👻 #BRISTOL'S HALLOWEEN SCAM: THE £14 AIR TAX THAT DEFIES EVEN PHYSICS.
How the Green Council Invented an Imaginary Washing Machine – And You're Stuck on Spin Cycle While Being Rinsed.
(Image: Bristol City Council)
👻 #BRISTOL’S HALLOWEEN SCAM: THE £14 AIR TAX THAT DEFIES EVEN PHYSICS.
How the Green Council Invented an Imaginary Washing Machine – And You’re Stuck on Spin Cycle
Bristol City Council wants to charge you £14 a day to drive through their “Clean Air Zone.” That’s up from £9. Why? Because after three years of this racket, the air got WORSE in two locations last year.
Let that sink in. The Clean Air Zone was introduced in 2022. By their own admission, even WITH the zone, we won’t have legal air quality until 2029. Seven years. Meanwhile, the air in South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and from over the Severn has some difficult choices to make when it comes to moving anywhere close to the Bristol border, doesn’t it?
The solution to their failed air-cleaning scheme is to charge you MORE money for the failure.
The Magic Circle That Air Doesn’t Know About.
Here’s the con: They’ve drawn a line around Bristol city centre and called it a Clean Air Zone. Pay your fee, and supposedly you’re helping clean the air inside this magic circle.
Except – and I’m just spitballing here – AIR MOVES.
Wind exists. Atmospheric circulation is real. But apparently, Bristol’s Green councillors skipped physics class the day they explained that air doesn’t respect imaginary boundaries. There’s no passport control for nitrogen dioxide molecules.
As I documented in my previous Substack, this “stationary air” fantasy is pure bollocks. But why let thermodynamics get in the way of a good shakedown?
Year One: “Look, It’s Working!” Year Three: “Oops, Never Mind”
The first year? Pollution plummeted 12.6% inside the zone. Council victory lap commenced. High-fives all around City Hall.
Last year? A pathetic 5.1% drop. And at Colston Avenue – INSIDE their precious zone – nitrogen dioxide actually INCREASED from $48.9$ to $50.8$ $\mu\text{g/m}^3$. Rupert Street went from $39.2$ to $45.4$ $\mu\text{g/m}^3$.
The air quality got WORSE. Inside the “Clean Air Zone.” Where you’re paying to make it better.
So naturally, the council’s solution is: charge more! Because nothing fixes a broken washing machine like feeding it more pound coins.
The 2029 Scam Timeline.
Here’s the punchline buried in their own report: Without raising fees, pollution won’t hit legal limits until 2029.
Read that again. SEVEN YEARS of this scheme before they admit they MIGHT have clean air. That’s seven years of charging you daily for a service they haven’t delivered and won’t deliver for another four years.
It’s like paying for a gym membership that promises you’ll get fit by 2029. Maybe. If you pay extra.
“But We’ll Consult The Public!”
Oh, they’ll “consult” you. That’s council-speak for: “We’ll hold a meeting at 2pm on a Tuesday, three pensioners will show up, we’ll tick a box, and then do whatever we planned anyway.”
Democracy Theatre, folks. All the performance, none of the actual listening.
The Laundering Scheme.
They claim the money goes toward “sustainable transport”, like new buses. So, you’re being charged because you can’t afford a compliant car, and to pay for buses, you probably can’t afford to take them either.
It’s the Air Laundromat. You’re on a permanent rinse cycle. The clothes never get clean. The pound coins keep disappearing. And when you complain, they just add more soap – “Oh, we need GRANTS! We need LOANS! We need MOBILITY CREDITS!”
Meanwhile, the only thing getting laundered is the MONEY. The only thing getting taken to the cleaners is YOU.
The Electric Bus Smokescreen.
“But we’ve got 74 new electric buses!” they crow. Lovely. Much quieter, they say.
So at least when you can’t afford to breathe, you won’t hear yourself wheezing.
Of course, there are still loads of old diesel buses chugging through the zone. But those are COUNCIL buses, so apparently their pollution doesn’t count. It’s different when WE do it.
The Poor Tax, Rebranded.
And just to add insult to economic injury, their “support scheme” for upgrading vehicles used to be limited to people earning under £30,000. Now they’re generously expanding it to £35,000.
How noble. How progressive. A slightly larger cohort of working poor can now access loans they can’t afford to buy cars they can’t afford, or they can pay £14 daily for the privilege of earning poverty wages.
The Physics-Optional Council.
This is the Green Party, remember. The party that supposedly believes in SCIENCE. But apparently, physics is optional when there’s revenue to extract.
Air moves. Pollution doesn’t stop at Bristol’s imaginary boundary. The wind from Old Market drifts to Park Street. Park Street wafts to Rupert Street. It all swirls around in one big atmospheric toilet bowl.
But facts don’t matter when you’ve got a captive audience of drivers who can’t afford £40,000 electric cars and need to get to work.
❓ BRISTOL CLEAN AIR ZONE: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
When does the Bristol Clean Air Zone charge increase take effect?
Bristol City Council will vote on the increase on Thursday, November 6th, 2025. If approved, public consultation will follow before any price rise is implemented.
Which areas are covered by the Bristol Clean Air Zone?
The zone covers central Bristol, including Park Street, Old Market, Bond Street, Colston Avenue, and Rupert Street. [Link to council map]
How much is the Bristol Clean Air Zone daily charge?
Currently £9 per day for non-compliant vehicles. The proposed increase could raise this to £10, £12, or £14 per day.
Why has Bristol's air quality gotten worse despite the Clean Air Zone?
Nitrogen dioxide ($\text{NO}_2$) levels actually increased at Colston Avenue ($48.9$ to $50.8$ $\mu\text{g/m}^3$) and Rupert Street ($39.2$ to $45.4$ $\mu\text{g/m}^3$) in 2024, despite three years of the charging scheme. No, I haven’t a clue either, but it looks more impressive when blinded by science, huh?
Can I get financial help to upgrade my vehicle in Bristol?
Grants and loans are available for Bristol residents earning under £35,000 (increased from £30,000). Mobility credits for switching to buses and bicycles are also offered.
Happy Halloween, Bristol
The scariest thing tonight isn’t the costumes. It’s not the zombies or the vampires.
It’s the council that thinks physics is negotiable, but your £14 isn’t.
It’s the government air washing machine where the only thing getting cleaned out is your bank account.
It’s the rinse cycle that never ends.
Welcome to Bristol’s Clean Air Zone: Where the air moves, the pollution increases, and only YOUR money gets lighter.
Full story: Bristol Post
The physics they’re ignoring: My previous blog article
#Bristol #CleanAirZone #BristolPolitics #AirPollution #LocalTax #GreenParty #CAZ14 #CurrentAffairs #AirQuality #Brist
#Bristol #CleanAirZone #BristolPolitics #AirPollution #LocalTax #GreenParty #CAZ14 #CurrentAffairs #AirQuality #BristolCityCouncil #HalloweenScam