ConsultationConsultation on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options Bristol City Council is consulting on two new options for a Traffic Clean Air Zone to control the effects of vehicle pollution Consultation on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options Consultation on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options New Traffic Clean Air Zone Fresh opportunities to transform travel are being explored to clean up Bristol’s air quality in the New approaches to improving air quality shortest possible time. The council’s preferred approach is to encourage The proposed Fast Track measures include the Bristol City Council is looking at options to improve air quality in line with legal duties and a direction citizens and businesses to sustain the recent, less following (these are not yet in place): from government. We want an approach to improving air quality that does not compound the polluting travel behaviour that we have seen, challenges already facing citizens and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. ● Closure of Cumberland Road to inbound traffic and we plan to support this with some further to prioritise public transport. This is temporarily improvements to roads around the city that will Air pollution in Bristol in place already while repair works to the tackle routes with the worst pollution and make river wall and Chocolate Path are ongoing. it easier to walk, cycle or use public transport. We Air pollution has been a problem in Bristol and particulates. These pollutants are invisible. In the A permanent closure to inbound traffic is are calling these ‘Fast Track’ measures. many UK cities for a long time. Air pollution is air quality directive, the European Union has set proposed as a Fast Track measure; made up of gases and particles in the air which limits for NO2 to protect our health. The annual The Street Space schemes were put in rapidly ● Using traffic signals to improve the flow of are harmful to people and other life. Bristol City average of NO2 must not exceed 40 micrograms as we emerged from lockdown, to help people all traffic and enhance air quality in pollution 3 Council has a moral and legal duty to ensure per cubic metre (μg/m ) get around safely. The changes were funded hotspots; the city’s air quality meets legal limits of air by emergency government funding called the pollution in the shortest possible time. Some local authorities, including Bristol, have Emergency Active Travel Fund - EATF. Examples of ● A cycle scheme on Temple Way (proposal being been directed by the government to reduce the Street Space schemes in the city centre are: considered); Air pollution is harmful to people and other life. levels of NO2 as soon as possible to comply with ● Cycle lanes and improvements for buses in ● Enhancements of the Street Space schemes The higher the levels of pollution and the more these health-based standards. A major source specific pollution problem locations, including where required to further support the CAZ time people spend in polluted air, the worse the of NO2 in cities is road traffic, particularly from Park Row/Upper Maudlin Street/Marlborough scheme and improvements in air quality; effects on health can be. For some pollutants, diesel engines. This consultation is concerned Street and Lewins Mead/Haymarket; ● Additional air quality monitoring units to there is no safe limit and exposure to even fairly with options to reduce the levels of NO2 from low concentrations may be harmful. It is now road traffic in the shortest possible time. ● Closure of Baldwin Street to through traffic measure progress. known that exposure to air pollution can lead to Although the focus of this consultation is on and restrictions to traffic movements to create If the recent positive travel behaviours continue heart disease, strokes, asthma, lung cancer, and NO2, our proposals would also reduce levels of priority and space for buses and cycling; and Bristol can sustain improved air quality and damage to other internal organs. harmful particulates by reducing the number ● Closure of Bristol Bridge and High Street to less traffic in the city as we adapt to living with of polluting vehicles which emit both NO2 and general traffic, with access for buses, taxis, COVID-19, it could mean that proposed options to The most concerning pollutants within Bristol particulates. motorcycles, cycles and pedestrians. charge polluting vehicles are not needed. However, are nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and very small if people’s travel behaviours return to how they The Street Space schemes are already in place and were before, traffic builds up and pollution Effects of COVID-19 on air quality are not part of the proposals in this consultation. increases again above legal limits, then we would need to bring in one of the charging zone options During 2020, the world around us has changed and bus journeys to help people get around described in this consultation. due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This safely. The changes will take time to adjust to, has led to some changes in lifestyle, work and but it’s already shown we can adapt and do travel behaviours, which led to significant things differently if we want to live and work in a improvements in air quality. healthy environment. The council has also swiftly made some changes to roads in the city centre (known as ‘Street Space’ schemes), which have improved walking, cycling 2 3 Consultation on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options Consultation on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options Why are we consulting? Bristol Traffic Clean Air Zone options While our preferred approach is to encourage less considered due to the potential impact a ban We are proposing two new options (2020 option 1 and 2020 option 2) to reduce air pollution from polluting travel behaviour supported by Fast Track could have on citizens and businesses, because of traffic in Bristol. Both options include charging zones (areas where the most polluting vehicles would measures, we must consider additional measures, continued uncertainty around the enforcement pay a charge to drive in the zone) as well as the Fast Track measures to encourage walking, cycling and in case these are needed for us to comply with powers and the legal requirement to reach public transport. The boundaries and the types of vehicles charged are different in the two options. our legal and moral duties to reduce pollution to compliance in the shortest possible time. The new options are within legal limits in the shortest possible time. In this survey, we are asking for your views on the In 2019 we asked for your feedback on two new charging CAZ options. We must consult now – 2020 option 1: a Clean Air Zone covering a small area of central Bristol options to lower air pollution in the city centre. even though we don’t yet know if these additional The 2019 options were a clean air zone (a CAZ options are needed - because we must comply ● A Clean Air Zone covering a small area of central Bristol in which non-compliant (older, more polluting) type C) in which the most polluting HGVs, buses, with timescales set by the government to have types of HGVs, buses, coaches, light goods vehicles (LGVs), taxis and private cars would be charged to coaches, light goods vehicles (LGVs) and taxis plans in place to reduce pollution to within legal drive in the zone. This is referred to as a small CAZ D. (but not private cars) would be charged (2019 limits in the shortest possible time. (Reducing air option 1) and a diesel car ban (2019 option 2). pollution to legal levels is also known as ‘reaching 2020 option 2: a small CAZ D surrounded by a larger charging zone You can read about the 2019 options on the compliance’. The date when all roads in the city council’s Consultation and Engagement Hub: will reach compliance is known as the ‘compliance ● 2020 option 2: a small CAZ D surrounded by a larger charging zone (referred to as a medium CAZ C). https://bristol.citizenspace.com/growth- date’.) Vehicles would be charged to drive into the CAZ D in the same way as in option 1. In the surrounding regeneration/traffic-clean-air-zone/ We will continue to monitor changes in traffic CAZ C, older, more polluting types of HGVs, buses, coaches, LGVs, taxis BUT NOT private cars would be Following the 2019 consultation, Cabinet decided and air quality and our technical work is ongoing charged to drive into the zone. in November 2019 to submit the Outline Business to estimate more precisely what the date of Case with a hybrid scheme - a combination of compliance would be for each of the charging CAZ 2019 option 1 and 2019 option 2 - as the preferred options (should they be required). Following input option. from the consultation and modelling work, we will Since the November 2019 Cabinet decision, we be best placed to put forward an option to achieve have carried out further air quality modelling, compliance in the shortest possible time with as directed by Government, to model a small appropriate and sufficient mitigation measures CAZ type D in which non-compliant (older, more in place to support those most impacted by the polluting) private cars would be charged as well proposed option. as non-compliant HGVs, buses, coaches, light This consultation is your chance to tell us what goods vehicles (LGVs) and taxis. We have also taken you think about the new options we propose for into consideration the impacts of COVID-19 and improving air quality in Bristol. We also want to opportunities for Fast Track measures to further know if you would be prepared to change how you reduce traffic pollution.