Fresh call for solution to most polluted road in Kent
After a study found a fume-filled road in Maidstone was the most polluted in the county, we asked what was was being done to improve air quality in the town. Rhys Griffiths reports...
Maidstone’s Upper Stone Street has the unhappy title of having the worst air quality of anywhere in Kent, according to the latest figures released by Friends of the Earth.
The road has consistently failed to meet safe levels of air pollution, and in 2018, the most recent period for which the environmental group has figures, a 500-metre section of it was responsible for the highest level of harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the entire county. The reading was 77.2ug/m3, which, although a reduction from 79.3ug/m3 the previous year, still dramatically exceeds the Annual Air Quality Objective of 40ug/m3.
This level is set by the European Union and in areas where it is exceeded a plan must be developed to bring pollution down.
Despite the numbers breaching safe levels, Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) insists the air quality has been improving for the past five years. Its data shows last year’s reading was 75.2ug/m3.
The leading cause of NO2 pollution is traffic emissions, made worse since the stretch of road is regularly gridlocked at peak times.
Another factor behind the dirty air in Upper Stone Street is what has been described as the ‘canyon effect’ of having tall buildings close to the edge of the carriageway, preventing pollution from dissipating. There are concerns the council may have inadvertently aggravated the problem by approving a five-storey apartment block at Wrens Cross and developing its own three-storey homes by Brunswick Street. Airborne particulate matter, another type of air pollution, was a factor in 5.5% of deaths in Maidstone borough in 2013, slightly above the national average of 5.3%.
Proposals to improve air quality at Upper Stone Street, including the potential for a congestion charge, have previously been considered by MBC, which last April declared a climate emergency.
However the MBC 2020 Air Quality Annual Status Report has found the measures it considered were either too expensive, impractical, or risked simply moving the problem on to another location.
Three “promising” measures were modelled but found not to bring about changes quickly enough.
They included urging HGV and bus operators to only use their cleanest vehicles up Upper Stone Street; a Clean Air Zone, which non-compliant buses, taxis and HGVs would have to pay to use, and a red route, prohibiting vehicles from stopping or waiting.
Instead, MBC is consulting with Kent County Council (KCC) on a less restrictive red route, preventing illegal stopping on the worst-affected stretch, and the addition of so-called ‘green infrastructure’ which would naturally help reduce pollution. A spokesman for MBC said: “Certain species of plants and trees are known to absorb nitrogen dioxide.
“Green walls, which grow up the sides of buildings, show the most promise and the consultant is investigating where these could be installed in Upper Stone Street and how much of a reduction in NO2 they might achieve.”
Environmental campaigners say more needs to be done. The Green Party in Maidstone responded with anger at the council’s most recent air status report, dismissing it as containing “self-congratulatory claims”.
Spokeswoman Donna Greenan said: “Air pollution in Maidstone continues to kill and Maidstone remains one of the most polluted towns in the country outside of London so we were shocked to the council’s new self-congratulatory report on air pollution. “Lower and Upper Stone Street remain above legal limits for air pollution, damaging the health of people living there and those using the road.
“The council not only fails to bring in simple measures such as anti-idling enforcement, it claims that air pollution levels below the legal limit are a success. This is simply complacency, air pollution kills at levels below the legal limit too.”
Solutions the Greens propose as part of “a real green travel plan” include an ultralow emission zone, improved infrastructure for cyclists, a light rail service, trolley and electric buses, and enhanced areas for pedestrians. Borough councillor Denise Joy, whose High Street ward includes Upper Stone Street, wants to see a red route introduced. She said: “There is a long way to go, but we are going in the right direction.
“It is not just affecting the people who live in the area, but also those walking there. It’s not pleasant, but it will not get better unless we do something about it.”
Air pollution is associated with a number of illnesses and is recognised as a contributing factor in the onset of heart disease and cancer. It particularly
affects the most vulnerable in society, such as children, older people and those with heart and lung conditions.
Dr Edward Garrett, a GP at Brewer Street Surgery, believes much more should be done to encourage people out of cars in favour of walking and cycling. He said: “Of the 7,699 words in KCC’s Keep Maidstone Moving public consultation, only 25 words referred to an improvement in cycling infrastructure encouraging people out of their cars in the very first place. “That tells you all you need to know about KCC’s priorities for cleaner air and non-polluting travel in Maidstone.” A spokesman for MBC said the authority was working on a number of borough-wide projects to make the district greener. They include working with local schools to educate
children about the causes and dangers of air pollution and the installation of 18 new charging bays for electric cars in off-street car parks in Maidstone town centre.
In Upper Stone Street is urging bus companies to ensure only the most environmentally friendly vehicles are used on that route.
The spokesman added: “Upper Stone Street is unique in Maidstone, and not representative of other areas.
“It’s a major route which has two lanes going up a fairly steep hill, meaning that vehicle engines work harder, and as the road is narrow in places, the pollution is less able to disperse. Although levels on this road are still high, they do show the same long term downward trend that all sites in our area show.”