Agenda item

AIR QUALITY BRIEFING

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report from the Head of Environmental Services.  The report briefed Members on the air quality project requirements, progress to date and future works required for the creation of the Air Quality Local Plan.

 

The Borough Council, along with Stoke on Trent City Council, was part of thirty three ‘third wave authorities’ who were required to complete a feasibility study to identify actions that could be taken to bring forward compliances for exceedances for nitrogen dioxide pollutants in particular areas.  In Stoke and Newcastle the identified area was the A53 from Sandy Lane to where it crossed the A500 and travelled along Festival Park.  The feasibility study identified that bus retro fit was the only potentially cost effective measure that could have an impact to bring forward compliance but this could not be achieved by the compliance date of 2021. 

 

In October 2018 the Council was served with two ministerial directions to undertake works which were coordinated by the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU).  The directions and JAQU guidance required:

 

(i)            Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council and Stoke on Trent City Council to jointly further investigate EU exceedances of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on roads within the Borough and identify measures that could bring forward compliance within limits as soon as possible; or to review implementation of a chargeable Clean Air Zone (CAZ); and

(ii)          NULBC to implement a bus engine retrofit programme to busses that operate on the A53 to be implemented as soon as possible in order to bring forward compliance of nitrogen dioxide levels. 

A number of reports had been submitted to the Cabinet who believed a highways/transport solution could be found to reduce pollution levels rather than a chargeable CAZ which would be damaging to business and the town centre. 

 

The primary critical success factor was to achieve compliance with the NO2 limits in the shortest possible time; this timescale had been agreed with JAQU to be by 2022.  The investigation and proposals were required to be wider than the A53 and had to address other areas experiencing exceedances of the limits for NO2 along with any ‘displacement routes’ that may result from any measures introduced.  The scope of the study area included most of the urban area of the Borough along with the whole of Stoke City.  All options were to be measured against a benchmark of a CAZ which also had to be modelled by the local study and the categories of a CAZ were presented.

 

The work to date had included a Strategic Outline Case and initial evidence submission.  The present stage was Options Development/Appraisal.  In October 2019 an options development workshop had been held involving officers and members from the 3 Authorities and representatives of Highways England and JAQU. This had identified some initial traffic management options including:

·         Retrofitting the bus fleet

·         Banning turns

·         Banning traffic during peak periods

·         Creating one way systems

·         Low Emission Strategy – this had been agreed in the Strategic Outline Business Case

 

There would be further work on these options along with consideration of benchmark CAZ options.

 

Alongside this, the Authority was able to submit a bid for Clean Air Funding; this Fund was to support local authorities to deliver action plans and to counteract dis-benefits that may arise from implementation of other solutions.

 

Work to retrofit buses was underway with identification that 25 buses that travelled on the A53 would need this work.

 

The work was being undertaken by a Joint Officer Group (JOG) of the 3 Authorities involved.  The governance arrangements were presented and also showed where and when decisions would be made. 

 

In discussing the presentation, the following issues were raised:

 

·         Further information was requested on the 5 traffic management options presented in the report.  The Head of Environmental Services (HES) explained that these options would be explored further in terms of how they could work at various junctions.  Modelling would be used with information on traffic origin and destination to analyse feasible alternative routes along with the resultant impact on air quality.  There would also be consideration of how highways signage could be used to divert traffic. 

·         Why had the A53 been chosen?  The HES explained that the Government had responded to the environmental law charity Client Earth and had carried out Air Quality modelling to identify national pollutant exceedances.  The Pollution Climate Mapping identified the A53 as a road of concern.  Local authorities were tasked with addressing any exceedances of NO2 levels. The A34 did not exceed the pollutant levels and any roads managed by Highways England were not within the scope. 

·         Members raised concern about any measures to address NO2 levels having an impact elsewhere by pushing the issues to another location.  The HES explained that it was a requirement that any measures must not create further exceedances by transferring the issue to other locations. 

·         Would the Committee receive information on the modelling?  Members suggested traffic flows at the traffic light junction at Basford Park Road/Etruria road were smooth when the traffic lights were not working, however, the lights did create safe crossing for pedestrians. 

·         Members asked whether the Administration was doing everything possible to address the NO2 levels without incurring any charges for residents.  The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling confirmed that this commitment had been made at Cabinet and would be adhered to. 

·         Members asked whether proposals could impact public transport and how would the Authority know that buses were not exceeding the levels.  The HES advised that part of the modelling considered busses.  During the consideration of options there would be a need to consider whether or not they could be delivered.  All buses that had the retrofit option would be clearly identifiable by visual design. 

·         Members thanked the Head of Environmental Services and her colleagues for their hard work to date and the successful partnership working between the agencies.

 

Agreed: that the Committee sends a strong message to the Cabinet urging that a solution be found that will not incur charges to residents.

 

 

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