Third of vehicles in Scotland non-compliant – Aberdeen Business News

NEW data has revealed more an a million registered vehicles in Scotland – around a third of the total number of registered vehicles – are not compliant with Low Emission Zones (LEZ).

The new measures are set to be introduced into Aberdeen in just weeks (June 1), alongside Edinburgh, while Dundee will introduce its LEZ two days earlier on May 30.

The new figures shows that 1,078,580 vehicles registered in Scotland are non-compliant.

The country’s first LEZ came into force in Glasgow last year, but positive impact on air pollution has been limited.

Air-quality monitoring systems at various points in the city found that levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (N2O) increased, especially in areas on the LEZ boundaries, while, levels of ozone, an irritant of the lungs which can trigger asthma, have also risen at some monitoring stations.

Will LEZs benefit Aberdeen?

Businesses have already voiced their concerns around LEZs acting as another deterrent for people coming into the city centre.

And warnings have already been sent the way of the Granite City following the implementation of the zones in Glasgow.

Luke Bodset a spokesman for AA, has previously urged Aberdeen to “step back and consider what has happened in Glasgow”.

He added: “A big question is how much the air quality across the LEZ and wider city could have been improved by spending the millions of pounds these have cost on better park and ride, and park and cycle, facilities on the outskirts.”

Vehicles with diesel engines from before 2014, or petrol engines from before 2006, are generally non-compliant.

Glasgow City Council was forced to spend £700,000 on hiring vehicles to replace its own fleet of non-compliant ones.

A spokesman for Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce said: “People in Aberdeen are already taking time to adjust to the new bus gates around Union Street.

“It would make sense to review the impact of these measures first, before further crackdowns on motorists are enforced.”