The drivers of high-polluting vehicles in Scotland's biggest city will be charged or fined for entering designated areas and levies will be imposed on private motorists parking at shopping centres, under radical new measures to tackle traffic pollution.
Under the plans, to be unveiled later this week and subject to public consultation, Glasgow would also see a ban on domestic bonfires and a code of practice for building sites to improve the city's overall air quality.
At the heart of the pollution charging scheme will be the creation of low emission zones - designated areas in which the owners of vehicles not meeting an agreed emission standard would be charged a daily rate to enter or be fined.
The LEZs, of which Glasgow is committed to delivering three ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and in the immediate vicinity of the main venues, are aimed at encouraging the owners of vehicle fleets, such as bus, taxi, haulage and delivery firms, either to replace or improve their vehicles to meet environmental standards.
However, privately-owned cars which fail emission tests will also face a fee or sanctions.
The scheme, which would be the most radical in Scotland if implemented, is similar to that introduced in England in February in which high-emission vehicles, mostly heavy lorries, have been fined £200 for entering central London. A number of older vehicles have also been affected.
Glasgow will also recommend lobbying the Scottish Government to introduce legislation to enable a charge to be levied at what it describes as "all trip-end, off-road, non-residential parking", which is essentially retail and entertainment complexes which currently do not charge motorists.
The plans, to be unveiled in Glasgow later this week, will be the subject of a public consultation by the end of this year.
Other measures include increasing enforcement against idling vehicles, the owners of which are already subject to fixed penalties, and carrying out more roadside emission tests, 10,000 of which have been conducted in Glasgow in the past four years. The majority of the 270 failures were taxis and private hire cars.
A specific strategy would be developed for dealing with taxis and private hire; enforcement action would be strengthened against bus companies worsening congestion; a travel plan for all 35,000-plus council employees would be prepared, including dedicated bus services, cycling facilities, car-sharing schemes, home working and video conferencing, while on-street parking spaces would be set aside for members of a "car club".
Also, to protect people with asthma, bronchitis and heart conditions, both building site and backgarden bonfires would be banned, while construction firms would be required to comply with a code of conduct aimed at minimising dust and smoke emissions and general environmental nuisance.
In Scotland, only Edinburgh's ill-fated attempt to introduce congestion charging approaches the sweeping recommendations being put forward by Glasgow.
Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists Trust, saw no problem with pollution charging provided it targeted those vehicles which generated most emissions. He said: "We'd be talking heavy diesel vehicles like buses and lorries as most private cars are modern enough to meet European emission standards."
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