DRIVERS in Glasgow could be forced to pay a daily pollution charge and face hefty fines in a bid to cut emissions.

DRIVERS in Glasgow could be forced to pay a daily pollution charge and face hefty fines in a bid to cut emissions.

The plan is aimed mainly at fume-belching buses, lorries, vans and taxis.

But motorists whose cars fail to meet emission standards would also be hit.

It's part of a 16-point plan to cut levels of potentially deadly exhaust gases.

Streets which fail air-quality standards include the whole of the city centre, Royston Road and Parkhead Cross in the East End, North Street at Charing Cross and Byres Road and Dumbarton Road in the West End.

Roads bosses now plan to ask the public for their views.

One of the main proposals would set up low-emission zones, where operators of vehicles which fail to meet emission levels would have to pay a daily charge to enter the area or be fined.

The main aim is to force the worst polluters - mainly bus and lorry operators - to replace or improve vehicles.

And there would be an expansion of the areas where drivers who leave their engines idling unnecessarily could be fined.

Lorries pay £200 - or £1000 fine

LONDON is the only city in the UK which has low emission zones.

They are enforced by the use of fixed and mobile cameras which read vehicle registration number plates as they drive into the zone.

They are checked against a database of registered vehicles which meet the emission standards, are exempt from the charge or are registered for a 100% discount.

If the vehicle does not meet the standard, the owner has to pay the daily charge.

Lorries, buses, coaches, large motorhomes and horseboxes have to pay a daily charge of £200 which must be paid by midnight on the next working day after the day of travel.

If it is not paid, the owner will be hit with a penalty charge of £1000 which is cut to £500 if paid within 14 days but soars to £1500 if not paid within 28 days.

Large vans, minibuses, small horseboxes and caravans have a daily charge of £100.

The initial penalty is £500 which falls to £250 if paid within 14 days but rises to £750 if not paid within a month.

If a vehicle is found to have three or more outstanding penalty charges against it then Transport for London can have it clamped or removed.

But the plan also suggests owners of electric and other low-polluting private cars could be provided with free or cut-price street parking to encourage more use of vehicles producing less of the greenhouse gas CO2.

Garden bonfires and burning rubbish at building and demolition sites could also be banned in the effort to improve air quality.

Robert Booth, executive director of land and environmental services, said: "Emissions from bonfires can have damaging health effects and although serious harm is unlikely if exposure to bonfire smoke is brief, they can cause problems for people with asthma, bronchitis and heart conditions and may contribute to poorer local air quality.

"Glasgow encourages more environmentally-friendly ways of disposing of garden refuse, such as composting, recycling or free uplift and disposal."

Building and demolition sites could also be targeted for the dust they create.

Over the past four years, Glasgow has carried out 10,200 air quality tests, mostly on private cars, taxis and vans - with 267 failing.

Mr Booth said: "Analysis of the data indicated a higher percentage of taxis and private hire vehicles than cars are failing the roadside tests."

He wants to expand the areas of the city where emission testing is carried out, to increase the emission standard for taxis and the frequency of testing.

The plan also suggests raising awareness of domestic emissions and providing information on energy efficiency in the home.

Mr Booth said: "Although the majority of CO2 emissions in Glasgow are attributed to road traffic, emissions from domestic and commercial gas boilers also contribute to the total.

"This may be particularly so in areas of high-density living, where tenement housing is above ground-floor commercial buildings."

Other proposals include new planning guidance to improve air quality, providing information on local air quality, providing free spaces for car club vehicles and planting more trees.

The council intends to lead by example by encouraging its staff to find green' ways to travel to work and cut harmful emissions from its fleet of 2000 vehicles.

Neil Greig, of the IAM Motorist Trust, welcomed the low- emission zones.

He said: "Most cars would probably not be affected because they have modern engines and catalytic converters so would come within any emission standards set by the council.

"However, we have been saying for many years that the worst pollution in Glasgow city centre is caused by buses and lorries.

"The low-emission zones would be the stick but the council will also need to provide a carrot to get people to clean up their engines.

"They could offer grants for filters which would take out the worst of the emissions or offer incentives for people to buy newer vehicles."

Ruth Simpson, council executive member for land and environmental services, said: "We take our responsibility to monitor air quality in Glasgow very seriously.

"The draft action plan clearly sets out how we can work together to reduce our air pollution levels, improve the health and well-being of our citizens and ensure government targets are met.

"However, the council cannot do this alone. Every individual has to take responsibility, and seriously consider how they can reduce their carbon footprint.

"It's clear that improvements can't be made without the help of the public who live in and travel into our city every day."

A spokeswoman for First Bus in Glasgow said the company was already helping reduce air pollution.

She added: "First in Glasgow operates a fleet of low-emission vehicles and adheres to regulations for vehicle emissions.

"Over recent years we have made a substantial investment in vehicles which are more environmentally friendly, which includes more than 40 Euro IV vehicles - the highest standard available.

"We encourage our drivers to comply with the Environmental Act 1995 (Scotland) Regulations 2003 to avoid engines being run unnecessarily and we work with local authorities in their air quality strategies."

A spokeswoman for Arriva Scotland West said they were unaware of the new proposals but were continuing to invest in low-emission vehicles, including 11 on their Glasgow Flyer service to Glasgow Airport.

She said: "All our vehicles go through regular emission checks. And as part of the Glasgow Keep Moving SPT campaign, buses can only stay stationary in the city centre for a minute, so we amended all our timetables to suit that. They previously could have four or five minutes lay-over time."