Bradford Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is a road traffic low-emission programme in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. Plans were advanced for many cities in England to have Clean Air Zones (CAZ), but of the ones put forward in Yorkshire, only Bradford’s CAZ has been taken to an operational stage. The scheme commenced on 26 September 2022, and all vehicles, barring private cars and motorbikes, must be compliant with the scheme or face a charge for entering into the zone
A ‘day’ is classified as midnight to midnight, not 24 hours from when you enter the zone. During that midnight to midnight timeframe, you can enter and leave the zone numerous times and only incur a single charge. However, if you cross the midnight threshold you will be charged for two days.
You will receive a £120 penalty charge plus the road user charge if you drive a non-compliant vehicle in the Bradford CAZ and fail to pay any daily charge due within the payment window.
Check before you travel and look for the road signs
You can use the government website www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones, to check whether charges will apply to your vehicle in Bradford and other zones. If you’re a business or organisation, you can check multiple vehicles.
It is important for drivers to recognise and understand the meaning of the Clean Air Zone traffic symbols in order to avoid being penalised when driving in these controlled zones.
Signage on roads in and around the zone, showing a white cloud symbol within a green circle, will indicate that a Clean Air Zone scheme is in operation. The letter C is used in Bradford denoting the class of the zone.
All signage for the Bradford Clean Air Zone is positioned in accordance with Department for Transport guidance. All approaches to the zone are signed, warning you of the zone ahead. All points of entry to the zone offer opportunities to avoid the zone. The primary job of the signage is to discourage entry of non-compliant vehicles, reducing emissions from these older commercial vehicles within the zone and improving air quality and health.
Clean air zones are usually enforced by the use of ANPR number plate recognition cameras. These check whether any vehicle entering the clean air zone is compliant with its regulations. If non-compliant vehicles do not pay the relevant charge within the time allowed, a penalty charge notice will be automatically issued to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
