The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) has said that serious and urgent measures need to be taken by national Government and local authorities to reduce local transport emissions to help improve air pollution, following a new report on air pollution and transport.
The report, entitled ‘Air pollution and transport: Time to clear the air?’ was produced by Tracks, a thought leadership programme established by CfBT which aims to promote research and discussion on key transport issues.
The report made a number of recommendations:
• The retirement of older, more polluting diesel buses, taxis and delivery trucks, along with bus retrofitting, to make fleets cleaner;
• Existing policy must ensure the development, purchase and use of less polluting vehicles is continued;
• The Government should support targeted local car scrappage schemes to get the most polluting vehicles off the road;
• Local authorities need to consider reaching an agreement with bus operators to use less polluting buses on specific routes, scrap older buses and retrofit newer ones; and
• Integrate emissions conditions in licencing agreements for taxis, promote freight consolidation centres to enable the use of electric vehicles for last mile delivery and introduce higher parking charges and permits for high emission diesel cars.
Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive of CfBT, said: “This report shows that there are practical and cost-effective ways to cut pollution from all types of road traffic, but this needs action by the Government not just by local authorities.
“We need policies to cut the level of road traffic as well as moves towards low emission vehicles.
“We hope this research will inform the Government’s forthcoming Clean Air strategy and will help the local authorities currently developing plans for Clean Air Zones.”
