Who knew you had to pay to drive in Birmingham?????

[NichyNoo]

Went to Birmingham recently for a weekend mini break. Received a penalty notice in the post today as apparently Birmingham is a clean air zone and you’re supposed to know this and pay £8 per day to drive in the city. I’m guessing another fine is in the post for the Sunday when we drove out of Birmingham. We didn’t see this advertised anywhere so no idea how we were supposed to know - two fines of £120 I know about the london congestion charge but do any other cities have this charge to drive so we don’t get caught out again?

@123ZYX it’s only ‘disability vehicles’ not blue badge holders that are exempt. Unfortunately like millions of others I’m not ‘disabled enough’ to qualify for this.

[quote Moonme]@DismantledKing. Good ableist perspective. Public transport doesn’t work for us all. I’m not against clear air solutions but punishing the poorer isn’t the right answer. If I was richer I’d have a hybrid for sure.
Why not charge everyone like London congestion charge? At least that’s fair.[/quote]
In addition to this, London also has a Ultra Low Emission Zone, which is quite separate from the Congestion Charge.

[quote Moonme]@123ZYX it’s only ‘disability vehicles’ not blue badge holders that are exempt. Unfortunately like millions of others I’m not ‘disabled enough’ to qualify for this.[/quote]
Do you work there for more than 18 hours a week? If so, there's an alternative exemption for workers that might apply.

www.brumbreathes.co.uk/info/29/exemptions-3/21/apply-exemption/3

If not, would you not be able to claim it as an expense from your employer in the same way as you would claim for parking charges and mileage?

Sorry what? The clear air thing is public knowledge, it’s all anyone has been talking about in recent months

Not in my village.

I got charged for straying into a bus lane for 30 seconds last time I drove into Birmingham, so it is already off my Christmas card list.

I’ve just checked and both our daily drivers are liable for the charge. Oddly, we have an ancient car that does about 18mpg on a good day, and it says “This vehicle is exempt from charges in all Clean Air Zones”.

@DismantledKing Not all people with disabilities are entitled to motability cars. This particular Government and it’s predecessors have seen pay to this. Blue badge holders are not exempt ergo disproportionately effecting those with disabilities and the poorer. I’m not going to keep repeating myself but this unfair on those who can’t afford a newer car and who are not ‘disabled enough’ (which by the way the threshold is walking 1 metre unaided!) to claim motability.

@NichyNoo

We’ve got a 2013 estate car. Not gas guzzling or large by any means. We drove in on the dual carriageway leading from the M6 and didn’t see a single sign.

I’ve seen signs along there, and there are also gantry signs on the M6 as you approach Spaghetti Junction.

@123ZYX Unfortunately due to my disability I’m self employed as I can’t maintain a full time job. I can of course claim it back against tax however it’s not just about me. There are lots of people like me who this will impact rather than those with no disability and who are richer so can make other choices. This is what makes it ableist as it disproportionately effects those who are disabled compared to those who are not. Charge everyone. That’s fair.

You don’t need a top of the range new hybrid to be exempt. Our bashed up ten year old Focus with a value of roughly five hundred quid is absolutely fine.

@DismantledKing

Eh??! So as long as Birmingham residents are in the know sod everyone else, let them get caught out eh??!

As a PP has said, it’s been on the national news. Unless you want B’ham City Council to leaflet your house in particular?

I read the news and have never heard of this. If I saw those signs I wouldn’t have clicked there was a fee to pay either.

Charging everybody would reduce congestion because only people who absolutely have to drive in (or are too rich to notice the charge) would do so. But that’s still quite a lot of vehicles. If you want to reduce particulate emissions you need to incentivise the people who still need to drive to use cleaner vehicles. Over the several years leading up to implementation the cost of changing cars need only be a couple of hundred a year - not nothing but not a huge amount in the context of car running costs. It’s a much bigger deal for van drivers.

Here you go, the picture in the article won’t save to photos but it shows the clear signage on the M6 stating that there’s a charge to be paid.
www.fitzgerald-uk.com/successful-contract-completion-on-m6-motorway/

Clean air zones:

www.racfoundation.org/data/clean-air-schemes-map

www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/clean-air-zones-what-you-need-know

Bath has it and it's a nightmare. The CAZ is practically empty and all the taxi's, lorries, vans etc are using all the other routes which are now more congested than they were before.

If Autocar is correct, all petrol cars new since 2006 will be compliant

Thanks @DismantledKing but I read or watch the news at least twice a day on a variety of platforms and pay attention to road signs as much as physically possible when in a new and very busy place.

How about when you wake up tomorrow morning you try getting out the other side of bed? Might make you less of a knob.

@Givemebackmylilo

Thanks *@DismantledKing* but I read or watch the news at least twice a day on a variety of platforms and pay attention to road signs as much as physically possible when in a new and very busy place.

How about when you wake up tomorrow morning you try getting out the other side of bed? Might make you less of a knob.

If you post in the manner of a bellend, expect to be treated as such. It was you telling people to ‘p off’ was it not?

Another who had no idea

Surely it can’t just be me who wonders why anyone would want to go on a mini break to Birmingham? It’s the most god awful, depressing concrete shit hole with absolutely no redeeming features.

[quote Moonme]@123ZYX Unfortunately due to my disability I’m self employed as I can’t maintain a full time job. I can of course claim it back against tax however it’s not just about me. There are lots of people like me who this will impact rather than those with no disability and who are richer so can make other choices. This is what makes it ableist as it disproportionately effects those who are disabled compared to those who are not. Charge everyone. That’s fair.[/quote]
I thought there was an exemption for the disabled?

@NeonJellyBaby

Surely it can’t just be me who wonders why anyone would want to go on a mini break to Birmingham? It’s the most god awful, depressing concrete shit hole with absolutely no redeeming features.

I think you’re mistaking it for Coventry. It’s a lot nicer than Manchester, for instance.

I didn't know this but just checked and we wouldn't have to pay anyway.

@ancientgran have a read of my other posts. There is for 'disability vehicles' but not for blue badge holders.

@DismantledKing it really isn’t nicer than Manchester, or anywhere for that matter. Easily the worst and most unattractive big city in the U.K. Never been to Coventry so can’t comment on that.

@NeonJellyBaby

Surely it can’t just be me who wonders why anyone would want to go on a mini break to Birmingham? It’s the most god awful, depressing concrete shit hole with absolutely no redeeming features.

It’s literally no different from any other city I’ve been in in terms of how much is built up and how much green space there is (birmingham had a surprising amount imho). Did you end up going around and around an industrial estate or something?

[quote Moonme]@ancientgran have a read of my other posts. There is for 'disability vehicles' but not for blue badge holders.[/quote]
But not just motability cars, we own our own cars but as DH is disabled he is exempt. Well his car is exempt anyway but as he is exempt due to disability it wouldn't matter what car it was.