New city initiatives are due to be established across Britain in cities, like Cambridge, which experience significant air pollution from diesel and other vehicles.
Councillor Lewis Herbert, who has also written as City Deal Chair with the unanimous support of the City Deal Board, was responding to a report on Sunday (2 April) in the Sunday Times.
The Sunday Times was briefed by Government advisers on plans to be announced imminently on how the UK will tackle damaging city air pollution and meet a final EU deadline of 24th April for new plans so the UK starts to meet city clean air obligations. At their Board meeting on 25 January 2017, the Greater Cambridge City Deal Board agreed to develop a Cambridge ‘Clean Air Zone’ as part of their City Access congestion reduction proposals, along with plans to cut the worst polluting vehicles entering the city centre and also to fund a package of measures to cut both pollution and congestion.
Councillor Lewis Herbert said :“Cambridge needs extra government powers to cut air pollution and tackle peak time congestion problems in the city centre. In January, the City Deal adopted plans for a new central Cambridge 'Clean Air Zone' so we are offering to be a trail blazer for this expected Government initiative by joining the first wave of cities tackling air pollution. We want to win major improvements in air quality in the city centre and encourage far more people onto public transport, bikes or just walking into a cleaner air city centre.
"My initiative has the full support of all the City Deal Board members, as well as the commitment of the City Council as shown in initiatives like the planned £626,000 investment in a joint project with taxi operators and the City Deal to switch future city taxis to electric.”
Notes
Detail on the government crackdown on the worst polluting vehicles (diesel), who could face a ban from high pollution areas in cities or be charged a ‘toxin tax’ of up to £20 a day, was outlined in this Sunday Times article.
Other initiatives from Cambridge City Council and the City Deal to cut emissions include:
- a £626,000 project to fund additional electric vehicle rapid charge points for taxis and enable a new fleet of city electric powered Cambridge taxis, working in partnership with local taxi and private hire car operators. The project is funded through a £426,000 Government grant, matched by £100,000 from Cambridge City Council and £100,000 from the Greater Cambridge City Deal.
- Funding an additional air quality officer.
- Moving the City Council fleet towards electric powered vehicle equivalents.
- Introducing a low emission taxi policy
The Cambridge Clean Air Zone and other proposals to tackle congestion in Cambridge City Centre are detailed here
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