The first Clean Air Zone outside London has been introduced in the UK as part of the effort to cut pollution in British city centers. From now on, most commercial vehicles will now have to pay to drive into the city of Bath in southwest England.

Popular with tourists and known for its Roman history, parts of the city struggle with pollution.

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You can see it staining the ubiquitous light local stone that gives Bath its unique architectural style.

But the fightback has begun with the introduction of a Clean Air Zone. It is now a legal requirement for local councils to hit air quality targets in England, but those responsible for the scheme in Bath say this is just the beginning.

"Whether or not the government had brought in this scheme, as a new administration elected in 2019 we would have been tackling both public health and environmental issues," says Sarah Warren, who is responsible for the fight against air pollution for Bath And North East Somerset Council.

"At the moment, we are currently consulting on active travel schemes," she adds. "We brought in a 'liveable neighborhoods' policy before Christmas, so we're bringing in lots of other measures that will give people alternatives to using the car."

Those measures include expanding the cycle network and improvements to public transport. But this Clean Air Zone only applies to commercial and trade vehicles, not private cars, regardless of how polluting they are.

Nigel Marriott is an independent statistical consultant based in Bath. He was asked to analyze data during the consultation process and found that banning private cars would have a negligible effect on pollution compared with banning commercial vehicles.

Marriott belongs to the Bath Business Club and told CGTN he's sympathetic to the problems the scheme creates.

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"Where the government support comes in is the important thing. How much are the council and government going to put towards businesses to help them transition?" he asks.

"Especially for some of the smaller businesses, I get the impression it's one of those things that business can support in principal, it's the details that will cause the problems."

A grant of up to 4,500 pounds ($6,200) is available to replace older cars and vans with lower-emission models. But that's a fraction of their total cost, at a time when many businesses have endured a very difficult 12 months.

Daily fees for vans, private hire and light goods vehicles is 9 pounds ($12.50). For trucks, lorries and coaches, it's 100 pounds ($139). With more Clean Air Zones being introduced across the UK this year, the short-term financial pain for some is designed to pay for the long-term health and environmental benefits for all.