News and ideas

In this section you can read past news articles about the development of the Clear Zones and some of the issues surrounding them.

New laws to fight air pollution

A new European Directive to fight ozone pollution entered into force on 9th September. The new Directive means that Member States will have to alert the population and take immediate action when ozone concentrations in the air are above certain thresholds. It also sets long-term objectives to reduce ground-level ozone levels over the next seven years.

Whereas the ozone layer in the higher atmosphere provides protection from skin cancer and crop damage by filtering short-wave solar radiation, ground level ozone may have adverse effects on human health and vegetation. High levels of ozone pollution can cause respiratory problems and increase the symptoms of those suffering from asthma and lung diseases. Ground-level ozone formed from the emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, from the petrochemical industry, solvents and cars, under the impact of sunlight and above average periods of sunshine. Because of the particularly hot weather in Europe this year, levels of ozone pollution soared in many EU countries.

The new Directive will oblige Member States to assess ground level ozone concentrations throughout their territory. If ozone concentrations exceed 180 micrograms per cubic metre, they must inform the public and provide health advice. They will also be obliged to consider short-term measures to prevent levels from rising above 240 micrograms per cubic metre, such as restricting road traffic and the use of solvents. Furthermore, the Directive requires Member States to implement long-term strategies to reduce ozone levels overall by 2010. http://ec.europa.eu/

York implements UTMC

September saw York starting to phase in the Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC). Databases will hold information about air quality across the city, on-going and planned roadworks, bus operations and road traffic incidents. Information collected from air quality monitoring equipment, traffic counters and car park monitors will be fed to different departments at the council, the police, Radio York and the public. The first phase of the project will focus on altering traffic flows on a two-mile stretch of the A19 in north York using traffic and access controls in response to a build up in vehicle emissions. If air quality is poor, information will be put up on variable message signs and traffic will be held back in a different location along the corridor, either asking car users to use park-and-ride or informing them of delays.

The former DETR launched the £6m UTMC research programme in 1997, and the York system, along with demonstration projects in Reading, Preston and Stratford-upon-Avon, grew out of this. Ben Thancanamootoo of Mouchel Consulting, which is managing the UTMC research programme, gave details of all four projects at the European transport conference in Cambridge.

Bath Bus Gate Made Permanent

Councillors have voted to make the controversial city centre Northgate Street priority access point permanent. The eighteen month experiment has been an attempt to improve the pedestrianised central area. There have been claims by the Chamber of Commerce that it has cost Bath’s city centre businesses millions of pounds a year in lost trade, a claim refuted by the Council’s executive member for transportation and planning policy, Peter Metcalfe. He suggested that the negative local media coverage of the scheme had dissuaded people from visiting the city centre.

Barbara Selby, Bath and North East Somerset Traffic and Transportation Manager, told councillors last week that there had also been an improvement to air quality, though bus journey times ‘showed varied results’. Monitoring by consultants Partsons Brinkerhoff and Dennis Wilson Partnership revealed that traffic levels on road feeding directly into Northgate Street had fallen by up to 70%.

Bath Councillors urge retention of Bus gate

Councillors on B&NES Council have given there backing to retain the controversial bus priory scheme in the city centre. The council’s executives will take the final decision on the scheme’s future next month.

Bath’s overview and scrutiny panel on transportation voted five to two in favour of retaining the Northgate Priority Access Point scheme at a hearing last week. The panel heard that monitoring by consultants Parsons Brinkerhoff and Dennis Wilson Partnership showed the scheme had successfully cut traffic levels on streets feeding into Northgate street, as well as speeding up bus journey times.

(LTT 15 August 2002, page 6)

‘Clean’ buses for Tyne Quayside link (LTT 20 June 2002)

Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council, and Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority are inviting tenders from vehicle manufacturers to deliver eight alternatively-fuelled buses, possibly hybrid electric power, for their Quayside Transit System. The service, operating to a ten-minute frequency, will link Newcastle city centre with the Quayside areas on both sides of the River Tyne. The £5m project is being funded with £3m from local transport plan allocation, £1m of regeneration funds for Gateshead, and £1m from developer contribution. The project should be operational by 2004.