Air Pollution in Portsmouth Tim Sheerman-Chase 21 June 2018 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Air Pollution in Portsmouth

Tim Sheerman-Chase 21 June 2018

Overview

• About pollution, causes and effects
• Let Pompey Breathe
• Current situation

– Legal, policy – Pollution measurements – Volunteer audit, interpretation problems in reports

• Possible Solutions
• Questions?

What is air pollution?

• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an invisible gas
• Particulates (PM2.5, PM10) are tiny solids or

liquids floating in air

• Sulphur dioxide (historical problem in the UK)

– Addressed by legislation

• Causes health problems

– Linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease,

diabetes, obesity, and changes linked to dementia

Royal College of Physicians, Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution, Feb 2016

Small particles, BIG problem

• 23,000-50,000 deaths nationally per year (£20 billion

annually)

• 95-130 deaths in Portsmouth per year
• Estimates are from demographic data

– Manifests as poor heath, shortened life expectancy

• Report issued jointly by three parliamentary committees:

– “Air pollution is a national health emergency ... It is

unacceptable that successive governments have failed to protect the public from poisonous air.”

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, and Transport Committees, Improving air quality, 18 March 2018 Let Pompey Breathe Blog, Quantifying the Harm Caused by Air Pollution, 12 Feb 2018

NO2 Sources

Source Apportionment Study 2017, AECOM

• Transport is the biggest contributor

Let Pompey Breathe

• Campaign group for safe clean air in

Portsmouth

• Activities
• Petition at over 1000 signatures

– https://tinyurl.com/y828cb64

• Partner organizations

– Friends of the Earth – Keep Milton Green – And the logos...

Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 Clean Air Act 1953, 1968, 1993 New Clean Air Act? Brexit? 1996-2008 Ambient Air Quality Directive Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in UK (2017)

?

Clean Air Strategy 2018 Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in UK (2015) Air Quality Strategy 2017-2027 Air Quality Action Plan, by Dec 2018 2017 Air Quality Status Report Annual Status Report 2018 By Oct 2018 Targeted Feasibility Study, 31 July

Legislation and Policy

European Court

• f Justice

Further Info on Legalisation and Policy

• Let Pompey Breathe blog
• https://www.clientearth.org/
• Louise Smith, Brexit and air quality, Number

CBP8195, 13 June 2018

• https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/environment/air-

quality-in-portsmouth

• https://consult.defra.gov.uk/airquality/supplement-

to-the-uk-no2-plan/

Pollution Limits

• Various limits imposed by UK law

– 40 µg/m3 annual average for NO2 – 40 μg/m3 annual average for PM10 – 25 μg/m3 annual average for PM2.5 by 2020 – And others!

• World Health Organization (not in law)

– 20 μg/m3 annual average for PM10 – 10 μg/m3 annual average for PM2.5

• Government responsible for monitoring

National air quality objectives https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/uk-eu-limits WHO Air quality guidelines for particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide Global update 2005

NO2 Measurements 2017

• PCC had 28 monitoring

sites, now expanded to 111

• Large red triangles

indicate legal limit exceedances (above 40 µg/m3)

• Worst is 45 µg/m3 in

London Road

• London sees up to 134

µg/m3 (Lambeth)

Draft 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR)

NO2 Long Term Trends

• Slight variation due to

weather

• Average is fairly

constant at 32 µg/m3

• Some sites have seen

more dramatic changes

• Law requires

"measures intended to ensure compliance with any relevant limit value within the shortest possible time"

Particulate Levels

• PM2.5 pollution: 12 µg/m3 in 2017

(annual average)

– Within legal limit, above WHO limit – Should we be aiming for legal limits or

lower?

• PM10 pollution: 20 µg/m3 in 2017

– At WHO limit

• Only monitored at 4 sites
• Emitted by electric vehicles

Draft 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR)

City Centre Road (CCR) Scheme

• Major changes planned

between M275, around Sainsburys to Anglesea Road

• Increase pollution by 3.4%

around the city

• Some accommodation for

bicycles, buses and pedestrians but could do far better

• Mostly focused on road capacity

increase

• Waiting for planning permission

Impact of CCR Scheme

• Some areas see significant

increases or decreases in NO2

– Congestion is moved from one area

to another

• University and southern end of

Commercial Road badly affected, which are already polluted

– Makes meeting air quality targets

even harder

• Portsmouth needs a scheme that

improves air quality

– Opposed by numerous local groups wsp consultants, City Centre Road Project, Addendum to Environmental Statement, Appendix A.6, April 2018, Revision 3

