The Oxford city center may only allow electric vehicles by 2020. It is considered by many as the world’s first zero-emission zone. The idea is to help overcome the rise in population. The city has seen a horrific increase in the levels of carbon emissions over the years. Among other harmful gases, there is a massive increase in nitrogen dioxide.
Zero Emission Plan for Oxford City Center
The plan under consideration will slowly roll out changes. It will include different phases for implementing zero emission for the Oxford city center. The first will be to ban non-zero-emitting taxi cabs. It will be followed by banning other vehicles including commercial automobiles and buses. They will not be banned but they would only be able to use a small number of streets to access Oxford city center.
Next Phase of the Plan for Oxford City Center
During the next phase, the authorities will extend the zero-emission zone to include other types of non-electric vehicles too. It would add the heavy-duty vehicles to the list of automobiles to ban. The entire process of making Oxford city center is expected to complete by 2035.
The city council believes that the reduction in vehicles causing emission would have a massive impact on the overall environment. Estimates suggest that there would be a fall of three quarters by the year 2035.
WHO Data on Oxford City
The World Health Organization data on Oxford city shows alarming rates of carbon emissions. It is considered as one of the eleven most polluted cities in the UK. The data suggests that the city is already breaching the limits set for carbon emissions.
Government Support for Making Oxford City Emission Free
The British government is making its bid to contribute to making Oxford free of emissions. Therefore, it has approved a grant of £500,000. This money will be used to install charging stations for the taxies. Similarly, the government has approved £800,000 for installing 100 electric vehicle stations for residents. The grant will be used for installing charging locations for the new electric cars owned by the residents of the area.
There will be a reduction in parking fees for electric vehicles to encourage their usage among commuters. The council recently stated the need to act on urgent basis. It added the current state of emissions is severely impacting the residents’ health. Therefore, it will have to move fast to help overcome this severe health hazard.
