Challenge 2025 visits Birmingham’s new clean air zone

The UK currently has two active clean air zones (Bath and Birmingham), with Portsmouth following at the end of November 2021. These obviously join the ULEZ zone which has recently expanded its boundaries around the London suburbs.

For Challenge 2025, we visited the clean air zone in Birmingham to speak with some local residents and get their opinion on emissions, the environment and the introduction of the clean air zone in their neighbourhoods.

The scheme has been brought in to help tackle the low air quality within Birmingham, and aims to charge the owners of the most polluting vehicles on a daily basis.

It also helps to encourage other motorists who may not fall into the emissions category, but still use their exempt vehicles to travel. The Birmingham Transport Plan 2031 has set out a number of key principles to guide their investment into transport to enable to future of Birmingham to be a cleaner and better environment.

This whole scheme not only is making an immediate impact on the emissions around Birmingham, but is helping to change peoples mindset on emissions, and how to make other changes in their lifestyle for the better going forward.