Low emission zone to be trialled in Storrington

The 12-month trial is being carried out by Siemens and will begin at the end of May.

Four ‘Automatic Number Plate Recognition’ cameras will be positioned at locations on Pulborough Road, Amberley Road, Washington Road and School Hill.

The cameras will count and categorise vehicles by size (e.g. cars, buses, trucks etc.) and will identify their emission levels by looking at the vehicle registration dates. It is important to note that there will be NO enforcement or restriction of vehicles during the trial period.

All vehicle data that is captured by the cameras will be encrypted and will not be used for any other purpose other than the trial.

Data from the trial will be used to find out the air quality benefits of a number of possible restrictions, including: restrictions on certain vehicle types and possible time-limited restrictions on specified vehicles, like during peak traffic periods and necessary vehicle exemption criteria.

Cllr Sue Rogers, Cabinet Member with responsibility for a safer and healthier district at Horsham District Council and chair of Storrington Air Quality Action Plan Steering Group, said:

“We believe that this Low Emission Zone trial is a very positive step towards achieving the objective of reducing the air pollution in Storrington and hope that the community as a whole will support this important initiative.”

County councillor for the Storrington division, Philip Circus, said: “I am delighted that at long last we are going ahead with the LEZ trial. It is most important that we don’t just talk about the air quality problems in Storrington but we actually get on and do something. It was never going to be very easy because if it was easy the situation would have been sorted out before. And as I am always telling local residents, I am a councillor not a magician.”

To find out more about the trial and to talk directly to those involved, visit one of three drop-in sessions being held on the following dates:

Friday May 16 from 10am to 4pm at Villerest, Storrington (on the corner of Old Mill Drive and High Street); Friday May 16 from 6pm to 9pm at The Parish Hall, Thakeham, Storrington and Saturday May 24 from 10am to 4pm at Mulberry House Car Park, Storrington.

For further information about the trial, contact HDC by emailing [email protected] or call 01403 215292.