A massive demonstration against the city-region’s Clean Air Zone will be held by taxi and private hire cars in Manchester city center tomorrow.
Organizers are optimistic that a significant number of people will be in attendance. This march is against the environmental policy that the government is currently reviewing in response to the outrage by the public and businesses.
Within Greater Manchester, the taxi and private hire car operators have held a series of downtown protests against the Clean Air Zone.
The organizers of this Manchester rally, taking place on Thursday, 3 February, believe that the program would have a significant and harmful impact on a wide range of companies and citizens.
What is the CAZ protest all about?
The National Private Hire and Taxi Association (NPHTA) is coordinating the Manchester demonstration, which is bringing together communities from around the city-region to voice their concerns.
Cabs and private car service providers will leave the Etihad Stadium at 10.30 in the morning and go to Manchester Town Hall, where they are expected to arrive at midday.
There will be another convoy coming from Salford. However, Bolton, Bury, and Oldham operators have not yet disclosed their plans for entry into the city center.
According to the NPHTA, some other businesses that would be impacted by the Clean Air Zone, including merchants in white vans, should also participate in the demonstrations.
Organizers stated that it had been timed to cause the least inconvenience and ensure that tasks such as bringing children with special educational needs to school are not hampered.
What is the purpose of the demonstration, and what do the organizers want to achieve?
The NPHTA claims that the Clean Air Zone would significantly affect companies in Greater Manchester.
It also reminds that this was a government directive to Andy Burnham, Greater Manchestor Mayor, to control nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in the city-region. As part of this order, it expects to see elements, such as charges imposed on drivers and car owners scrapped off completely.
Taxis, peculiarly, are facing a double blow from the Clean Air Zone and new minimum licensing regulations. The NPHTA feels that this might push people out of the road due to the expenses imposed in a sector already reeling from the Covid-19 crisis.
It also cautioned that it will be pushing the demonstrations further until big reforms are agreed upon between officials in Greater Manchester and politicians.