Bristol prepares to launch clean air zone
The city council has awarded a contract to UK traffic safety and enforcement system provider Sea to detect vehicles that don’t meet the zone’s emission standards when it launches in September.
Bristol City Council has appointed UK traffic safety and enforcement system provider Sea to support the implementation of its clean air zone, which is due to launch in September this year.
The agreement will see the installation of 49 Roadflow Fusion cameras, Sea’s intelligent traffic enforcement solution, at key locations in the city.
Number plate recognition
The Roadflow Fusion camera has been selected to detect vehicles that don’t meet the zone’s emission standards by performing live identification via automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). The camera incorporates multiple detection devices to operate in different lighting levels and weather conditions.
A hosted back office then examines information such as a vehicle’s engine type and Euro rating to identify if it is compliant. The system can also integrate with multiple third-party systems, such as payment providers and penalty charge notice processors, to enable effective enforcement for local authorities.
“The clean air zone will not only reduce air pollution but also help people change how they travel, delivering a cleaner, greener and healthier city for years to come”
The system will be deployed to support Bristol City Council’s introduction of the clean air zone, which will help the city reduce harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution from vehicles. A daily charge will apply to older and more polluting vehicles driving in the zone.
This will be reinvested back into the local community, supporting individuals and businesses to switch to cleaner vehicles, ongoing work to make it easier to walk and cycle, and improvements to public transport.
“The clean air zone will not only reduce air pollution but also help people change how they travel, delivering a cleaner, greener and healthier city for years to come,” said David Bunting, head of traffic and highways maintenance at Bristol City Council. “Sea’s Roadflow Fusion technology will allow us to effectively enforce the zone when it starts operating later this year.”
The Roadflow Fusion system is a single product that has the ability to provide local authorities with clean air zone and low emission zone functionality alongside parking and moving traffic contravention enforcement such as bus lanes and gates, school keep clear, yellow box junctions and restricted routes if required.
Alastair Cobb, head of transport at Sea, said: “Our traffic enforcement technology enables customers to change driver behaviour to improve the environment and road safety, and to reduce congestion. Sea is well placed to support organisations, such as Bristol City Council, through the implementation of clean air zones thanks to our innovative traffic enforcement systems, including Roadflow Fusion.
“This intelligent technology offers the flexibility to support a wide range of clean air and low emission zone designs and enables schemes to be changed or repurposed over time as requirements evolve.
“Our dedicated transport team is based in Bristol, and we are delighted to be involved in such an important initiative in our home city.”
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