Stronger action planned on deadly air pollution (From York Press)
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Stronger action planned on deadly York air pollution
5:10pm Monday 26th December 2011 in Eco info
A BEEFED-UP action plan is being drawn up to try to tackle potentially-deadly air pollution in York.
City of York Council is to use a £68,500 Government grant to fund a study into ways of improving conditions at a range of locations in and around the city centre.
Last year, the council claimed that poor air quality was linked to 158 premature deaths in York each year. The next steps are to be outlined at a council meeting next week.
Coun Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for city strategy, will be asked to endorse a report suggesting further schemes designed to improve air quality in the Salisbury Road, Queen Street and George Hudson Street areas.
The grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will be used to pay for a study into bringing in a city-centre low emission zone for buses and coaches. The results are due at the end of 2012.
An Eco-Stars scheme could also be launched to cut vehicle emissions and encourage the use of greener modes of transport. It will be initially directed at buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and the council’s own fleet, and could ultimately be expanded to include taxis and other large fleets of vehicles.
A final draft of the council’s Low Emission Strategy is to go before its cabinet in April, followed by consultation with residents and businesses.
Coun Merrett said: “I am disturbed at the deteriorating air quality position in York, which is why we’ve declared the need for further air quality management areas.
“We are therefore rewriting the previous draft Low Emission Strategy to ensure we have a strategy fit for the purpose of reversing the current worsening air quality position. The government grants for a low emission zone feasibility study and to establish an Eco-Stars fleet recognition scheme are important to help us tackle these issues.”
Comments(7)
Gramayre
says...
7:20pm Mon 26 Dec 11
And why does it cost 68 grand to tell you the air is mucky? Another waste of money - I thought there were already air monitoring stations dotted around York (one in Nunnery lane for a start).
eurosteve
says...
7:26pm Mon 26 Dec 11
Gramayre
says...
7:50pm Mon 26 Dec 11
eurosteve wrote:Tour busses are the worst.
just get rid of those dirty old pullman buses , they trundle around chugging all sorts of fumes out in the city - total disgrace !
Besides, instead of running them on diseasal why not use fuels such as rape/veg oil etc. it can be grown so it's Eco friendly and also cheaper (if rip-off Britain relaxes the ultra high duties on it). Or bring back the trams lol - the main tram shed is still in Picadilly (I've been in it recently and there are still team lines in it).
Gramayre
says...
8:01pm Mon 26 Dec 11
Sillybillies
says...
8:15pm Mon 26 Dec 11
pedalling paul says...
6:50pm Mon 26 Dec 11
Standby for the count of York's traffic lights...the claims that cars are more efficient and less polluting at higher speeds........
All very true, and he's a vested interest in the fume belching open top buses.
Magicman!
says...
1:10am Tue 27 Dec 11
An Eco-Stars scheme could also be launched to cut vehicle emissions and encourage the use of greener modes of transport. It will be initially directed at buses, coaches...
Ah yes, that is what makes up all those queues at Queen Street / Blossom Street. An endless line of buses... not cars being driven by people who could use other means of transport... buses.
Speaking of buses, is anything going to come about from that trial of the Hybrid Optare and Wrightbus vehicles that were used on the number 7 earlier in the year? or is this just going to be swept under the carpet the same way as the trial of an 'electrocity' single decker bus on the number 6 was a few years ago.
pedalling paul says...
6:50pm Mon 26 Dec 11