Most polluted street revealed
THE most polluted street in Bridgend has been revealed – and it will come as little surprise to those commuters who find themselves stuck in traffic on it every day.
THE most polluted street in Bridgend has been revealed – and it will come as little surprise to those stuck in traffic on it every day.
Air pollution limits are being breached on Park Street, with nitrogen dioxide levels above the national air quality objectives.
It means the road needs to be declared as an Air Quality Management Area.
As a result, Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) is required to prepare an action plan setting out measures it intends to put in place to improve air quality.
Measures could include junction/traffic signal improvements with Tondu Road, wider transportation improvements across Bridgend, access restrictions and improved monitoring.
It will be the county’s first Air Quality Management Area.
At a recent cabinet meeting officers said the problem was mainly down to congestion on the road, which is on an incline.
They told councillors they plan to move a mobile station which provides live data on air quality from Ewenny Cross Roundabout to Park Street.
The unit, which is capable of providing continuous 15-minute averages of nitrogen dioxide concentrations, is also equipped with a meteorological station so that weather data can be gathered for use in conjunction with the air quality data.
The results are based on data collected last year, but officers say data from this year already shows high figures and the likelihood of further breaches of the air quality objectives set for nitrogen dioxide.
Park Street, Coity Road, Cowbridge Road and Bridgend town centre’s Market Street were among the new sites to be monitored last year.
This year, monitoring for nitrogen dioxide has been increased further along Park Street, from three to five sites.
Officers choose which sites are monitored based on known areas of high traffic flows, new traffic management systems and developments.
Last year the council operated 30 non-automatic monitoring sites in Bridgend which monitor levels of nitrogen dioxide.
Its two automatic air quality monitoring sites are located at Ewenny Cross Roundabout and Rockwool Ltd.
The two sites monitor on a 24/7 basis, measuring levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
The legal limit for nitrogen dioxide emissions is 40g/m3.
On one location in Park Street, by Cae Dre Street, the annual average levels were 41.5g/m3 and in another close by, it was 37.6 g/m3.
Shared Regulatory Services carry out the monitoring of ambient air quality for nitrogen dioxide on behalf of BCBC.