One in five council vehicles in Dundee will fail to comply with the city’s Low Emission Zone when it comes into force next year.
Union bosses have warned of a waste of resources as local authority chiefs are forced to hire vehicles to cover those unable to enter zoned off areas.
Official records obtained by Freedom of Information legislation show that out of a fleet of 836 in Dundee, some 173 would currently be considered non-compliant.
These consist of a mix of vans, tippers and RCVs.
What does it mean for Dundee?
The Low Emission Zone is an area in Dundee’s city centre where only certain vehicles are allowed in – depending on their emissions.
Those driving banned vehicles will be charged for entering the zone once enforcement starts on May 30.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Maurice Golden said: “The issue Dundee council is having with its own Low Emission Zone is similar to other parts of the country.
“It points to poor planning and under-funding by the Scottish Government.
“If the council hasn’t got ahead of the game with vehicles that comply with these controversial zones, why should businesses and members of the public bother?
“I hope officials in Dundee are watching the chaos that has occurred in Glasgow carefully and learning from it.”
‘Should have thought of this’
Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone came into force earlier this month, with drivers facing automatic £60 fines.
The city’s local authority has been forced to hire vehicles because 616 of its 1,615-strong fleet are not allowed inside the zone.
The GMB union said it “should have thought of this a long time ago”.
Mr Golden is calling on council bosses in Dundee to explain how they will cope with so many council vehicles being considered non-compliant.
He said: “It’s clear the council won’t have the money to simply upgrade these cars, so it will have to detail how it is going to cope in a way that doesn’t impact services.
“Like so many environmental initiatives pushed through by this SNP-Green government, it risks causing more problems than it solves.”
What do residents think?
Some residents have welcomed the positive impact the scheme could have on air quality, while others have raised concerns about the effect on footfall.
We previously revealed what the Dundee Low Emission Zone could look like, showing the streets at the edge of the zone and the signs drivers could be faced with.
Mark Flynn, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee confirmed there is no specific type of vehicle that has been found non-compliant, with issues being found across the existing fleeting.
He said: “We are looking to have the percentage of non-compliant vehicles down to 15% by May 2024, when enforcement of the Low Emission Zone starts.
“It may be three to four years for every vehicle to be compliant.
“However it should be noted that all vehicles operating in the proposed LEZ will be compliant.”
