Your say / Environment
‘We must break our addiction to petrol and diesel’
Bristol City Council finds itself in a predicament over its air quality problem. How do they reduce the levels of pollution without imposing what many people believe is an ‘unfair’ congestion charge that the mayor fears could disadvantage the poorest most?
It’s a political hot potato which many cities across the country are trying to tackle.
Bristol has made some bold commitments in recent months. In November last year, it pledged to make the city carbon neutral by 2030 and in the council’s One City Plan published earlier this month, it says the city will have the same nitrogen dioxide levels as rural England by 2050.
is needed now More than ever
Toxic air is now recognised as the biggest environmental risk of early death. It’s a huge problem and the World Health Organisation has called it “a global public health emergency”.
Emergencies call for drastic action and this is exactly what is needed in Bristol. This is not an issue than can be kicked from pillar to post while the health of people living in the city suffers.
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The council has said that, by 2050, there will be a 70 per cent reduction in premature deaths caused by air pollution. This can only be achieved with the introduction of a congestion charge for polluting vehicles.
Simply encouraging other forms of transport, such as cycling and walking, or introducing a non-charging clean air zone is not going to bring about the necessary change that is required.
According to the city council’s own figures, around 40 per cent of harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions in central Bristol are estimated to come from diesel cars, so a plan which doesn’t include a charge for cars is madness.
Of course, implementing any new transport plan is costly and Bristol, along with other cities in the UK, is calling on the Government to provide financial support.
For example, a Government-funded diesel scrappage scheme could go some way towards helping people replace their old polluting diesel cars with cleaner alternatives including electric vehicles which would be exempt from the charge.
Could Bristol soon see more electric cars on its roads?
Any scheme that is introduced must ring fence the revenue that is brought in from the Clean Air Zone and this needs to be spent on improving Bristol’s cycle lanes, public transport and other forms of sustainable travel. It’s an approach that has worked well in London and could work here too.
A clear trajectory for pricing is also needed so that people understand how the charge will work for years to come.
The Government has now asked Bristol to submit their preferred scheme by February 21 with implementation to start by the end of 2019.
Time is running out. Bristol must now make bold decisions which have the highest chance of achieving the city’s ambitious environmental commitments and creating a healthier, more liveable city for all.
We must break our addiction to petrol and diesel and overcome the problems which stands in the way of change. If we don’t, it is the health of the city’s inhabitants that will ultimately suffer.
Angela Terry is an environmental scientist and founder of climate action website One Home
Read more: Bristol declares climate change emergency and pledges to become carbon neutral by 2030
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