Who's to blame for rising air pollution? Greens pile pressure on Brighton and Hove Conservatives

London Road (Brighton) - Argus

Brighton and Hove Green Party released information to back up their claims that air pollution has risen in the city - by up to 40% between 2007 and 2010 - and that the policies of the previous Conservative administration over that period are to blame.

Earlier this week, the local Green Party website published links to publications that detail where the biggest rises in air pollution occurred:

"On 21 July Brighton & Hove City Council released its latest Air Quality Action Plan which contained the air quality figures for 2010. This can be viewed here: Air Quality Action Plan 2011 (page 23). These reveal an increase in traffic related air pollution across the city particularly in Nitrogen Dioxide which is the main pollutant measured. Comparing figures with earlier years contained in the preceding report air pollution has increased significantly. The 2010 report can be viewed here: 2010 Air Quality Progress report (page 24). Parts of Lewes Road for example have seen an increase of pollution levels from 52 ug/m (microgramme per cubic metre) to 74 between 2007 and 2010, a 40% increase in four years."

The website also pinpointed 2009 press statements by Ian Davey - who warned of rising levels of pollution - and Conservative Cabinet Member Geoffrey Theobold - who said transport planning measures had ensured continuing improvement in nitrogen dioxide levels citywide.

In the Brighton Argus of 19 May 2009, Ian Davey said air pollution levels were increasing in some areas. He said "the council is not solving the problem and it may be getting worse in some areas of the city". He said more effort was needed to get people to cycle and walk to work to school and work. [Recent data suggests much of our traffic originates from inside the city - and that a large proportion of car journeys to work are less then three miles long - ed].

Ian Davey suggested improving the cycle and walking network and a 20 mph limit as well as improvements to the bus network to ease the pressure on the number of buses passing through the city center. [These might include rapid transit links, and direct links between suburbs avoiding the city centre - ed.]

He added: “The Conservative administration needs to recognise that if you keep insisting on more car parking you will get more cars.”

Here is the response of the Conservative administration, quoted in here from the 2009 Argus article.

"Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, cabinet member for the environment, said in a statement that coverage of air quality was alarmist. He said: “I would recommend that your readers visit our city air watch website which is recognised as one of the best local authority air on the internet websites. Our air quality action plan is improving air quality ... The council recorded an improvement at more than 80% of its sites in 2008. Transport planning measures have ensured continuing improvement in nitrogen dioxide levels citywide.”

Nigel Jenkins, project development officer for the Sussex Air Quality Partnership, said there had been an overall improvement in air quality over the years which can be pinned down to a series of measures. He said: “The air quality in most cities in the UK is improving because there are European and UK driven initiatives that are reducing pollution across the board. In Brighton there is a very good bus system and generally there have been technological improvements with cleaner engines in cars. If we had the number of cars that we have today on the roads ten years ago the emissions would have been dirtier than they are today.”"

As regular readers of this blog know, the Conservative Administration 2007- 2010 cancelled several crucial elements of the Cycle Town network for safe cycling and attempted to repeal the city's commitment to sustainable transport - to replace it with policies in favor of the car.

We emailed Geoffrey Theobold to comment on this issue - but no reply so far.

For more information on why we should be concerned about rising levels of NO2 click here.
For more analysis of the Air Quality Action Plan, including graph of rising NO2 at several locations click here

CTS rapid transit system in Brighton and Hove could become reality this year, according to AQAP report

Could Brighton & Hove's CTS look like this example? Many Continental and USA cities use Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems with standard buses, light-rail like stations, queue jumpers, priority traffic lanes and signals. Stations at one-mile intervals.

26 July 2011. A rapid transit public transport scheme could become reality in Brighton and Hove as early as later this year, according to Brighton and Hove City Council's Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2011.

*** Update: 27 July 2011. A council source commented today: "The CTS proposal was made in a previous era when there was money around for such schemes, alas, whilst it remains an aspiration, the funding is no longer in place for this."

The AQAP report issued last week says the Coastal Transport System (CTS) (formerly known as Rapid Transport System (RTS)) could begin in 2011/12 "subject to acceptance of the Business Case by the Government".

If approved, the express, limited-stop-route would run from Brighton Marina in the East, via the Royal Sussex Hospital and Brighton Station, then along the Kingsway to the King Alfred, and finally to Shoreham Harbour in the West. CTS could connect with other public transport links. This would hugely speed up journey times for those using public transport along these routes.

The report says: "The CTS is designed to create a step change in public transport services and infrastructure in Brighton & Hove by providing an attractive, alternative for some journeys to reach both existing and future planned destinations. This will provide sufficient choice for some car drivers and assist in contributing towards transport modal shift that is in line with the council’s LDF Core Strategy. CTS aims to deliver a socially inclusive transport mode. The increased capacity of the public transport network will offer environmental and economic benefits to the city.

CTS would initially link key social, leisure, residential, business and employment destinations between Worthing (West), Brighton Marina (East) and Brighton Station (City Centre). Utilising a high quality, frequent express with limited stops, the CTS will complement, rather than compete with, existing local bus and train services.

