Will Defra’s Air Quality Plan

help improve air quality in

York and Bradford?

Elizabeth Bates

City of York Council and City of Bradford

MDC

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.Based on information produced by DCAA Local Government Finance

©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved Licence Number 100024857.2014

Cities of contrast

York – historic walled city

.....based on a Roman road network

designed for chariots and horses, not buses, lorries and cars

Bradford – historic industrial

city

Image courtesy of Bradford City

Art Galleries and museums

...which grew up around the river valley and canal network.

5-rise locks Bingley - Bradford

Exposure and deprivation

National modelling v York monitoring

Predicted range 2020 (11- 30ug/m3) Current AQMAs - some locations

currently over 50ug/m3

National modelling v Bradford monitoring

Predicted range 11-

40ug/m3 by 2020

4 AQMAs currently

declared, actual levels

exceed 70ug/m3 in

some areas. More

AQMAs expected soon.

York – AQAPs 1 & 2

Annual average NO2 - York

46

41

35

33

3738

40

45

48

43

40

3435

31

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Bia

s c

orr

ecte

d a

nnual m

ean n

itro

gen d

ioxid

e c

oncentr

ation (

µg/m

3)

Year

Annual Mean Objective is 40µg/m3

LTP3 Target for AQMA

is 44ug/m3 by 2014/15

York Low Emission Strategy

and AQAP 3

A bespoke solution?

Low Emission Bus Corridor feasibility study:

- Only conversion of all buses to Euro V likely to have any significant air quality impacts

Electric bus feasibility study:

- approx 80% of bus movements in York made by only 49% of the total number of buses

- electric buses could work in York

So what if you combine both ideas?

- converting all P&R buses to electric could have a greater impact than a blanket Euro IIII or Euro IV standard for all buses

CAZ - York style...- Area where bus emissions are

controlled based on frequency of entry

- Most frequent services to be ULEV by

2018.

- Clean Air Zone (CAZ) proposal

included in AQAP 3

- Two P&R sites already using electric

buses

- Electric tour bus in operation with 5

more by summer 2017

- Ultra Low Emission City status attained

2016

Will the national air quality action plan help deliver clean air in York?

• Gives the impression that air quality in York is OK

• Has caused confusion locally about the term ‘Clean Air Zone’

• Doesn’t have a bus only option for the CAZ - we don’t need to include taxis

• Sets Euro 6 diesel as the goal (but we know we can do much better)

• Uncertainty about the knock on effects of the CAZ in Leeds and impact on our bus fleet

• Doesn’t offer anything new for York

Bradford LAQM journey• Bradford’s first AQAP produced in 2009• Less emphasis on specific sustainable travel

measures, greater emphasis on policy development and understanding the problem

• Air Quality Strategy published in 2011

• Low Emission Strategy adopted November 2013

– Development control - Industry

– Transport - Waste Management

– Procurement - Health Education

– Domestic emissions

BiB project – photographs by Ian Beesley

Bradford /Leeds Low Emission study

Bradford /Leeds Low Emission study

Health Impact Assessment outcomes

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Reduction in

deaths

attributable to

PM2.5

Reduction in

cardiopulomnary

deaths

attributable to

PM2.5

Reduction in low

birth w eight

babies

attributable to

PM2.5

Reduction in low

birth w eight

babies

attributable to

NO2

Reduction in

coronary events

scenarios

Red

ucti

on

in

nu

mb

er

of

healt

h e

ven

ts

All pre Euro4 buses and HGV upgraded to

Euro6

All pre Euro5 buses and HGV upgraded to

Euro6

Reduction of diesel cars to 50% - 20%

10% reduction in journeys

Child Asthma Reduction

LES study - conclusions• There is currently a substantial health burden related to the

emissions from vehicles in the Bradford District which contributes to health inequalities

• Within the inner ring road buses are the most significant single contributor of NOx.

• The most cost effective improvement options are :

– improving bus emissions (particularly through the uptake of gas bus technology),

– measures to discourage diesel car use

– Measures to discourage older HGV use

• A 10% reduction in passenger car traffic gives significant improvements in air quality, the health and well being benefits in up taking active travel will also be significant for the individual.

• No single intervention scenario will be sufficient to meet the NO2 objective in the AQMAs in Bradford.

Will the national air quality action plan help to improve air quality in Bradford?

• Failure to recognise the scale of the problem in Bradford is

in conflict with locally identified health impacts e.g. BiB

• Strong evidence to support the implementation of a bus

based CAZ in Bradford, but city now less likely to obtain

national and regional support to achieve this.

• CAZ in Leeds could have significant negative implications

for Bradford

• Both Leeds and Bradford controlled by the same transport

authority - a wider strategic approach across West

Yorkshire needed to ensure air quality improvement

maintains momentum and funding across the region

Conclusions

• Both York and Bradford still consider air quality to be significant long term challenges for their cities

• Both cities recognise the need for ‘CAZ’ style controls but have evidence to support more bespoke approaches and may not to wish to adopt a DEFRA style CAZ

• Not being on the CAZ implementation ‘list’ is currently considered to be a potential barrier to policy implementation , funding opportunities and longer term air quality in both cities

Acknowledgements

• Sally Jones – City of Bradford MDC

• Ian Beesley – Photographer

• West Yorkshire Low Emission Strategy Group

• Andrew Gillah /Mike Southcombe – City of York Council

• DEFRA

• DfT Cleaner Bus Technology Fund

• OLEV