Poole, UK, 2016-Jun-06
Clean Air Zones have been identified by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as a potential mechanism, not only to improve air quality in urban areas but to also help avoid potential financial penalties, and have funding made available to local authorities to study their feasibility.
The trial uses seven Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and associated equipment at strategic locations on key routes into Birmingham city centre to capture data on the Euro emissions classification of vehicles. The cameras are supported with back office software and together capable of capturing vehicle registration plate information, safely storing such data, using the data to analyse the potential impact of different Low Emission Zone scenarios including the ability to attribute an indicative Euro Class category to each vehicle.
In December 2015, the UK Government announced the mandatory introduction of Clean Air Zones in cities, including Birmingham, by 2020. These Zones will apply to the most polluting vehicles, such as old buses, coaches and lorries, but will not affect private motor vehicles.
The new project has been developed by Birmingham City Council in collaboration with public services provider Amey and Siemens.
The camera solution for the trial in Birmingham uses visually unobtrusive roadside equipment and combines monitoring and communications technology, supported with back office software which safely stores and analyses data, predicting the potential impact and business cases for different Clean Ain Zone scenarios as well as indicating some of the more intangible benefits to society. The data collected from the trial will help give an indication of the environmental impact of the ‘polluting’ vehicles (based on a number of scenarios) and explore potential mechanisms to improve air quality in the city centre and develop a Low Emission strategy.
According to Luke Normington, Head of Enforcement Solutions for Siemens, the GreenZone system is efficient, scalable, highly secure and significantly more cost effective than any currently installed system.
Since 2008, Siemens has operated the London-wide Low Emission Zone, the first of its kind in the UK and the largest in the world. GreenZone meets an expanding need in the marketplace globally - helping cities, towns and national governments to improve the air quality for their citizens and providing an effective tool for meeting local, national and international environmental and climate change commitments’, he said.
In addition to hosting the system, Siemens can also offer innovative funding solutions to ease the cost of the deployment for customers, including rental packages that cover all equipment and implementation costs.’
Birmingham City Council is part of the West Midland’s Low Emissions Towns & Cities Project which is part-funded by DEFRA and includes resource provision from all seven West Midlands local authorities and their partner organisations. The information gathered during the trial will contribute to scoping studies being undertaken by the council and DEFRA to confirm current overall emissions levels and identify tipping points whereby the levels become legally acceptable based on the types of vehicles in use.
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom more than 170 years ago and now employs 13,760 people in the UK. As the world’s largest engineering company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey.
Media contacts
Silke Thomson-Pottebohm
Tel : +44 7808 822780 Email : silke.thomson-pottebohm@siemens.com
PR Manager, Julian Gollogly
Phone: 07770 924441
For further information, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/siemens_traffic
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at . Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
