‘ Bold steps’ needed to cut city pollution
ACAMPAIGN group has called for further “bold” steps to be taken to cut down city centre vehicle traffic as Glasgow marked Clean Air Day.
Hope Street has been named the most polluted street in Scotland based on nitrogen dioxide levels for three year running, research by Friends of the Earth has previously shown.
The popular road sees a high volume of fossil fuel vehicles thought to contribute to the pollution levels.
Friends of the Earth Scotland air pollution campaigner Gavin Thomson said: “People in Glasgow need to see bold measures to reduce car traffic around the city and the Council must have a stronger role in delivering public transport.”
The Low Emission Zone ( LEZ) in the city centre has already seen an improvement in city centre air quality, a report from SEPA revealed.
As well as introducing the LEZ, the council has thrown support behind active travel initiatives including Spaces for People pop- up cycle lanes.
And active travel may well see major changes to city centre pollution levels with John Bynorth, of Environmental Protection Scotland, encouraging people to take up cycling and walking.
He said: “A lot of air pollution comes from road traffic, whether that’s buses, taxis or private cars.
“Glasgow has made rapid improvements to encourage cycling and walking using the Transport Scotland’s ‘ Spaces For People’ initiative, which, whilst aimed at encouraging social distancing between road users and pedestrians, is having a beneficial effect on encouraging active travel.”
Councillor Anna Richardson, Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, said: “While we are unable to mark Clean Air Day this year with a public event due to the current restrictions, we are fully behind the campaign and will continue to support the message about the environmental and health benefits of clean air.
“Glasgow continues to have good air quality, with the majority of the city meeting all targets, however we remain ever mindful that air pollution negatively affects human health, disproportionately so for the most vulnerable, and so we’re continuing to move forward at pace with a range of policies and projects that addresses these impacts.”
People are urged to speak up about their views on the future of transport at https:// www. glasgow. gov. uk/ connectingcommunities
People need to see bold measures