Action Planning for Air Quality Improvements: Comparative Perspectives UK

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Action Planning for Air Quality
ImprovementsComparative Perspectives - UK
Reducing the Impact of Vehicles on Air
Environmental Quality in Cities Session 4
Planning and Implementation Constraints 22-23
January 2004, Mexico City
Professor Jim Longhurst and Mrs Nicky
Woodfield Air Quality Research Group University
of the West of England, Bristol, UK
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Action Planning for Air Quality
ImprovementsComparative Perspectives - UK

• Air Quality Management
• Introduction to European UK Frameworks
• Air Quality Action Plans Strategies
• Importance of Planning Frameworks Governance
• UK Experiences
• Experiences from International Programmes
• Conclusions key messages

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What is Air Quality Management ?

• The application of a systematic approach to the
  control of air quality issues in which all the
  factors determining air quality are considered in
  an integrated, proportionate and cost-effective
  manner based upon sound science and by reference
  to health-effects based air quality criteria.

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The Problem

• Air quality problems have been an inescapable
  partner of economic development.
• Our social, political and economic responses to
  air pollution have often lagged behind our
  awareness and understanding of the impact of
  pollution.

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The UK Problem
Improved fuel efficiency, introduction of
catalytic converters, improved vehicle
technologies, but

• National policies struggling to address air
  quality consequences of growth in vehicle
  numbers mileage
• From 17.4 to 26.7m registrations between 1986
  2000
• 82 of journeys by mileage are made by car
• Balancing public expectations of personal
  mobility accessibility, with clean atmosphere
  posing no risk to public health

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Air Quality Management in Europe

• Ambient Air Quality Assessment Management
  Directive 96/62/EC
• Framework under which EU agrees Limit Values
  (Daughter Directives)
• European Directives transposition into Member
  State legislation
• Limit Values legally binding
• Specific locations designated for action
• Action Plan at national level

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Problems for Europe

• Urban traffic congestion costs in excess of 100B
  each year (likely to double over next 10 years)
• Local and trans-boundary pollution and subsequent
  health impacts impose similar costs
• Urban transport contributes ?14
  of all CO2 generated in Europe
• DISTILLATE Scoping Proposal 2003 University of
  Leeds, University of York, University of
  Westminster, U.W.E., Bristol, TRL Ltd.

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UK Air Quality Regime A Case Study

• Primary legislation - Environment Act 1995
• National Air Quality Strategy
• Health-based air quality objectives
• Scientific periodic Review and Assessment
• Local implementation by local authorities
• Identification of Air Quality Management Areas
• Action Plans in locations where objectives are
  not going to be met

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Outcomes from UK experience

• 25 of UK local authorities with AQMAs
• Predicted exceedences of the National Air Quality
  Objectives 91 (NO2), 45 (PM10), 6 (SO2)
• Emission sources 95 traffic, 9 industrial, 1
  domestic, some shipping problems
• London Boroughs, small market towns, rural
  hotspots, motorway corridors
• More effective communication, collaboration and
  consultation between and within tiers of
  government and with stakeholders has emerged

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Lessons learnt from the UK

• Elements of the process judged to work well
• training provision support,
• guidance, internet support,
• high quality monitoring network
• Not enough integration with wider policies
  plans at national, regional and local levels
  (i.e. transport planning, land-use planning,
  community planning, Local Agenda 21 or
  sustainability Plans )
• Timescales of AQM process transport planning
  (5-year cycles) land-use planning (10-20 years)
  are very different

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Air Quality Action Planning
Action PlanningProcedures
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Air Quality Action Planning

• To clarify overall extent of AQO exceedences and
  declare AQMA(s)
• Undertake Further Review of air quality within
  the AQMA(s)
• Consider specific criteria
• ? air quality improvement actually required
• ? source apportionment
• ? early consideration of potential options
  their cost-effectiveness
• ? practicalities of implementing option
• Evaluating monitoring effectiveness of Plan

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Air Quality Action Planning
Importance of collaboration integration of
wider policies

• Industry regulators, trunk road operators,
  health authorities all need to be involved
• Air quality improvements will require
  integration with a variety of policy packages
• Local Transport Plans, Local Plans,
  Sustainability Plans, Community Planning
• Regional Planning Economic Development, Health
  Action Zones