The CTS is propsed to use two key corridors (east and west) with segregated priority on the route and at junctions where possible. The route will be :

• East out of Brighton Station – North Street – Eastern Road – Royal Sussex Hospital – Brighton Marina.
• West out of Brighton Station – West Street – Kings Road – King Alfred Centre - Shoreham Harbour

The routes will link the railway station, the retail centre, major businesses such as American Express, the Royal Sussex County Hospital and visitor destinations such as the Marina and the seafront.

CTS is based on the concept of high frequency, limited stop services to primarily meet the needs of passengers who otherwise may not have considered conventional local Brighton and Hove City Council – England July 2011 bus services. It is expected that there will be 10 RTS stops in Brighton & Hove.

Proposed CTS stops:
• Brighton Station – a key interchange for longer distance passengers seeking links to American Express, Hospital, Marina or Shoreham Harbour developments – the number and type of buses and taxis needs to be managed at this interchange from an air quality point of view
• Clock Tower – access to Churchill Square and other central retail areas in Brighton centre although the number of buses at this junction must be managed with a view to the air quality implications
• North Street – access to the Cultural Quarter, tourist, retail and employment areas, plus bus to bus interchange, North Street has between 3,500 and 4,000 buses a day
• American Express (Edward Street) – serving one of the city’s major employers
• Royal Sussex County Hospital (Eastern Road) – a key sub-regional health facility
• Brighton Marina – a significant leisure destination and retail destination , as well as serving major residential development and the proposed Brighton International Arena
• Brighton Conference Centre – gives access to the Brighton seafront as well as an important destination
• Hove Seafront – offering an intermediary stop serving residential and employment uses, as well as offering a tourist link
• King Alfred Centre – a potential redevelopment site
• Shoreham Harbour – significant regeneration potential for residential, commercial, leisure and community uses.

*** UPDATE 27 July 2011: In the notes to the AQAP report, the CTS Rapid Transport System is mentioned as an option to the Local Transport Plan (2) which was the plan for the period 2000-2011, and now succeeded by LTP3. The notes say the Rapid Transport System was to have been implemented by BHCC and Brighton and Hove Bus Co. It was rated as having "HIGH" impact on air quality. The budget cost was £11.4m mainly for planning a priority route for express buses. Other benefits were to reduce impact of private car use resulting in less noise, congestion and improved road safety. "Targeted at specific road network but will also reduce private vehicle traffic citywide".
Intriguingly, the notes say that the Rapid Transport System was to have been implemented in 2008-2009. There's obviously some discrepancy here with the main text of AQAP, which says the CTS project would be implemented in 2010-11.
It seems this Rapid Bus scheme was left over from the original Local Transport Plan of 2000. Other parts of this sustainable transport plan (such as Old Shoreham Road) fell victim to the policies of the Tory administration in the years 2007-2011, which, apart from relentless cost saving, also attempted to "repeal" the council's commitment to sustainable transport - because it "unfairly penalised" car drivers.

For more analysis of the AQAP 2011 report: click here.

Air pollution hotspots in Brighton and Hove

The Lewes Road, London Road and Old Steine are some of the areas in Brighton where air pollution exceeds EU limits, according to a map published in Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2011, a report published a few days ago.

The pink and red areas on the map above are areas where the average pollution during 2010 exceeded the EU maximum NO2 allowed (40ug per M3) . Some areas were almost double the EU accepted levels:  Measuring points at Oxford Street London Road end, 82A Lewes road, North Sreet, Viaduct Terrace all recorded averages above 70ug per M3.

For more analysis of the AQAP 2011 report: click here.

Deadly air pollution rising despite clean air technology, says Brighton and Hove Council report

Graph showing NO2 levels rising in Brighton and Hove after 2008

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution has been increasing since 2008 in parts of Brighton and Hove, despite technology improvements that were supposed to reduce vehicle emissions.

The evidence is given in the graph above, taken from Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) Air Quality Action Plan 2011.

NO2 is linked to increased rates of death from all causes.

It was thought that improvements in engine design since the 1990s would lead to ongoing improvements in pollution levels. This appeared to be the case up to 2008 - but since then NO2 pollution has been increasing again.

The report says:

"It was thought that improvements to engine and fuel technology would reduce NO2 exceedences over time even if little action was taken locally. Nationally and internationally this has not happened to the extent that was anticipated.  In many cities estimates for air quality improvement made in the period 2000 to 2010 have been found to be over optimistic. That said locally in Brighton significant improvements have been recorded up to 2008.  It is likely that AQO compliance very close (<10 metres) to some heavily trafficked and congested roads is not likely to happen prior to 2015. Therefore further local intervention is required.  Brighton and Hove’s reports have consistently confirmed that road traffic is the primary (but not exclusive) contributing factor to poor air quality in the city. Therefore the majority of improvement measures described in the report are related to road traffic including the decisions people make when travelling.

In the main poor air quality in Brighton and Hove is a combination of stop-start heavy vehicles, accelerating engines, and the proximity of buildings adjacent to traffic." 

