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The UK Government has published its long-awaited document detailing how it will tackle roadside emissions in order to clean up the nation's air quality.
According to the government, the plans "are focused on delivering nitrogen dioxide compliance at the roadside in the shortest amount of time".
At present, 81 roads - 4% of the national road network ? breech legal pollution limits for NO2, with 33 of them outside London.
At the heart of the announcement is a plan to end the sale of conventional petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040; however, the government has repeatedly stated that it wants all cars sold to be emissions-free by 2040.
As the draft air quality plan issued earlier this year indicated, local authorities will do much of the work to reduce pollution, with the government asking them to produce initial plans in the next eight months and final plans by the end of next year.
To help them implement these schemes, the government has set up a fund of £255 million, while local authorities will also be able to bid for money from a new Clean Air Fund "to support improvements which will reduce the need for restrictions on polluting vehicles", such as changing road layouts and removing speed bumps.
At the moment, very little is known about the Clean Air Fund, with further announcements expected in due course.
Today's announcement added that if measures such as removing speed humps are not effective, local authorities "may also need to consider" imposing restrictions on polluting vehicles, such as introducing charges or preventing access at certain times of the day.
However, charging drivers in order to help clean up the air should be used as a last resort, the government said, with the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs and Department for Transport saying that any restrictions should be time-limited and lifted as soon as air pollution levels are within legal limits.
Furthermore, such schemes will need to be assessed by government ministers to ensure they are "effective, fair, good value for money and will deliver the required improvements in air quality in the shortest time possible", the two government departments said.
The government also announced it would issue a consultation in the autumn to gather views on measures to support motorists and businesses affected by local plans to reduce emissions, such as reduced car club memberships or "targeted" scrappage schemes for car and van owners.
In addition - possibly as a result of the fall-out from the 'dieselgate' emissions scandal - the government proposed that manufacturers found to be using devices on their vehicles to cheat emissions tests could face criminal charges and fines of up to £50,000 for every device installed.
"Today's plan sets out how we will work with local authorities to tackle the effects of roadside pollution caused by dirty diesels, in particular nitrogen dioxide," said environment secretary Michael Gove.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: "We are determined to deliver a green revolution in transport and reduce pollution in our towns and cities. We are taking bold action and want nearly every car and van on UK roads to be zero emission by 2050, which is why we've committed to investing more than £600 million in the development, manufacture and use of ultra-low emission vehicles by 2020."
Reacting to the government's announcement, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: "The industry is working with government to ensure that the right consumer incentives, policies and infrastructure is in place to drive growth in the still very early market for ULEVs in the UK. However, much depends on the cost of these new technologies and how willing consumers are to adopt battery, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars."
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, blasted the announcement as "half-hearted" and called for ministers to bring forward the 2040 petrol and diesel ban. "A half-hearted commitment from government simply isn't good enough. They must use this opportunity to take the bold action required now to protect the health of our citizens and to save lives," he said.
"The commitment to phase out sales of new diesel cars is welcome, but Londoners suffering right now simply can't afford to wait until 2040. We need a fully-funded diesel scrappage fund now to get polluting vehicles off our streets immediately, as well as new powers so that cities across the UK can take the action needed to clean up our air."
Khan added: "Without extra financial support for those who bought polluting vehicles in good faith then any pledge to clean up our air rings hollow."
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