Reviewing and Assessing Air Quality
All local authorities are required to undertake a review and assessment of local air quality to identify whether the air quality objectives for certain key pollutants are being met. Where objectives are not being met, the local authority is required to develop an action plan to achieve progress towards meeting the targets.
The pollutant objectives are set at levels where adverse health effects are unlikely for even vulnerable groups such as children, elderly and those already affected by respiratory conditions such as asthma.
During 2000, Leicester City Council completed a three stage review and assessment process, using detailed monitoring and forecast modelling up to 2005. The process identified that Government air quality objectives for nitrogen dioxide, would not be met in some parts of Leicester by the end of 2005. Nitrogen dioxide is one of the main pollutants coming from road traffic. In this area where exceedances of the objective were expected, an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) was declared.
Further monitoring and modelling has been undertaken in the Stage 4 review and assessment report to confirm the outcome of earlier work, and to identify the main emission sources locally.
- 95% of nitrogen dioxide comes from road traffic
- A reduction of up to 25% in some areas is needed to meet the government target
Air Quality Management Area
This is a zone where levels of pollutant, in this case nitrogen dioxide, are higher than the recommended government objectives and people will be regularly exposed to the levels. For example, people live nearby or there are other types of sensitive accommodation such as schools, hospitals. The road network dominates Leicester’s zone of exceedance: it comprises the city centre, an area 10m either side of the inner ring road and all major arterial roads. Beyond 10m of the roads, levels of pollution drop as air movement allows dispersion of the exhaust emissions.
Air Quality Action Plan
Having identified the extent and the area of exceedence, the City Council must work to produce and implement an action plan to achieve improvements in air quality. A large improvement is needed across a wide area, so a series of measures will be required and the focus must be road traffic, as the major contributor.
The key aims are:
- Reduce miles travelled on the road
- Reduce emissions per mile
The action plan is available to view on the Local Transport Plan webpage. If you have any comments then please contact pollution@leicester.gov.uk.
A variety of reports are available to download, including a map detailing the AQMA, please see the links below:
Load the AQMA map (adopted 2008) on the City Councils web mapping system -CityStreAtZ
