Level crossing waits make air ‘very poor’
ANUMBER of Sefton’s railway crossings are to be monitored after complaints over barriers being down for too long.
At a full council meeting last Thursday, Formby councillor David Irving asked about level crossings at Freshfield, Birkdale and Ainsdale stations – which he says cause “long delays”.
This, he says, creates considerable pollution from vehicles stopped at the tracks.
He said: “Sefton Council have recently launched a campaign to improve the air quality in Sefton by encouraging drivers to take part in an anti-idling programme.
“This is a muchneeded, praise worthy scheme if implemented correctly will certainly improve the air quality in Sefton.
“However, the pollution given off by the vehicles [at the level crossing at Freshfield station] is appalling and yet drivers just sit there blissfully unaware of the harm they are doing to the air quality.
“Drivers of buses, lorries, small vans and saloon cars all sit there with their engines idling. The air quality especially at Birkdale Village, where there is major disruption to traffic flow when the barriers are closed, is just incomprehensible.
“When you consider the number of rail crossings in Sefton as well as the whole of the Merseyrail Network air quality in these areas must be very poor.”
Sefton Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, Cllr Ian Moncur, said the crossings will be monitored, as part of moves being made across the borough to target climate change and air pollution.
He said: “Quality [of air] in the majority of the borough has been found to be of a good standard and within National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS) objectives. A small number of air pollution hotspots have been identified in the south of the borough where targeted actions are being implemented to improve air quality.
“But the areas immediately around road/rail crossings in Sefton have not been identified.
“That said, Sefton Council has made dealing with poor air quality a priority and acknowledges that unnecessary vehicle idling is contributing to overall levels of air pollution in the borough.
“Level crossings – particularly those in Formby and Birkdale – will be subject to an air pollution monitoring exercise to determine current levels of nitrogen dioxide. These results will be reported back following analysis.”