“We can’t go back to how we were” - Manchester seeks green backing

Greater Manchester wants the Government to support its plans to reduce air pollution, as the city region sets out its aspirations for a “green economic recovery”.

It says air pollution levels have dropped by 30.1% and road traffic by 52.2% during the COVID-19 pandemic, with cycling journeys increasing by 42.3%. It wants the Government to provide a financial package that would enable businesses and transport operators to use cleaner vehicles.

“Our focus has rightly been on reducing as best we can the terrible impacts of Coronavirus on our people and our businesses,” said Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

“But it’s also right that we now look to the future and how we can make sure that as we recover, we build back better, but at the same time build back greener.

“We’ve seen tremendous shifts in travel patterns over the last few months, with reduced air pollution levels, more people than ever before cycling and walking, and a significant switch to working from home. And we need to keep these benefits.

“We can’t go back to how we were - no one wants to see the levels of air pollution and congestion we were experiencing. We must seize the opportunities offered by this difficult situation to support our businesses through recovery and into a greener future.

“To achieve that we need dedicated funding from Government to support our businesses as they move to cleaner vehicles, and long-term funding to support the rollout of more cycling and walking measures and to make sure our public transport network is capable of supporting our economy in a much more environmentally friendly way.”