IN less than one month, city centre Low Emission Zones (LEZ) will be launched in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.
The schemes aim to cut emissions and pollution in the city centre by stopping some vehicles from entering.
Edinburgh and Aberdeen's LEZ schemes will go live from June 1 – exactly one year after Glasgow’s scheme started operating.
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The Dundee LEZ will start slightly earlier, on May 30.
All three zones officially started two years ago, but a "grace period" was enacted to give people time to prepare for full enforcement in 2024.
What is a Low Emission Zone (LEZ)?
A Low Emission Zone, or LEZ, is an area only accessible to vehicles that meet minimum emission standards.
This means not all vehicles are affected by the zone and the majority of drivers can still access the city centre.
However, any vehicles that breach the emission standards will be issued a fine for entering the zone.
There are some exemptions regardless of emission standards, including: Blue badge holders, motorbikes, mopeds and emergency vehicles.
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The Scottish Government says the aim of the LEZ is to improve air quality in city centres.
Councils say profit earned from the fines will be reinvested to meet Scotland's net-zero and clean air targets.
Can I drive in the LEZ?
If your vehicle meets the minimum emission standards, you can enter the zone.
Low emission zone restrictions only affect the most polluting vehicles.
This typically means the zone will have an impact on diesel vehicles registered before September 2015 and petrol vehicles registered before 2006.
Motorists can use the "LEZ vehicle checker" to see if their vehicle complies on the LEZ Scotland website.
All four Scottish LEZs follow the same emission standards set by the Scottish Government.
How does an LEZ work?
Councils use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to check if vehicles are compliant.
If a driver enters a Scottish LEZ with a non-compliant vehicle, they will be issued an initial fine of £60.
But, like a parking ticket, the fine reduces by 50% if it is paid within the first 14 days.
If a vehicle re-enters the LEZ within 60 days of its last breach, the penalty charge will double.
Fines will continue to double until reaching a maximum of £480 for cars and light goods vehicles and £960 for buses and HGVs.
Glasgow Low Emission Zone
Glasgow's LEZ, which launched in June 2023, is surrounded by the M8 along its west and northern boundary, and the River Clyde on the south boundary.
The zone's east boundary runs past Saltmarket and along High Street.
Edinburgh Low Emission Zone
Edinburgh's LEZ covers the entirety of Princes Street and encompasses landmarks such as Edinburgh Waverley Station, Edinburgh Castle and St James Quarter.
The zone's northern boundary stops at Queen Street and extends east to just past the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood House.
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The area encompasses all of the Old Town and stops at the A700 in the south.
The west boundary of the LEZ travels along the A700, B700 and Morrison Street.
Dundee Low Emission Zone
The Dundee LEZ includes an area within the A991 Inner Ring Road, excluding three car parks - Bell Street, West Marketgait and Wellgate Shopping Centre.
It encompasses landmarks like the McManus Galleries, Abertay University and the Overgate Centre.
The ring road itself is not within the LEZ, this means the Tay Road Bridge is fully accessible to all vehicles.
Aberdeen Low Emission Zone
Aberdeen’s LEZ covers an area from the east end of Union Street and stops north at Skene Street.
It extends in front of Bon Accord Shopping Centre and stops east at West North Street.
The zone covers the north and west side of Aberdeen train station, stopping south at Willowbank Road.
The entirety of Union Street is included in the zone.
What happens if you don't pay an LEZ fine?
Like a parking ticket, a Low Emission Zone fixed penalty notice (or fine) reduces by 50% if it is paid within the first 14 days.
If your fine is not paid within 14 days, your fine will increase to its full rate.
A recent controversy saw that Glasgow's LEZ fines from June to October were legally unenforceable due to a procedural error.
This has since been fixed, so now all LEZ fines are legally enforceable and must be paid, according to the council.
How do appeals work?
Motorists who are fined must first appeal against their penalty to the respective council.
If the council denies the appeal, they can take their case to the Transport Appeal Tribunal for Scotland.
If the transport tribunal denies the appeal, it can be appealed once more to the Scotland first-tier tribunal, and again to the upper-tier tribunal.
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