The Government has released the latest update from 33 local authorities who had been asked to submit plans for tackling roadside NOx in their local pollution hotspots.
A further 28 local authorities had previously been mandated to make air quality improvement plans, which has resulted in measures such as Clean Air Zones being planned for implementation across UK towns and cities.
As part of the update, the government has confirmed that Dudley, Leicester, Newcastle-under Lyme, Portsmouth, Reading, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Solihull, Basingstoke and Deane, and South Gloucestershire will take forward new measures, including:
1. The retrofitting of approximately 400 buses with technology to reduce emissions;
2. Traffic management measures such as adjustments to signalling to reduce congestion;
3. Behavioural change campaigns to encourage individuals to take action and reduce their contribution to air pollution.
Bolsover, Bradford, Portsmouth, Broxbourne, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and Liverpool will also now carry out more detailed studies into how they will tackle the more persistent air quality problems that have been identified. This will be presented to government by 31 October 2019.
The remaining 18 of the 33 local authorities have been found to already be operating within legal limits or have not found any measures to bring compliance sooner. These will be expected to maintain their air quality improvement work.
The BVRLA is continuing to engage with local authorities, providing recommendations for how air pollution can be tackled without harming the local economy.
More details about the 33 local authority plans are available on the government’s website.
The BVRLA has produced a factsheet explaining how Clean Air Zones can be implemented in a business and fleet friendly manner.