Motorists won’t be charged for driving in city

NO PLANS TO INTRODUCE CLEAN AIR ZONE

HULL bosses have dismissed any possibility of charging Hull motorists to drive into the city.

Cities such as Leeds and Birmingham have announced plans to introduce a “clean air zone” (CAZ), which will see drivers of high-polluting vehicles charged to enter certain parts of the city.

Recent figures have shown air pollution along the A63 is above nitrogen dioxide limits, while Hull is among the 30 most polluted towns and cities in the UK.

But despite the statistics, deputy leader of Hull City Council, Daren Hale, said plans for CAZS are not under consideration.

He said: “In Hull it was decided that CAZS would not be an effective method to improve air quality, and in air quality strategy a raft of measures achieving this would perhaps be more beneficial instead.

“Part of the reason for that is what would you do with the A63? You can’t get rid of the road, it’s there. What we have to do is seek to make it work better for the city and the citizens of the city in terms of clean air and not pretend that the road doesn’t exist.”

In 2005, the council declared the A63 as an “air quality management area”, meaning an action plan must be put in place to tackle air pollution hotspots.

The 15km dual carriageway falls under the direct responsibility of Highways England, unlike the other 448 miles of roads in the city, which the local authority is responsible for.

Councillor Hale paid credit to Highways England for investing in improvements to both the Victoria Dock junction and a major five-year £392.5m upgrade to Castle Street.

He said: “The early start on the A63 bridge will lessen pollution because it will keep traffic flow moving at a greater level, by taking out two pedestrian crossings.

“It’s obviously stationary traffic that’s the major contributor to air pollution levels, being static in traffic, so I think it is important.”

A World Health Organisation report found that Hull’s recorded fine particle pollution – known as PM2.5 – was above the designated safe limit in 2015.

These tiny particles come from sources such as transport, industry, coal plants and the burning of wood, fuels or waste. It is linked to a number of diseases including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory infections.

Meanwhile, according to a report compiled for the Government in 2017, nitrogen dioxide levels in major ports, including Hull, were found to be four times higher than what data released in 2014 suggested. Air pollution levels in the area around Castle Street remain above European limits for nitrogen dioxide – a common trigger for respiratory problems.

The council states that air quality is generally very good across most areas of the city, although it identified busy routes including Anlaby Road and Spring Bank where traffic build-up is often a problem.