WEST Midlands Mayor Andy Street is calling on the Government to set up a scrappage scheme for high-polluting diesel cars and vans.
Speaking ahead of , the Conservative mayor called on drivers to give up their cars 鈥 pledging to support them through more investment in public transport, cycling and research into clean vehicles.
And he will be lobbying the new and the Treasury to offer West Midlands motorists a financial incentive to junk their diesel cars.
He returned to the proposal made during his election campaign that he would look at a congestion charge for the .
He added: 鈥淥ne option is charging the most polluting vehicles to enter those zones. This can鈥檛 be just about charging, however.
鈥淲e need to encourage different behaviour. In London, for example, there are proposals for a scrappage scheme for diesel cars and we would need that to be extended to the West Midlands.鈥
Pollution is a major public health issue in the region, responsible for 520 premature deaths a year in Birmingham, rising to 1,500 across the West Midlands.
Traffic is almost entirely responsible for the city鈥檚 high rates of nitrogen dioxide.
The EU has ordered 38 海角视频 areas, including Birmingham, to cut pollution to safer levels by 2020 or face a fine.
Commuters are being encouraged to ditch their cars on National Clean Air Day this Thursday (June 15), or share lifts.
Mr Street said: 鈥淎ir pollution in towns and cities here in the West Midlands is a really serious issue and a genuine concern for people.鈥
The council is introducing for heavy polluting commercial vehicles entering the city centre, but Mr Street believes that if air quality does not improve this should be extended to private cars.
He said: 鈥淭he statistics for the region 鈥 particularly in terms of the levels of nitrogen dioxide 鈥 are troubling and they stem primarily from the congestion on our roads.
鈥淲e need to encourage people not to use their cars. We need to give people a choice, an alternative to driving their own vehicles and contributing to this issue.
鈥淲e have a host of commitments which we will hope to deliver over the coming years which will reduce air pollution and diesel emissions.
He said these include plans to reopen disused rail lines, like the Moseley-Camp Hill and Sutton Park lines, extending the Metro and investment by National Express in environmentally friendly buses.
鈥淲e are currently submitting a bid to Government to create a National Battery Prototype Centre in Coventry which, if successful, would drive the delivery of the national electrification agenda and potentially lead to production of electric vehicles here in the West Midlands.鈥
Clean Air Day activities in Birmingham
Clean Air Day is being promoted with an event for businesses outside St Phillip鈥檚 Catherdral between 11am and 3pm and a community event at Chancellor鈥檚 Court at the University of Birmingham between 11am and 2pm.
Birmingham company director Paul Fielding wrote to hundreds of fellow Colmore Business District workers urging them to leave their cars at home.
Paul, a chartered wealth manager with Brewin Dolphin, said: 鈥淲ithin the Colmore Business District there are approximately 630 businesses and 30,000 employees.
鈥淓ach of these businesses and a great deal of their employees will undoubtedly, in some way, contribute towards a problem that will affect a great number of people, air pollution.鈥
There will be information on various initiatives taking place in Birmingham to tackle pollution.
