Comment: How do we address air quality without choking off the economy?

25/08/2017 | HIGHWAYS REPORTERS

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, gives his analysis of the difficult issues surrounding the nation’s air quality.


How on earth should we tackle our air quality challenge without choking off our economy? That would be a tough enough challenge even without Brexit to add another layer of angst to the situation.



The Government’s latest, revised and expanded air quality strategy tries to tread this tightrope but to date the audience isn’t exactly applauding the 103-page document – accompanied by a 155-page technical report – that together are longer on words than detail.


And therein lies the rub for highways authorities caught up in the breach of EU air quality limits – how much of the remedy should be determined nationally and how much left to local discretion? The answer appears to be that everything is devolved, with councils drawing up ultra-focused plans down to individual street level. Only if these plans don’t add up will national government intervene to impose solutions.


Which makes for a pretty confusing picture for the average motorist. Save for mayor Sadiq Khan’s aggressive plans for London, you’d be hard pressed to find any maps showing where restrictions might apply, any detail of what the restrictions will be, and ongoing confusion about which specific vehicles will be caught.


There is much to be said for taking a ‘surgical’ approach to solving problems, as environment secretary Michael Gove said on the BBC’s Today programme but sometimes the patient would be better off with a single general anaesthetic rather than enduring sixteen different local injections. As transport professionals we might be completely comfortable distinguishing between the implications of an AQMA, an LEZ, a ULEZ and a CAZ. But surely we should be able to simplify things for the road user, in particular fleet operators who might routinely be navigating through multiple schemes?


If only we could sweep the problem away with one swift scrappage scheme. We’ve had scrappage before, after all. At least one of the auto companies is running a scheme currently with, depending on the dealership, up to £3,000 on the table.


Unfortunately that still leaves the buyer with around £10,000 to find, or more if they want a bigger car. Not really tenable for a low-income household running a several-year old diesel that they rely on to drop the kids at the childminder’s on the way to work.


There’s much talk of older, dirtier diesels, and it’s true, the older cars are a bit dirtier. The trouble is, all but the very latest cars aren’t that much cleaner when it comes to NOx. That’s the legacy of an emissions regime that led to some very specific engineering to meet laboratory test thresholds without due regard to what would then happen in real-world driving conditions.


There are diesel cars coming to market now with emissions performance good enough to shame their petrol counterparts, and the new real-world test regime is tantalisingly close. But 11 million-plus diesel cars amounts to quite a legacy to deal with.


That’s why we agree with the Government’s line that we should start with the heavier vehicles and those which do the most miles in the affected areas – trucks and buses. The good news here is that not only are cleaner models with us already but also retrofitting is a practical option, unlike for cars.


Which leaves us with our friend the van. With van traffic continuing to explode and vans making up much of daytime urban-traffic flow, we really do need a push to get cleaner models into circulation.


There’s no point berating our small businesses and tradesmen for driving dirty diesels if diesels are all that’s on offer to them. Perhaps that’s an area where government’s attention should focus, not least because many of those vans are trundling around on various forms of government business.


Don’t miss Steve Gooding’s column in Highways, now appearing every month.


The Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring Limited is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Charity Number 1002705. Registered address: 89–91 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Traffic Management Technician - WMF2240e

£28,598 - £29,540
Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking a committed and technically capable individual to join our Traffic Management Team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Senior Technician-Road Closures

£35,422 - £38,730
The Network Planning division is seeking to appoint someone who is enthusiastic and a team player Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Technician - Road Closures (2 Posts)

£29,719 - £31,691
The Network Planning division is seeking to appoint someone who is enthusiastic, an excellent team player Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Structures Inspector

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for two Permanent Structure Inspectors to join our dynamic SBIM team Bristol
Recruiter: Amey

Highways Maintenance Operative

£Competitive
We have fantastic opportunities for a permanent Highways Maintenance Operatives Kettering, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: Amey

Site Manager

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Site Manager Bristol
Recruiter: Amey

Principal Commercial Manager

£Competitive
The SBIM contract involves delivering inspection and maintenance programmes for National Highways Bristol
Recruiter: Amey

Senior Commercial Manager

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Senior Commercial Manager Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Recruiter: Amey

Highways Maintenance Operative

£Competitive
We have fantastic opportunities for a permanent Highways Maintenance Operatives. Northampton, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: Amey

Managing QS

£Competitive
In this role, you will support the Senior Commercial team in the end to end commercial process for the Area 12 contract. Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Highways Inspection Officer

£32,962 - £36,791 per annum
We have an exciting opportunity for a Highways Inspection Officer to join us! Windsor, Berkshire
Recruiter: The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Highways Technical Assistant

£29,064 - £31,537
Are you looking for a varied role in a dynamic and innovative team environment that can make a real difference to North Yorkshire’s highways? Leeming Bar, Northallerton
Recruiter: North Yorkshire Council

Street Lighting Electrical Inspector

£34,434 - £38,220 per annum
Do you hold an ONC in electrical engineering or City & Guilds Electrician? Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Recruiter: North Yorkshire Council

Senior bridge Engineer - WMF2212e

£47,181 - £48,226
You will be the key responsible engineer for this area and will also provide technical advice and guidance to our team Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Civil Enforcement Officer - WMF2221e

£28,598 - £29,540
Are you seeking an active and challenging role, part of a friendly and welcoming team? Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Bridge Engineer - WMF2219e

£42,839 - £44,075
We are currently seeking to recruit an experienced and enthusiastic Bridge Engineer Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Senior Public Transport Officer

£42,839 - £46,142
We are looking for an experienced public transport professional to become our Senior Public Transport Officer. Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy) (Fixed-Term)

£48,226-£51,356
We are looking for an experienced professional to join as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy) Northampton, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Mobile Street Scene Operative

£24,796 to £25,989 per annum
The Waste and Street Scene department requires enthusiastic and committed mobile street cleansing operative. Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Recruiter: North Yorkshire Council

Senior Technician - Highways Design (2 Posts)

Grade 10 £35,422 - 38,730 per annum
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Professional Services Section Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW