Greens slam council's lack of vision & courage on air quality
21 June 2007
Green Councillors have slammed Council plans for improving air quality as being half hearted, weak and undeveloped. The city’s Air Quality Action Plan* which is due for final publication later this year, is designed to set out the measures that will see air quality improve.In the Green Party consultation response (see below) Cllr Keith Taylor, Green Convenor says;
“Parts of the city are choking from air pollution, mainly from road traffic - I’m beginning to think that living on busy through routes should carry a health warning”
“With illness and premature deaths increasing and the UK becoming the world’s asthma capital we really do need decisive action. In cities Greens place people first, not cars - and clean air to breathe is the very least we should expect.
“Yet this draft Air Quality Action Plan dismisses, on grounds of political acceptability, two powerful tools to manage traffic demand – Low Emission Zones and Road User Charging. I believe this is failing public expectation and that all pollution reduction measures should be seriously considered.
“The Action Plan identifies reduction in pollutants of between 10% and 20% to achieve ‘significant improvements in air quality’, yet the target of just 1% is set city wide. This is nowhere near enough to make a real difference.
“There is every indication that the new Conservative administration want to increase the number of cars - and consequently the city pollution levels - at a time when we already have four air quality action areas where nitrogen dioxide is above permitted levels. Just like Labour before them, they lack the political will to place improvements to our city environment above commercial interests.
“Traffic growth in the city is something the Greens will oppose and in so doing will seek support from the other political parties”.
Notes to editors:
1. * Air Quality Action Plan is online athttp://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1164866
2. More info from Keith Taylor 07780 528990 or Geoffrey Bowden 07958 682683
3. New service just launched for asthma sufferers
airAlert -the free asthma alert service for sussex
Sussex-air is operating the airALERT service through out the summer this year and would like to invite people with asthma to register . The free service delivers air pollution airALERTs via home & mobile phone messaging (text & voice), telling people when we expect high pollution. The service sends out airALERTs the evening before an expected episode, so providing information to help people manage their asthma.
For more information please visit the Sussex-air website or contact Nigel Jenkins on (01273) 484 331.
4. Full Green Party consultation response
Air Quality Action Plan – March 2007
Green Party Councillors’ response - May 21 2007
Introduction
Air pollution is something that affects every resident in the city, vehicle user or not.
Road traffic is a major polluter in Brighton and Hove. It dominates residential areas and contributes to poor health, in particular respiratory diseases.
It is acknowledged that road transport is primary cause of Nitrogen Oxide levels beyond permitted levels. For that reason we would suggest that monitoring of results and progress should be measured against both traffic reduction and by air quality readings.
It is disappointing to see that measures to induce behaviour change such as Low Emission Zones and Road User Charging have been ruled out as politically unacceptable.
In our view the reason given for ruling out an LEZ in the London Road area (that to introduce an LEZ would potentially lead to an economic downturn in the area) is no justification whatsoever. The Drivers and Jonas Retail Study (1999) argued that air quality/vehicle levels IN THEMSELVES were a contributory factor in the area’s depressed levels of economic activity.
The other option not taken forward in the AQAP was consideration of road user charging. This method, which has delivered tangible results in reduced congestion and pollution elsewhere, is not thought to be politically acceptable. We would disagree with this view, and quote the Council Tax residents’ survey, which when posing the question ‘should we consider introducing road charging?’ received an increased level of support this year when compared to last (32% - 2006, 34% - 2007)
In our view offering inducements alone will not bring about the required behaviour change in choosing travel modes. To achieve the necessary migration to sustainable travel modes will require sticks, as well as carrots.
In addition to widespread efforts to improve overall air quality, specific measures should be taken to tackle the air quality blackspots such as;
• Preston Circus
• Vogue Gyratory
• Highcroft Villas
• Hangleton/Old Shoreham Road
• Boundary Road/Wellington Road
• Ditchling Road
• Grand Parade
• London Road
• Portland Road
• Seven Dials
• Wellington Road, Portslade
• Church Road, Hove
• Eastern Road, Brighton
• Lewes Road
• North Road
• Sackville Road
• Viaduct Road
• Western Road
We believe we must look again at how people travel. If we are serious about curbing climate change. we must provide alternatives to the private car.
Our city transport policy should be designed to persuade people to leave their cars at home - or get rid of them altogether. We need to move toward a sustainable, integrated and affordable public transport system, working alongside transport organisations in the city. Bus fares, for example, are too high and a disincentive to car owners to travel by bus. We need to champion car-free regeneration schemes and home zones in residential neighbourhoods, and encourage children to walk to school by developing more Safer Routes to School and 'walking buses'.
It is our view that Brighton and Hove needs a '20 is plenty' speed limit policy across the city, and would benefit from the introduction of 'shared space' roads, with no signs, separate roads or pavements, across the city. A success in Europe, 'shared space' roads encourage drivers to slow down, cyclists and pedestrians to take more care and lead to fewer accidents.
All employers and schools should be encouraged to produce travel plans, not least because city centre areas outside parking zones have become free car parks for commuters, many of whom drive in from the city's suburbs when they could take the bus, cycle or walk. The current arrangements are also unfair to traders working in the city.
On page 28 of the AQAP, reductions in car use of 10% - 20% are identified as ‘being required to achieve significant improvements in air quality’. Yet on page 5 of the same document it is explained that the AQAP target has been set at ‘1% annual traffic reduction, with a 5% reduction for 2010/11 based on a 2004 baseline’.
Clearly this is not enough, we would advocate a traffic reduction of 20% within that period.
Specific traffic reduction measures
A mix of measures is needed to reduce pollution and congestion. Defra’s report on Air Quality Strategy (published for consultation Apr2006) states that “smarter choices” (ie soft measures to persuade people to change) can compliment, rather than substitute for other policies. If they are implemented in isolation then as road traffic levels are reduced the extra road space may encourage other motorists onto the roads, thereby offsetting some of the initial benefits. Although soft factors have the potential to generate reductions in traffic around specific sites, they must be looked at alongside other policies to maximise the benefits.
The Major Intervention Measures dealt with in Section 4 of the report are broadly supported, although we do have concerns over limited road space available to the Rapid Transport System, especially around North Street.
Furthermore the Valley Gardens environmental improvement, while segregating traffic from people effectively does nothing to address the congestion the vehicles will create to the north and south of the area.
Encouraging pedestrians is a superb idea. Our walking realm in the city centre is unpleasant. Part of improving the walking realm must include removal of pedestrian railings. Removal of railings has been proven to increase public safety – cars travel faster and with less care when they they think that it is impossible for pedestrians to be in their path.
Work Place Travel Plans should be encouraged. One of the obvious ways to reduce congestion is for people to travel to work by public transport; this is also one of the most straightforward switches people can make. Pool/car club cars need to be available to assist this, but we should be ensuring that our members and staff only use private cars when absolutely necessary.
We advocate the following additional measures;
• Review residents' parking zones and introduce a sliding scale for residents' parking charges, favouring more efficient vehicles, with higher emission cars paying more.
• Consult and develop a congestion charging scheme for the city centre
• Introduce 20mph limits in all areas
• Introduce charges for work-place parking.
• Promote the expansion of car clubs
• Build a network of cycle lanes and provide more secure bike parking
• Introduce more bus and taxi lanes in the city centre.
• Make city streets more accessible to disabled people
• Champion Home Zones
• Work to further improve public transport
• Work closer with train companies to promote rail travel, to include more bike parking at stations, joint ticketing arrangements with bus companies/venues etc.
Freight vehicles and taxis
Sustainable distribution - we need to target HGV’s to reduce their impact on the environment and other road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists There is little in this Action Plan on this matter. We could be looking at controlling times of deliveries, if we only allow vehicles over a certain size into the city centre in the early morning and late afternoon/evening the traffic is less dense so they will not be stop/starting so much and will therefore be less polluting. We must be one of the few cities left who do not control city centre deliveries by time. (it’s thought that Bristol prohibits HGV’s in its centre, goods for delivery are transferred to smaller vehicles at a depot outside the city fringe). London Road has been virtually killed off by the consistent movement of HGVs along it. We need to investigate methods to control this polluting nuisance.
We also need to work with fleet and taxi operators (including BHCC) to encourage vehicles using city roads frequently to be the most eco-friendly available. We need to investigate adaptations that will turn off engines when idling.
In Our view taxis need to have exceptional clean emission vehicles and now there is an adaptation available that switches the engine of when standing, claimed to save £’s on petrol/diesel and also on emissions. We need to ensure that taxis come along the cleaner engine route with us, if they want to keep the concept of restricting the number of licences in existence.
Conclusions
Not only is action to reduce air pollution urgently required to comply with government regulations but also due to mounting pressure from residents. Air pollution is a significant constraint in major development projects, such as the London Road/Lewes Road and Valley Garden areas. Actions such as those described above and consideration of closure of areas to vehicles from 11.00 to 5.00, parking space levies, ensuring parking fees are higher than bus fares, and a quicker roll out of more residents’ controlled parking zones.
We need a corporate commitment to putting Air Quality at the centre of the decision making process, especially with regard to Planning Applications. Air Quality must be part of our Local Development Framework.
Councillor Keith Taylor, with research by Sue Paskins
Further information: Keith Taylor 01273 291165
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