That trial zone isn't going to affect visitors from outside, or many locals, just the busses/taxis/delivery vehicles polluting those few mostly-narrow roads. But it could be quite a game changer if/when they extend it in 2022 to cover "the rest of the city centre". To me, that sounds like including St Aldates near Carfax, High Street, Broad Street, George Street, who knows what else. If this discourages petrol & diesel vehicles, I'm all for it.

 

Those responsible for introducing zero or low emission zones perhaps need to get their act together to make it clear that their objective is indeed to reduce pollution, rather than raise revenue. London is a good example of how not to do it. They have a system that uses ANPR to identify vehicles entering the zones, and use that to either note that the vehicle is registered with them as being exempt from charges, or to request payment from the registered owner. However, as anyone know who has tried to go through the online registration process recently knows, it's a bit of a nightmare, and far from easy to renew.

There shouldn't need to be any application process at all, as the make and model of every registered vehicle is available on a publicly accessible database, with no restrictions imposed by GDPR or whatever. The make and model information is all that's needed to determine whether a car is exempt or not, so why is there any need for a handraulic, annually renewable, registration process at all? With the advent of the green flash on the registration plates of exempt vehicles the process should get easier, assuming there is some way to add detection of that green flash to ANPR systems eventually.

We used to visit Oxford fairly regularly, but if I now need to go through an exemption registration process that's in any way like the one that operates in London, then I'm not at all sure I'll bother, TBH.

 

With the advent of the green flash on the registration plates of exempt vehicles the process should get easier, assuming there is some way to add detection of that green flash to ANPR systems eventually.

Too simple, and far too easy for idiots to just get a green sticker and fix it to their existing number plate of a fossil burner.

Given that the TfL system looks up the DVLA fuel type and emissions class by reading number plates anyway, that's all they should need to do. If It's registered as electric it gets the appropriate discount / exemption.
Of course, they could change it now, but that would mean that all the people they employ to do the pen pushing exercise of keeping a separate list of exemptions and discounts would be redundant.
Not all vehicles legally on the roads of Britain are registered with DVLA. Some are registered with DVA in Northern Ireland, many are registered with other regional or national registration authorities.

 

As ever with these schemes it's only going half way.
Surely, if we want to change peoples habits then a total ban on vehicles entering these zones is the best idea, rather than encouraging the few who can afford an EV to change their mode of transport. All it does is push the problem of too many vehicles on our roads another decade down the line.
Cities existed long before cars came along. Removing them altogether should be the aim rather than fudging it with "zones" that do little to change the long term way we interact in our communities.

 

Well, I would start with free parking for EVs and hike them up for ICE vehicles

 

It's parking for cars which makes cities such terrible places to live, shop and work already. Regardless of the propulsion there are too many cars all needing somewhere to be left while their drivers go about their business.
When you consider how much land costs in our city centres, especially in places like Oxford, the parking charges would need to be punitive to reflect the real cost of the space cars take up.
Alas, this will never happen and society in general has to keep on subsidising the poor motorist in their mobile status symbols.

 

Oxford in particular has a lot of excellent Type 2 chargers in their underground Westgate shopping centre. Something like 50? Not cheap to park, but if you take on a decent charge, that makes up for the extra you pay over say the P&R. Well worth it imho for the convenience of being right at the shopping area & no waiting for the next bus. I'm looking forward to going there again when lockdown's over.

 

That park and ride sounds like a good plan. We used to really enjoy days out in Oxford before the plague, but parking has always been a bit of a pain. Be nice to get back to days out again.

 

This looks like mostly nonsense. Three of these streets are dead ends, queen street is busses and taxies only and cornmarket is a pedestrian area!

Honestly! They could have at at least included George st.

 

Thats just the start, the zone will be expanded to eventually cover the rest of the city centre it is expected to be introduced in spring 2022, if they include the Westgate centre approach road i wont be using it again.