Urgent action call to tackle air pollution
ACTION is being demanded to tackle high levels of air pollution in two Llanelli streets.
Llanelli Town Council’s Labour leader Cllr David Darkin is urging Carmarthenshire Council to curb the levels of pollution caused by traffic at the town’s Felinfoel Road and Sandy Road.
Carmarthenshire Council’s highway officers have been looking at a number of ways to improve traffic along the heavily congested Sandy Road road in recent years.
Five years ago new traffic lights – which were a condition of the planning approval for a new housing estate and retail development in the area – were installed but caused complaints over an increase in congestion and poor air quality.
Residents have continued to call for what they see is the only solution – a bypass to take traffic away from their homes.
Last year figures showed that air pollution in Sandy Road was almost at the limit of WHO (World Health Organisation) safety guidelines with nitrogen dioxide levels of 39.8ug/m3 - almost beyond the safe limit on traffic air pollution which is 40 ug/m3.
Cllr Darkin said action must be taken and added: “Llanelli is home to the two streets with the worst air pollution in the whole of Carmarthenshire. I have raised this issue with the county council and I keep getting told that they are monitoring the situation.
“Monitoring is not good enough, we need decisive, urgent action, we need to protect the welfare of the people of Llanelli and ensure that air pollution doesn’t lead to longterm, chronic health conditions.
“So I put forward a motion at town council that we write to the county council and ask them to take this urgent, decisive action.”
Labour group press officer on the town council, Cllr Shaun Greaney said: “This could be a life or death issue for some people, air pollution is a killer.
“Carmarthenshire Council must stop dragging its feet on this and act as a matter of great urgency to tackle the problem.”
Mayor’s consort of Llanelli, Cllr Janet Williams, said: “This issue has been allowed to continue for several years without any attempt to deal with it. What’s the point of monitoring air pollution if nothing gets done about it?
The WHO says air pollution is a major cause of respiratory and other diseases that cause morbidity and mortality.
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, Carmarthenshire Council’s cabinet member for climate change, decarbonisation and sustainability said “The county council has developed a comprehensive Air Quality Delivery Plan and a detailed update on progress will shortly be provided to our Place, Sustainability and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee on November 24.
“I will also be providing a detailed written response to Llanelli Town Council to the particular issues raised and look forward to discussing this further with them in due course.”