A SCHEME to cut air pollution along a busy stretch of road is set to come to an end after nine years.
Lichfield District Council introduced an air quality management area (AQMA) covering the A38 between Wall Island and Alrewas in 2016 due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exceeding legal limits in previous years.
Now the council is looking at revoking the AQMA, as levels have consistently fallen and are now below the limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre for the five years.
High levels of air pollutants can cause chronic cardiovascular and respiratory disease and cancers leading to reduced life expectancy.
A council report submitted to the regulatory and licensing committee links the improvement in air quality with the increased reliance on electric vehicles and a greater number of people working from home.
It is also hoped that by 2026 the district will not have any AQMAs.
The report by Cllr Alex Farrell, cabinet member for housing and the Local Plan, said:
“The annual status report submitted to DEFRA in June 2024, based on data from 2023 and preceding years, shows a steady improvement in measured NO2 in the AQMAs and across the district, with a marked and sustained drop since the pandemic in 2020-21.
“Measured levels have consistently met the criteria set by DEFRA for revocation of an AQMA for five years.
“Improvements in local air quality can be attributed to the increase in reliance on electric vehicles and cleaner internal combustion engine vehicles, changes to commuter traffic due to an increase in people working from home and the work of environmental health officers to regulate local industrial processes that pollute the air and in enforcing the smoke control provisions.
“This is brilliant news for Lichfield district and the health of local people.
“In 2026 it is likely that the district will have met the national objectives and be free from any AQMAs.”
Councillors have now been asked to support the revocation of the AQMA and recommend that the cabinet member formally withdraw it following a statutory consultation with DEFRA.
The regulatory and licensing committee is set to meet next week to make a decision.
I am sure all the HS2 machinery and big new wearhouses along the A38 have helped a lot.
Wouldn’t a spot of honesty be welcome? The volume of traffic on that road and in Lichfield in general has increased enormously in recent years. Even if statistics can be selected to somehow suggest there has been a reduction in NO2 emissions there can be no doubt about the increase of micro particulates from tyres and brakes. These are responsible for many respiratory and organ failure problems. Anything to save money with this council. The health of those already suffering respiratory problems, the asthma in children and the age demographic they have established with the many care homes suggests a we don’t care attitude.
Good news as this is, is it really due to more electric vehicles and cleaner combustion engines, less people driving to and from work, etc, or could it be that the long-time, HS2-imposed 30/40 mph stretch on the A38 trunk road passing by Lichfield has led to a very significant decrease in air pollution?
Sheffield City Council implemented a limit of 50 mph on a stretch of the M1 which passes through the city aimed specifically at decreasing air pollution caused by motorists..
Also, don’t forget that electric vehicles are significantly heavier than internal combustion vehicles mainly due to the weight of their batteries, and this means that they contribute significantly to road surface wear. No wonder then that pot-holes lie around every corner and that repairs to them last months at most!
@Steve : The air pollution is probably very high in Sheffield due the County Council and contractors felling nearly every tree in city. This happened between 2014 and 2018 and only stop when the residents started fighting with them in the streets. Michael Gove called it environmental vandalism and Nick Clegg called it a national scandal.