OXFORD City Council last week put out a call for views on sweeping plans to create a ‘first of its kind’ clean air zone in the city centre.

The pilot stage of the zero emissions zone is set to be introduced in central Oxford in August next year, and will be expanded to cover the entire city centre in 2022.

Under the plans, most petrol and diesel cars will be charged £4 a day for entering the zone between 7am and 7pm.

READ AGAIN: The full story from last week.

One of the council leaders responsible for the project said it was aimed at creating ‘cleaner air’ and ‘taking action on climate breakdown.’

Since the consultation was announced many Oxford Mail readers have had their say in the comments section of our website as well as via social media.

Below is a selection of your views on the major, new plans.

John Batey: The City Council gives the impression of believing that making things more difficult [or] expensive for motorists in and around Oxford will somehow lead to cars magically disappearing.

Not only will this not happen but numbers of cars will increase year on year - our population is increasing by a third of a million every year.

Even cars using electric [or] hydrogen will still be there - more so. Are councils planning for that?

The fact that cars pollute the air - like commercial vehicles/industry/coal and wood burning etc., is not the fault of car owners.

It doesn’t help the case of council to treat them like criminals. Get them onside instead.

‘Lardvark’: There are no petrol pumps in the city centre currently and people manage to park there, why would we suddenly need loads of charging points?

Most people will charge up overnight at home and the range will be fine for typical journeys. The biggest need for charging points will be in residential areas with on street or communal parking.

‘docs’: So, within two years, you’ll need a zero emissions vehicle in order to drive along Oxpens, or pay the penalty. And therefore, to visit Westgate?

John Lewis might as well shut down now, then.

And how many charging points does Westgate have/plan to have?

‘OxMReader’: Let’s not forget the ludicrous amount of monies that will be given to bus companies so that they can “upgrade and invest” in fully electric fleets.

After all these private companies are really struggling in the London stocks exchange.

‘Annemc’: I think they should - poison the city with CO2 pay for the dubious privilege.

The final consultation on the city centre zero emissions zone was launched on Friday and will allow business owners and residents to share their thoughts on how the plan will affect them.

Tom Hayes, deputy leader of the Labour-run Oxford City council was keen to stress the cross-party agreement with colleagues on the Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council.

He said: “This is not about restricting or preventing something.

"We all know we need to have cleaner air and take action of climate breakdown.

"We are creating something here which is very positive and which will hopefully have positive outcomes.”

Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport and the environment said a previous consultation on experimental bus gates over the summer had uncovered an appetite for changes to tackle climate change, even if the bus gates did not go ahead.

She said: “We learned a lot from the consultation on the bus gates about making some significant change in the light of Covid.

"This is all part of what is very fairly called Build Back Better.”

Responses to the consultation will be taken until January 17.

They will then be reported to both councils’ Cabinets in March 2021 which the city council said will inform the decisions made about the scheme.

To take part visit consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk