Scotland's Low Emission Zones: Consultation on Regulations and Guidance

Consultation is an essential part of the policy making process. This consultation on Scotland’s Low Emission Zones: Consultation on Regulations and Guidance gives us an opportunity to seek your opinions on issues that underpin the operation and delivery of Low Emission Zones (LEZs), including the substantive issues of emission standards, exemptions and penalty charges. A LEZ is defined as a designated area from which a vehicle is prohibited unless it meets the emission standard or is exempt.

There has been significant scrutiny of LEZs and air quality in recent years, and this has resulted in the inclusion of LEZs into the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 in order to provide the legislative framework to design, establish, and operate nationally consistent LEZs. This consultation provides an opportunity for stakeholders and the general public to offer their views on the key aspects of LEZ Regulations that derive from the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Why are we consulting?

The purpose of this consultation is to set out the proposed arrangements and options related to the nationally consistent LEZ standards which will be set out in regulations in tandem with guidance. The regulations are vital in delivering successful, fair and equitable LEZs.

Chapters 8 and 9 sets the scene for LEZs and outlines the scope of this consultation. Chapters 10 and 11 outline the proposals for LEZ regulations and guidance, seeking your views on a selection of issues such as the emission standards, penalty charge rate, enforcement and exemptions. Chapter 13 further seeks your views on assessing the general impact on areas such as equality, privacy and the environment.

The deadline for responses is at 23:59 on 24 February 2020.