Campaigners Respond To Air Quality Consultation By Government

Following the government’s new air quality consultation Campaign for Better Transport have responded.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has today published a public consultation on the best way to introduce Clean Air Zones in key cities across England to improve air quality.

Bridget Fox, Sustainable Transport Campaigner, Campaign for Better Transport said:

“The need to act on air pollution is urgent as the UK already breaches legal air quality limits causing tens of thousands of deaths each year. So while we welcome the creation of Clean Air Zones to help bring down already dangerous levels of pollution across our most polluted cities, we still need more to be done.

So while we welcome the creation of Clean Air Zones to help bring down already dangerous levels of pollution across our most polluted cities, we still need more to be done.

 

“Local authorities need to be given more funding and stronger powers to be able to introduce effective clean air zones that phase out dirty diesel vehicles and promote healthier transport choices.

“In the short term, we would like to see measures and funding to help people turn to cleaner modes of travel and targeted scrappage schemes to get rid of the most polluting vehicles. But we also need a new Clean Air Act, to give the priority to cleaning up our air that the original Act did 60 years ago.

“Everyone needs to have air that is fit to breathe and with the help of Client Earth’s legal action pushing the Government into action, it’s long overdue that we get action in tackling our lethal and illegal pollution levels.”