Monitoring Tube Audit

• NO2 levels are mostly measured with a Nitrogen Dioxide Diffusion

Tube (NDDT)

• PCC reports state they should be mounted at 2 metres
• Audit by volunteers

– 32 attempted out of 111 – 26 located – 19 have less than 10cm error (good) (73%) – 1 has 10-20cm error (4%) – 5 are 30-40cm error (bad) (19%) – 1 is 1.8 metres error! (very bad) (4%)

• NO2 becomes less concentrated at height
• This could cause an underestimate in NO2 pollution

PCC reports are not great

• Reports often cherry pick good results

– Environmental report on CCR ignores overall impact

• Data is easily misinterpreted

– Annual air quality reports claim upward and downward trends

without statistical significance e.g. Annual Air Quality reports

– Pollution levels quoted to 2 d.p. which is meaningless e.g. Annual Air

Quality reports

• Traffic prediction data is selectively used

– Road schemes use higher values e.g. CCR planning documents – Air quality modelling tends to use lower e.g. Source Apportionment Study 2017, AECOM

• Difficult to interpret, reporters often confused

Solutions

• High Court in 2018: government needs to "achieve compliance as

soon as possible, by the quickest route possible and by a means that makes that outcome likely."

– Latest Client Earth challenge shows central government cannot water

down the law for local authorities

• PCC Air Quality Strategy is weak, lacking ambitious goals
• Most effective solutions can be:

– Expensive – Politically unpopular

• Pressure needs to be maintained, awareness raised
• Current measures are welcome but obviously not enough

– I’m not familiar with all future plans of PCC! Enlighten me!

Solution: Clean Air Zone (CAZ)

• Most effective way to quickly reduce NO2 is CAZ

– Mandated for most polluted cities

• Types: Voluntary/charging/ban
• Vehicles: Buses/taxis/HGVs/LGVs/diesel/non-

electric

– Most efficient types may be exempt

• Takes ~2 years to plan and implement
• Legally required(?) unless PCC takes measures

that are at least as effective

• IOW traffic route though Portsmouth
• Suspiciously not discussed in PCC policy

documents

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/fleet-faq/what-are-the-proposed-uk-clean-air-zones-caz Photo: EURIST e.V., London low emission zone signage_2_Sept09-mk, CC BY 2.0

Solution: Walking and Cycling Routes

• You probably know more than me!
• Clean
• Health benefits
• Recent consultation about encouraging

cycling:

– 34% want improve cycle routes – 27% want increase/install cycle routes

• East-West Active Travel Corridor (£245k)
• More cycle parking
• There is an overall plan isn’t there, PCC?

Portsmouth Cycle Forum, A City To Share, http://acitytoshare.org/ 2014 Photo: Brian Giesen, Bike Sydney!, CC BY 2.0 PCC Market Research Officer, Parking Scrutiny Quantitative Research Consultation, 14/06/2018

Solution: Living Streets

• Objective: Make urban environment more pleasant

and healthy

• Encourages walking and cycling
• Measures

– Prioritize people over traffic – Reduce pavement obstructions – Making road crossings quick and easy – 20mph speed limits – Mature trees absorb pollution, look good – Reduce hazards

Solution: Better Public Transport

• Recent consultation on encouraging it:

– 52% want lower travel costs – 48% want more frequent/reliable sources

• Introduce higher emission standards on bus
• perators
• Electric buses being introduced around UK

– Where does the electricity come from?

• Trams? Autonomous vehicles?

Renationalize?

PCC Market Research Officer, Parking Scrutiny Quantitative Research Consultation, 14/06/ Photo: EDDIE, 47420 SK63KMG FIRST, CC BY-ND 2.0

Other solutions

• Bike hire stations
• Reduce vehicle idling
• Tax workplace parking (Nottingham)
• Private electric vehicles

– Emits particulates, space for charging points?

• Car hire clubs
• Helping school commute

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, and Transport Committees, Improving air quality, 18 March 2018 Draft 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) Portsmouth City Council Air Quality Strategy 2017 – 2027

Summary

• About pollution, causes and effects
• Let Pompey Breathe
• Current situation

– Legal, policy – Pollution measurements – Volunteer audit, interpretation problems in reports

• Possible Solutions
• Questions?

Further Info

• Let Pompey Breathe

– Blog: https://greenpompey.org.uk/let-pompey-breathe/ – Social media: Facebook, Twitter hashtag

• Tim Sheerman-Chase MPhys PhD

– Easy to find on web and social media! –

• Thanks to Friends of Old Portsmouth for ideas

– http://www.foopa.org.uk/