LEZ Development/Consultation

Development and Consultation

Phase 1 of Glasgow's LEZ (bus only) was introduced on 31 December 2018.

Phase 2 which came into force on 1 June 2023 expanded the scope of Glasgow's LEZ to include all vehicle types. SInce then, all vehicles entering the city centre zone must meet the less polluting emission standards or face a penalty charge.

Many elements of LEZs in Scotland are set at national level for consistency.  This includes the emission standards and penalties. 

The council has however determined the specific design and operation of Glasgow's LEZ after careful consideration of what is required locally. 

This is set out in Glasgow's LEZ Phase 2 Final Scheme Design (PDF, 3 MB)(opens new window).

Development and Consultation Stages of LEZ Phase 2

• March 2020: To help shape the LEZ Phase 2 design, we ran our first public consultation in 2020. The findings were independently reviewed and summarised.
• Summer/Autumn 2021: LEZ Phase 2 design proposals were consulted upon with almost 3,000 responses received.
• November 2021: Consultation responses were noted by our Environment, Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Committee on 23 November 2021 and fed into the final Phase 2 scheme design.
• December 2021: Details of Glasgow's final LEZ scheme design (PDF, 632 KB)(opens new window) was published.
• March 2022: A report summarising objections to Glasgow's LEZ (PDF, 153 KB)(opens new window) was published and noted by our Environment, Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Committee on 7 March 2022. 
• March 2022: The final LEZ scheme design was approved by City Administration Committee on 10 March 2022.
• May 2022: Glasgow's LEZ was approved by Scottish Ministers on 19 May 2022 and was formally introduced on 31 May 2022. General LEZ enforcement will start on 1 June 2023.
• September 2022: An update of the LEZ workplan ahead of enforcement, and our intended approach to exemptions/time-limited exemptions was provided to our Net Zero Committee on 20 September 2022.
• October 2022: The City Administration Committee approved a proposal to grant a time-limited exemption of one year for taxi operators in Glasgow who do not have access to funded retrofit solutions. 

An extensive campaign of LEZ awareness commenced in 2018, including the installation of indicative signage at key entry points around the zone boundary.

Throughout development of LEZ Phase 2, the council has widely consulted and engaged with the public and key stakeholder groups. This includes hosting events and writing out directly to those most affected, such as zone residents.

In addition, the council has supported and cross promoted Transport Scotland's wider, national LEZ communications campaign which has included highlighting Scottish Government's support funding and other assistance available to individuals and businesses to ease compliance.

To increase awareness and understanding of Glasgow's LEZ, our 'Plan Ahead for the LEZ' publicity campaign ran between December 2022 and August 2023. This included TV and radio adverts as well as billboards and promoted social media posts.

Statutory LEZ signage and road markings were installed on key routes into the city centre in 2022.

Low Emission Zone TV Advert