The low-emission zone (LEZ) in Aberdeen will be officially enforced from June 1, 2024, when drivers of high-pollution vehicles entering it will be hit with a £60 fine.
The Press & Journal says that, before enforcement goes live, the council will need to install lots of signage showing where the zone’s boundaries are, as well as expensive specialist cameras.
More than £600,000 will be spent on the initiative.
The LEZ will cover large parts of Aberdeen city centre, extending from Holburn Street in the west, to Virginia Street in the east.
It also contains areas towards the south of the city centre like Willowbank Road, and the north, like Huntly Street.
In total, the council says there are 36 different entry points into the zone, where drivers will be hit with a fine if they go through in a vehicle banned for emitting too much pollution.
Signs and cameras
Each of these points will need signs, as well as automatic number-plate-recognition camera technology in place.
All enforcement will be executed via these cameras — meaning there won’t be any day-to-day human involvement on the street.
The local authority says it will cost £547,900 to procure, install and set up the cameras, while the cost of putting up signs for the LEZ is £52,500.
Funding to cover the costs of implementing the signs and cameras required for the Aberdeen LEZ is coming from Transport Scotland, the Scottish Government’s transport quango.
So, although it won’t be directly from the council’s taxpayer-funded pockets, the money will be still be coming from the taxpayer — just via the Scottish Government.
As well as paying for the signs and cameras, there are other costs associated with setting up and running the Aberdeen LEZ. One of these will be an advertising campaign.
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