A legal challenge to Glasgow's Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from a local business has failed.
The Court of Session dismissed a petition for Judicial Review of the scheme, which it deemed lawful and proportionate.
The case, brought by Paton's Accident Repair Centre, sought to challenge the legality of Glasgow's LEZ as well as the national regulations that set out the financial penalties for LEZ breaches.
Unlike London’s ULEZ and Clean Air Zones in England, all non-exempt vehicles entering the Glasgow LEZ that do not meet emission standards face a penalty charge.
Following a two-day hearing, the court found the scheme is lawful and that it was reasonable for Glasgow City Council to have concluded that the scheme would contribute toward meeting statutory air quality standards.
Cllr Angus Millar, the council’s convener for transport and climate, said: ‘Today's decision reflects that Glasgow's Low Emission Zone is an important public health measure, aimed at bringing down harmful levels of air pollution within the city centre after decades of unacceptable non-compliance with legal standards.
‘A strong and substantial body of work underpinned our decision to roll out the LEZ, and we've always had the utmost confidence in the lawfulness and proportionality of the scheme given its clear, scientific evidence base.’
The LEZ, which has been in force since June, is the first to be enforced in Scotland.
The full introduction of the scheme followed an initial bus-only phase, which from 2018 required a year-on-year improvement in the proportion of low or zero emission buses servicing the city centre.
The council said that as well as improving air quality, it is anticipated that the scheme will accelerate the uptake of more sustainable forms of transport and increase the amenity of the city centre.
The cities of Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh are expected to enforce their own LEZ schemes next year.
This article first appeared on Transport Network.
