By Paul Homewood

 

h/t Dave Ward

 

Three weeks ago, Bristol City Council decided to ban all private diesel cars from the city centre during daytime, with effect from 2021:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-50292596

 

 

Today we learn that Bristol City Council is busily buying new diesel vans for its staff!!

Bristol City Council has acquired dozens of new diesel vehicles – and could still acquire more.

The revelation comes at the same time the authority is planning to become the first in the UK to introduce a diesel car ban.

Bristol Live understands the council is in the process of rolling out a new fleet of vehicles, which includes new diesel models.

All privately-owned diesel vehicles would be banned from the inner city under the council’s clean air proposals, which were submitted to the government three weeks ago.

But the authority is upgrading its vehicle fleet while it waits for the government to give it the go-ahead to finalise its outline proposals for reducing air pollution in the city.

Within the past two years, the council has acquired 135 new vehicles – 64 of which are diesel powered. The rollout of these vehicles is underway and the council is planning to acquire 207 more.

Of the remaining 207, some are likely to be diesel while others will be electric, a council spokesman said.

Bristol Live understands from a source many of the new diesel vehicles which have been rolled out are vans for council tradespeople.

Council workers were asked about the specifications for the new vans last year.

It is understood the new council vans, which are white as opposed to the old silver colour, were being rolled out as recently as spring of this year.

The council launched a consultation on its clean air plans – including an option to ban diesel cars in the city centre – on July 1.

It is not yet known whether the new vehicles were purchased or leased or how much they cost.

The council was asked these and other questions about the new fleet 12 days ago but has still not provided answers to Bristol Live.

One of those questions was how the council can justify acquiring new diesel vehicles – which emit nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution – when it was ordered by the government in 2017 to reduce the city’s toxic NO2 levels as soon as possible.

The council proposed a diesel car ban specifically to tackle NO2 levels in some of the city’s most polluted streets.

The 1.26 square mile ban would take in City Hall and the council’s Temple Street offices.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-city-council-diesel-ban-3578994

One rule for them……………….

via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

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November 27, 2019 at 08:12AM