for to help businesses and individuals with the transition.

Most of the funding â€" £120m â€" will help people pay for new cleaner vehicles or upgrade their old ones, while the rest will pay towards infrastructure such as the cameras to monitor the roads.

Those opposed to the charges include Bolton West MP, Chris Green.

He said it will be negative for business, and is concerned that this won’t just apply to larger vehicles in the future but all cars’.

He said: “The successive lockdowns have damaged a huge number of businesses and we are yet to see how they will be able to fully recover, regain the jobs that have been lost and create new jobs for the future.

“I’ve yet to see detailed costings that guarantee that no business will be out of pocket and I do not believe that at this time we should be adding to their burden.”

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