Holidaymaker vows never to fly from Bristol Airport again after being fined £120

07 September 2023 , 14:52

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Hywel Lee says he will never fly from Bristol Airport again'

A furious holidaymaker has sworn off ever using Bristol Airport again after being fined in what he calls the Clean Air Zone 'trap'.

Hywel Lee from west Wales, was fined £120 ((£60 if paid in 14 days) for driving a mere mile through Bristol's Clean Air Zone - without knowing of its existence. The disgruntled driver says he followed signs to Bristol Airport from the M4 and M49. These signs led him off the motorway at Avonmouth and into Portway, where he encountered his first sign for Bristol's Clean Air Zone.

Mr Lee expressed his frustration, claiming that outsiders like him are 'being ripped off' by the Portway Clean Air Zone trap. He further accused the local council of wanting to 'alienate potential tourists'. Unaware of the Clean Air Zone when he embarked on his journey from west Wales to Bristol Airport, Mr Lee found himself with no choice but to enter it when he followed the motorway signs.

"The signposted route to Bristol Airport takes people through the Clean Air Zone - people from out of your area are being ripped off when all the local authority has to do is change the route and signs," he argued. "If they really wanted to clean up the air they would have done this years ago."

Caught unawares on his journey to the airport, Mr Lee ensured he avoided the zone on his return trip, which was initially planned to include a weekend in Bristol.

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"This now will never happen and I will never use the airport again either," he said.

"It looks to me like the people who set the zone purposely set the boundary to include this small section of road."

He has vowed that he will never visit Bristol again. The area has been dubbed the 'Portway Clean Air Zone trap' by angry motorists who said they were also trapped. The problem arises from the signs directing drivers to Bristol Airport on the M4, southbound M5, and southbound M49. These signs instruct motorists to exit at junction 18 for Avonmouth and proceed southeast along the A4 Portway.

However, there are no warnings on the motorway that this route includes a mile-long stretch entering the Bristol Clean Air Zone on the Portway at the base of Bridge Valley Road and exiting it at the Winterstoke Interchange on the river's south side at Ashton Gate.

The first sign cautioning drivers about the impending Clean Air Zone is located off the motorway on the A4 Portway itself, informing drivers that this zone is in 'the city centre'. There are only a few exits off the Portway - all leading drivers into suburban north Bristol - and drivers who have been caught out claimed they assumed the warning about the 'city centre' Clean Air Zone wouldn't apply to their route bypassing the city centre, crossing the Cumberland Basin, and heading towards the airport south of the city.

Bristol Airport's website has been updated to warn about routes from the M4 and M5 north passing through the zone.Local news outlet Bristol Live has clarified that the absence of CAZ signage on the motorways leading to Bristol Airport is not due to any negligence on the part of Bristol City Council. The council had reportedly requested National Highways, the government agency responsible for the motorway network, to install signs on the M5 and M49 approaches to the Avonmouth junction. However, their requests were turned down.

National Highways informed Bristol Live that the decision to not place CAZ signage on the M5 was made by the Department for Transport (DfT).

While the DfT did not comment directly on this issue, they stated that they have 'not blocked the installation of signs directing drivers to Bristol's Clean Air Zone'. They further explained that both the DfT and National Highways have developed clear guidelines regarding the use of signs in local areas, advising against unnecessary sign clutter to maintain clarity for drivers.

The spokesperson added: "In this case, Junction 18 of the M5 is several miles from the Clean Air Zone and signs are already appropriately placed on the A4 before the zone begins."

* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]