Glasgow City Council rakes in nearly £2m in fines two years on from LEZ introduction

Nearly £2m has been generated from fines since the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was introduced in Glasgow more than two years ago.

Glasgow’s LEZ came into force on June 1, 2023, and was set up to cut emissions and pollution by stopping older vehicles from entering the city centre.

Over two years on, the city council confirmed that Glasgow has hit its air pollution target for the first time since the zone was introduced.

The council also said an additional £1.8m in revenue has been generated through penalty charges.

The zone covers the city centre bounded by the M8 to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket/High Street to the east.

All vehicles entering this area must comply with the LEZ restrictions, and cars that fail to do so will be charged a penalty.

Following the initial positive results in the first year, a council committee report said there were further “significant reductions” in the levels of pollution across the city in 2024, particularly within the area of the LEZ.

It was the first time Glasgow met all of its statutory air pollution objectives since the Local Air Quality Management process was established in 1995.

The levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, in particular, have come down since the LEZ was implemented.

Hope Street in Glasgow was infamous for some of the highest nitrogen dioxide emissions anywhere in Scotland; however, a council report revealed there has been a 35% reduction.

The report also showed that air pollution across Glasgow’s city centre was down by a third overall.

The report does conclude that the reduction in pollution is greater than was expected because 40% of bus journeys in the city centre are now electric.