A road safety charity says it would be a ‘cynical’ move to remove speed bumps in a bid to improve air pollution.
The government yesterday (May 5) produced a draft air pollution consultation after a protracted legal battle with campaigners.
The proposals suggest it is for local authorities to develop plans for clean air zones but there is also a suggestion that speed bumps on local roads could be removed, as well as other ‘traffic management measures’, as cars braking and then speeding up pump more pollutants into the air.
Gary Rae, campaigns director for Huddersfield-based road safety and sustainable transport charity Brake said: “The idea that removing speed bumps on local roads will somehow reduce air pollution is both cynical and misguided. Most of the pollution comes from vehicles travelling on major routes, in big urban conurbations. Speed bumps are a red herring and the government knows it.
“These proposals had to be dragged out of the government, who fought against it in the courts, and lost. We will study the details in the plan, but the headlines give us cause for concern. It appears the government has abdicated responsibility for reducing air pollution to local authorities. If any issue needs tackling on a national – and international – level, it’s this one. We have a national health emergency and the government is kicking the issue into the long grass.
The consultation will run until 15 June.
According to the Royal College of Physicians air pollution across the UK is linked to around 40,000 premature deaths every year.
The UK has struggled to keep within EU limits on some pollutants, particularly nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is produced by diesel engines and is linked to a range of respiratory diseases including asthma. Some 37 of the 43 regions of the UK are in breach of NO2 limits.