The report makes a strong case for the importance of this issue. Although some forms of modern air pollution are invisible, they remain deadly:

"Decision makers should be aware that reductions in ambient pollution led by investment in technology is a multiple win situation; for the urban environment, human-health and a positive growth area for the economy. Improvements in air quality aim to protect the most vulnerable members of society; most especially the very young and those with existing respiratory illness. Given that prevention is better than cure it is in the financial interests of government and the health service to save capital by investing in a healthier urban environment. Where the air is poor; airborne pollution can contribute to heart and lung conditions and influence life expectancy. Based on past figures the government white paper on sustainable transport1 estimated that poor air quality costs the UK economy £19 billion per year. As this assessment does not include all airborne pollutants it is likely to be an underestimate. Report by the committee on the medical effects of air pollution suggests fine particulate have a small contribution to 200,000 UK deaths in 2008  equivalent to a variable influence on one-third of annual mortality. A number of international studies also demonstrate a link between urban Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and all cause mortality. The latest evidence now suggests that poor air quality is a greater risk to our society than; alcohol abuse, passive smoking, obesity, flooding and road traffic accidents."

The report identifies modal shift as a key means for reducing air pollution. But in my opinion the report fails to highlight this or put it in the context of what other countries have achieved. This is a cautious approach to the problem in a country where we are reluctant to change our reliance on the private motor car. Modal shift means getting the population to choose sustainable transport en mass. For example, in Holland up to 33% of trips are made by cycle, in the UK this is less than 2%. There is much more discussion on elements of planning for modal transport in other parts of this blog. These points are made in he report, but in a muted way:

"Local business and the general public are both the cause and the solution for the problem of poor outdoor air. This action plan follows an open twelve-week consultation period and sets out how airborne pollution can be reduced in order to improve the outdoor air in Brighton. The final action plan takes account of consultee comments and includes new references to the London Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy and the Sussex Low Emission Strategy. In 2011 Brighton and Hove have been awarded a grant under the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) for reductions in emissions and improvements to local air quality.

The former AQAP (Air Quality Action Plan 2006) and LTP1 (First Local Transport Plan) acknowledged that road traffic was main course and encouraged modal shift; namely avoidance of private car usage and reduction in total traffic numbers, promotion of walking cycling and public transport. It has been identified that most of the traffic within the city is locally generated, with two thirds of vehicles on the road at any one time making trips which begin and end in the city. Many of these shorter journeys could be achieved by more sustainable means.

A successful program to reduce car usage makes sense in terms of reducing fuel consumption, minimising carbon footprint, freeing up road space for all users and making neighbourhoods more conducive to; cycling, walking, social cohesion and play. In our city’s AQMA (Air Quality Management Area), private cars typically contribute between: one-quarter and a half of roadside NO2 pollution. Between three-quarters or a half can arise from other sources notably; trucks, vans, taxis and buses. The majority of locally derived pollution comes from either diesel vehicles or older petrol vehicles. Therefore a policy of travel choice has to be part of a much more comprehensive air quality action plan.

The main reasons for tackling poor air quality are the links with quality of life and the need to minimise the risk to human health."

The report also makes some interesting general observations on the poisons contained in vehicle emissions, and on transport in the city. But there is a tendency to look on the bright side. When the report says say there has been a 27% increase in cycling, and omits to mention that we started at 1.5% of all trips, we are still making less than 2% of trips by cycle. We are far behind our continental partners. On the positive side, the report does make the case that, when compared with the rest of Britain, Brighton and Hove is going in the right direction. Most of the nation is, apparently, increasing its reliance on the car, as B&H gradually reduces it.

"Since 2007 a decrease in traffic volumes has been observed at some locations (in B&H). Further analysis of traffic flow changes is included in the 2010 Air Quality Progress Report (AQPR)3.  Bus patronage has continued to increase every year since 1993. This
compares favourably to the national trend, which has shown a more substantial growth in car use between 1993 and 2007.

The city’s main commercial bus operator, the ‘Brighton and Hove Bus & Coach Company’ has achieved an increase in passenger journeys of approximately 5% each year since 1993. In addition, cycling in Brighton & Hove has substantially grown in recent years – a 27% increase was recorded in the 2006-2008 period.  The seafront cycle lane has one of the highest daily flows of bicycles anywhere in the UK.

Based on 2001 Census figures, vehicle ownership in Brighton & Hove is the lowest in the south-east region (comparable to a London Borough) and one of the lowest nationally. Across the city, there is an average of less than 0.9 cars or vans per household, compared to 1.3 in the South East.  Most traffic in the city is locally generated – some two-thirds of vehicles on the road at any one time are making trips, which begin and end within the city. Journeys from adjacent areas such as Shoreham, Worthing and Lewes also account for a significant proportion of the total traffic." 

Later, the report emphasises the point that many in Brighton still regularly use cars for short journeys (3 miles or less). That's 27,000 necessary journeys a day!

"Cycling in Brighton & Hove has seen substantial growth in recent years. (27% increase recorded in the 2006-2008 period.)  However, around 45% of workers employed in the city use a car to get to work drive less than three miles. This is estimated to be over 27,000 car journeys per day, so there is great potential for increasing safe bicycle use - and also to bring other benefits on both an individual and a wider level."

Link to BHCC AQAP 2011