The organisation leading the study is set to receive a reported £2m, which falls under the £20m allocated to zero-emission road freight trials under the DfT’s plan. Decarbonising lorries will help to build a more environmentally friendly road network across the UK.

Heavy goods vehicles are currently responsible for almost a 5th (18%) of all road CO2 emissions, despite making up just 1.2% of traffic. By 2040, all new diesel and petrol lorries in Britain are due to be banned, meaning a new system is needed to provide alternative power for these large vehicles. 

The ‘e-highway’ will involve the installation of overhead wires on up to 19 miles of the M180. The technology, similar to that which powers trains and trams, will charge a battery that has been fitted into each lorry as it’s being driven. Lorries cannot run on a single charge like electric cars, because they require too much power.

Similar plans have been trialled in Germany and Sweden on a smaller scale. If the study goes ahead, this will be the first large-scale deployment of such technology worldwide. The vehicles and their power cables could be on British roads as early as 2024.

William Wilson, CEO of Siemens Mobility Limited, said: “Investing in proven technologies like e-highways can help us go further and faster to decarbonise the UK’s transport network, and support jobs and growth to level up the country.

“By building on successful trials from other countries like Germany, our ERS consortium M180 trial will help the UK move a step closer to replacing more polluting trucks with clean, efficient electric HGVs.”

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According to a study by the #BikeIsBest campaign, at least 25,000 filters (just like those used in LTNs) have been implemented as part of various traffic reduction schemes over the past few decades.

In the last year, councils have installed numerous modal filters, including bollards, kerbs and planters. The sudden surge came after the Government encouraged cycling and walking during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as to avoid traffic jams. 

However, due to the recent increase, these methods have come under scrutiny from some motorists. Those opposed insist that such strategies only divert congestion into other areas and sometimes, even delay emergency service vehicles.

The city council in Birmingham recently came under fire from one Labour MP over their traffic reduction schemes. Khalid Mahmood hit out at air pollution measures like Clean Air Zones, and labelled LTNs “a bonkers idea”.

Among calls to halt the roll-out, many want it to continue. Supporters of the methods believe that this data shows their effectiveness and longevity.

Adam Tranter, a spokesperson for #BikeIsBest, said: “There’s been a lot in the news about LTNs, but the reality is that these are not new concepts. They are a natural response by councils to the changing traffic patterns as cities grow, and have become a standard feature in the design of new towns since the 1960s.”

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If a vehicle exceeds the set emission limit, the motorist may be charged (if they choose to drive in one of the set zones). Bath, Birmingham and London are set to launch theirs in March, June and October 2021.

As many as 67 monitoring and enforcement cameras have already been installed by Siemens Mobility in Birmingham city centre. This is in preparation for the zone coming into force in June of this year. The technology used in these Sicore II devices will use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and are set to lead the way for this scheme.

10 of England’s local authorities are following directions from the central government to comply with legal limits regarding nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels. These are to be met as soon as possible and by 2024, at the very latest. The new zones come despite the hope that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic may have helped to curb traffic pollution.

In Greater Manchester, plans for a CAZ covering the entire city region are soon to be confirmed by constituent councils. Their goal is to open the zone in the spring of 2022.

Councillor Andrew Western, GMCA Lead for the Green City-Region, said: “We did see a brief, short-term improvement in air quality due to the pandemic, but once the economy opened again, road traffic levels grew quickly, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels by late 2020. 

“So, analysis has shown that the pandemic won’t lead to a big enough long-term reduction in harmful nitrogen dioxide air pollution on our local roads to meet legal limits without a Clean Air Zone”.

While there has been some opposition locally, the Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, hoped to quell concerns. She stated that “only the most polluting older vehicles are charged in a Clean Air Zone, and it is not a congestion charge”.

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