The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Major concerns over pollution in Courier Country
Air quality: Safety standards are being broken in Perth, Dunfermline and Cupar
Parts of Tayside and Fife have been highlighted as pollution zones where safety standards are regularly broken.
Atholl Street in Perth, Crieff’s High Street, Appin Crescent in Dunfermline and Cupar’s Bonnygate have all been cited as areas that pose a threat to public health from pollution, according to the report, Air Quality in Scotland.
It details the air quality management areas (AQMA) of all Scotland’s local authorities and states that Dundee has one big AQMA. There is no air quality management area in Angus.
A total of 38 pollution hot-spots were flagged up in the report by Air Quality Management, a Scottish Government funded website, and the Government’s environment committee has promised they will look into the problem.
Mark Ruskell, Scottish Green MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, said he has raised the issue at Holyrood and is calling on the Scottish Government to “wake up” to the need for action.
He said: “Traffic pollution causes lung and heart disease, and thousands of premature deaths every year in Scotland.
“We now need a commitment to fund low emissions zones with local councils, given we have 38 pollution hot-spots in communities across the country.”
“Action in our four biggest cities is welcome. But the Scottish Government must also work with Perth and Kinross Council and Fife Council to ensure that sufficient funding is put in place to tackle areas of poor air quality as Atholl Street in Perth, Crieff’s High Street, Appin Crescent in Dunfermline and Bonnygate in Cupar are all listed among Scotland’s most polluted streets.
“Clearly each area will face its own unique set of issues and different measures may be required to tackle this problem in Perthshire and Fife than would be introduced in Glasgow or Edinburgh.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland is the first country in Europe to pass legislation based on World Health Organisation guidelines regarding some of the most dangerous pollutants, and our Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy sets out an ambitious programme of action to promote air quality.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesman said: “At peak times air quality in both Atholl Street, Perth, and the main street corridor in Crieff can exceed Scottish air quality objectives.
“However improvement measures in accordance with Perth’s existing ‘Air Quality Action Plan’ are ongoing and a similar plan is currently in development for Crieff.
“The most significant part of Perth’s air quality plan is the Cross Tay Link Road which will lead to further reductions in pollution levels throughout Perth city as traffic is diverted via this.”