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Air Quality Strategies
Importance Significance of non-statutory
opportunities

• Help ensure air quality considerations accounted
  for across all local authority policies and
  procedures
• Address non-Strategy pollutants (e.g. greenhouse
  gases, dioxins, dusts
• Provide framework for reviewing new pollutants,
  new air quality objectives, review of National
  Air Quality Strategy
• Take into account the increasing understanding of
  science and technology and socio-economic issues

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Air Quality Strategies

• Address regional pollution sources (major
  highways, airports, industrial complexes)
• Inclusion of regional policies planning
  processes
• Environment Agency Zones of Industrial Pollution
• Regional Planning Processes
• Health Implementation Plans
• Help foster partnership between within local
  authorities

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Importance of Planning Frameworks
Role of Planning in Action Plans Strategies

• Air quality as a material planning consideration
• Consideration of a developments likely effect in
  terms of direct emissions traffic generated
  emissions
• Land-use planning frameworks
• Strategic Planning
• Local, Unitary Structure Planning
• Master Planning, Development Control
• Transport Planning Frameworks
• Local Transport Plans

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Multi-layered Governance in the UK

• Central Government Devolved Administrations
• Department of Environment, Food Rural Affairs
  (Defra)
• Department for Transport (DfT)
• Ten Year Transport Plan
• Regional Government
• Regional Planning
• Local Government
• Unitary, one-tier, two-tier government
• Local Planning (Local, Unitary and Structure
  Plans)
• Local Transport Plans
• Plan overload !

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Towards Sustainable Cities . . .
City managers must seek to meet the social and
economic needs of urban residents while
respecting local, regional and global natural
systems, solving problems locally where possible,
rather than shifting them to other spatial
locations or passing them on to the future.
The European Sustainable Cities Report
(europa.eu.int/comm/environment/urban/home_en.htm)
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Action PlanningTackling the transport problem

• Focus on reducing numbers of vehicles and
  reducing demand for road space
• Emission control measures
• Engine efficiency cleaner fuels
• Fiscal measures advice
• Low Emission Zones
• Traffic management measures or combination
• Public transport initiatives
• Telematic technology
• Local Actions

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Traffic Emissions Engine Efficiency Cleaner
Fuels

• EU Auto-Oil programme introduced increasingly
  stringent emissions standards for cars light
  vans being applied to all new vehicles (Euro III
  from 2001 and Euro IV from 2006)
• Earlier Euro I II helped reduce emissions of
  PM10 and NOx from road transport by 50 between
  1990 2000
• The trend expected to slow down considerably from
  2010 though, as engine fuel improvements offset
  by continuing traffic growth

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Traffic Emissions Fiscal Measures Advice

• UK Government use of cleaner fuels engines
  through domestic lower tax bands for cleaner
  fuels cheaper road tax for smaller-engined cars
• Cleaner Vehicles Task Force (CVTF) advises on
  specific measures to reduce emissions from
  vehicles (government greener fleet certification
  scheme) to make business-related transport more
  efficient
• Powershift provides grants to help companies
  individuals convert conventional vehicles to run
  on alternative fuels

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Emission Control Measures Transport Management
Measures

• Emission controls
• End of pipe technology (fitting particle traps)
• Alternative fuel use (e.g. LPG, methane or
  hydrogen)
• Enforcing emissions standards (e.g. Low Emission
  Zone)
• Transport Management Measures
• Public transport improvements (Park Ride, bus
  priority lanes, Bus Quality Partnerships)
• Parking permits
• Telematic technology to link urban traffic
  control systems with local air quality management
  systems
• Electronic charging

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Action Planning Local Actions

• Promoting mixed-use developments
• Planning measures
• Home Zones, 20mph zones, Clear Zones
• Local Plans, Local Transport Plans
• Access Restrictions
• Low Emission Zones, Congestion Charging
• Pedestrian areas, local traffic calming
• High Pollution Episodes
• Traffic Control
• Urban Traffic Management Control systems
  (UTMC)
• Parking Restrictions, speed limits

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Action Planning Local Actions

• Local campaigns
• Green Travel Plans
• Local actions to address school runs
• Health Improvement Programmes
• Local emissions testing
• Work-place parking

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Examples of International Programmes

