The Birmingham Green Zone system seemed like a good idea to stop vehicles polluting the City with diesel fumes but it could have become a great idea if appropriately implemented. It works really well for people visiting the city where they can pay in advance for the days they intend to stay in the city but it totally fails citizens who have to cross from one side of the town to the other on a regular basis. 

I have a really nice six-year-old diesel Ford Grand C-Max to accommodate my children and their families without running out of space. I can't afford to upgrade to new petrol or electric car which will allow me to go through the city without incurring the green zone charges. Most of our shops are on the other side of the city and if we accidentally veer into the green zone we end up with a £60 fine. 

A few weeks ago, I had to go to the Birmingham City Hospital which is just outside the green zone. I had an injection in my left eye which not only causes pain and discomfort but also impairs my vision. On the way back I must have gone into the green zone at a major roundabout without realising it and ended up with a fine. 

When this happened to me before, I told them about how badly the system had been implemented and was entirely unhelpful and I would rather set up a direct debit agreement so that if I accidentally veered into the green zone I would not have to pay the charges. They did not have such a system in place so I paid four £8 charges that I had not used as a kind of credit in case this happens again I would not get charged. Guess what, it happened again and I was charged and what's more, they rejected my appeal and doubled the fine to £120.

A system should be fair and easy to use. This system is neither fair nor easy to use. There is no way of checking if you went through the green zone or on which day? If you pay for the wrong day you still get penalised. Yet when they penalise you they tell you the exact date and time and even provide you with photographic evidence of the violation.

The system in my opinion is unsafe and only serves to intimidate drivers and destroy their mental health. The system should be replaced with a more user-friendly system - anything has to be better than this. This is what I would like to see instead:

1. The first time the system detects that you have gone through the charge zone it should send you a letter asking for your email and mobile phone number together with an invitation to set up a direct payment method using a primary and secondary card. You should be invited to pay the charge through a link that would take you to their web portal or you can pay at any pay points such as ASDA.
2. Subsequent violations should inform to you immediately and either take the money from your card or invite you to pay as described above.

Please help to change this horrible system so it serves us rather than intimidates us. If we let a rotation system get away with extortion it will. It's only people like us who can change a self-serving, self-perpetuating and totally useless system through mutual love and respect. Let's work together to get this system scrapped in its current form. 

Some facts: 

1. The Birmingham City council has the power to change this system;
2. The current system needs to change to a user-friendly system;
3. If we lose then the current system will continue to intimidate motorists who have to navigate around the green zone in a diesel car. 

 

Warm regards,

Shokat