• ASIA URBS Improving Management and Supporting
  Guidelines in Air Quality in Metropolitan Cities
  (Bangkok, Athens and Bristol) (2 year project)
• DISTILLATE Design and Implementation Support
  Tools for Integrated Local Land Use, Transport
  and the Environment (UK) (Scoping study completed
  - 4 year programme)
• INTEGAIRE Integrated Urban Governance and Air
  Quality Management in Europe (9 cities) (3 year
  project)

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ASIA URBS Improving Management Supporting
Guidelines in Air Quality in Metropolitan
Cities (Bangkok, Athens Bristol)

• A Strategy to improve mutual awareness
  understanding between European Union Asia
• Raise the profile of Europe in Asia enhance
  economic co-operation between the two continents
• Promote decentralisation (city-to-city)
  co-operation between the two regions
• Two main aims
• To provide co-funding to local government
  partnerships to undertake urban development
  projects
• To encourage the networking of these projects to
  share knowledge and experience

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ASIA URBS

• OBJECTIVES
• To improve local understanding of AQM in all 3
  cities
• To establish mechanisms for exchange of Best
  Practice in air quality management between
  partners
• To train representatives from Bangkok in European
  AQM techniques
• To produce series of Best Practice guidance for
  Bangkoks administration
• To assist Bangkok in producing a local Air
  Quality Action Plan

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DISTILLATE Design and Implementation Support
Tools for Integrated Local Land Use, Transport
and the Environment

• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
  Council (EPSRC) consortia to study Sustainable
  Urban Form
• 1 of 4 consortia to work with industry
  government to develop fundamental understanding
  of key land-use transport sustainability issues
  ...
• Focusing on the development of novel
• and enhanced design, appraisal and
• implementation tools on the integrated
• approaches to which they would be applied

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DISTILLATE

• AIM to undertake research with local authorities
  and related organisations to achieve a step
  change in development delivery of sustainable
  integrated urban transport land-use strategies
• PRINCIPLE OBJECTIVE to develop ways of
  overcoming the barriers to effective
  implementation of sustainable schemes
• TASKS to identify barriers priorities for
  overcoming them identity appropriate case studies

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INTEGAIRE Integrated Urban Governance Air
Quality Management in Europe

• To improve the quality of life in all cites and
  towns, while promoting sustainable development
  assessed in economic, environmental, social
  cultural terms
• Facilitating a better understanding of urban
  decision-making
• Improve urban air quality (AQ) management through
  recommendations on
• urban governance
• integration of AQ management with land-use
  transport planning
• implementation of the new EU AQ legislation.

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INTEGAIRE

• Recommendations developed for 3 target groups
• Cities recommendations for air quality
  professionals aimed at improving good practice at
  the urban level
• Clean Air For Europe (CAFÉ) recommendations aim
  at improving the usefulness and effectiveness of
  EU level measures fir the urban level.
• Research Community and DG Research at the
  European Commission recommendations for future
  research needs

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Potential for Application of UK regime in
Non-European Cities

• Certain elements are clearly transferable
• Health-based objectives and risk-based approach
• LAQM can be integrated into objectives of
  decentralisation
• Need to consider rapid socio-economic political
  changes
• Institutional arrangements critical to the
  success
• National support structures
• prescriptive guidance, training
• monitoring networks

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Action Planning Challenges

• 57 of Londoners think London is unhealthy to
  live in
• 50 see AQ as a priority for London Mayor
• Action Plans are inevitably determined by local
  circumstances
• Assessing wider socio-economic impacts
  challenging
• Significant transport initiatives or major
  decreases in industrial emissions will be
  required to achieve the objectives
• (Air Quality Strategy for London)

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Action Planning Conclusions

• Localised problems require unique packages of
  measures - few situations where one measures will
  solve the local air quality problem
• Support of politicians vital
• Cost-effectiveness of actions is
  an important consideration
• Urban locations not the only focus of problem
  areas
• Think about funding and resources early in the
  process

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Useful references

• UK Official Government Guidance on Developing
  Action Plans and Strategies
• www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/laqm/guida
  nce/
• Informal guidance on Air Quality Action Planning
  (National Society for Clean Air Environmental
  Protection)
• www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/centre/aqaps/index.html
• www.nsca.org.uk

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Final message . . .
(Thanks to York City Council, UK)