London Road LAT Local Air Quality May Samuel Rouse MSc, Air Quality Brighton & Hove City Council

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1 London Road LAT Local Air Quality May 2017 Samuel Rouse MSc, Air Quality Brighton & Hove City Council

2 Brighton and Hove in Numbers 600,000 people along the coastal strip One of highest population densities in England Major developments over the next decade More than Ten million visitors a year Across the AQMA 62% households do not own a car Doubling of bus patronage since 1994 No major combustion plant or manufacturing industry Poor air quality in confined spaces where people live close to roads is due to emissions from road traffic Several thousand dwellings at risk First Local Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) 2004

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4 The Air we breathe Superficially air quality framed like climate change as a global scale problem that people can react to with pessimism Something out of councillor control? Not talking about the whole atmosphere Specific places Like road safety and bathing water quality definitely a problem that requires local action to tackle hotspots Estimated 200 local deaths brought forward each year due to airborne pollution

5 Comparing Green House Gases with Pollutants Prejudicial to Human Health The UK contributes approximately 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions The transport sector in BHCC contributes about one quarter of the cities carbon dioxide emissions In contrast emissions from road transport contribute as much as 90% to nitrogen dioxide concentrations where people live The city has an Air Quality Management Area and Low Emission Zone because of none compliance with nitrogen dioxide neither designation is driven by consideration of greenhouse gases or carbon emissions

6 Who is Responsible for Air Quality? World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants European Union Highways Agency Department for Transport (DfT) Department for the Environment (Defra) Environment Agency Health Directorate Local Transport EHL: Environmental Protection

7 Reporting Health impacts of fine particulate is on the set of Public Health Indicators Framework Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) delivers detailed investigations Air quality has a designated chapter in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Key Performance Indicators reported to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) Air quality to be considered in all Planning, Highway and Tourist decisions response should be proportional to risk

8 Part IV states Local Authorities have a duty to investigate air quality in their areas. LAQM assesses against set standards for the protection of human health. Nine pollutants. Protection for the most vulnerable not an average person. Duty to declare an AQMA and write an AQAP if not compliant with objectives that have become legally binding standards.

9 Air Quality Strategy Pollutants Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) Particulates (PM 10 ) Particles (PM 2.5 ) Benzene (C 6 H 6 ) 1,3 Butadiene (C 4 H 6 ) Lead (Pb) Sulphur Dioxide (SO 2 ) Carbon Monoxide (CO) Ozone (O 3 ) PAH

10 Personal Exposure New epidemiological evidence for the health effects of pollution at an individual and population level. Air pollution is the strongest environmental factor that influences life expectancy; asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart and blood health, the growth of lung tissue and the development of the brain. Public concern about exposure to pollution. Parents of young children interested in pollution impacts on their infants rather than themselves.

11 (July 2013) The Lancet linked air pollution to heart failure: this study suggests that acute exposure to air pollution at typical UK levels increases acute heart failure hospitalisation and heart failure mortality by 10% 15%. The study suggested UK levels of pollution causes a Hazard Ratio for lung cancer of In general, sources of air pollution are strongly correlated and in some cases coupled with other public health determinants. For example; sedentary lifestyles, obesity, smoking, passive smoking, poor diet and noise. In Central London and Brighton a mix of deprived and affluent people live adjacent to roads. People breath in pollution when in their homes and cars.

12 Wellbeing or Miasma

13 Local AQ Management Findings At local roadside sites nitrogen dioxide is typically several times more concentrated than particles Nitrogen Dioxide compliance is priority for improvement at city and village roadsides where people live and levels do not comply with EU, UK and WHO standards for the protection of human health Also Monitoring PM 2.5 North Street and Lewes Road compared to 2020 objective and WHO guideline

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15 Brighton Central (16km 2 ) Key AQMA Streets Above NO 2 Legal Limit Beaconsfield Rd-Viaduct Terrace -Grand Parade A23 southbound Marlborough Place-London Road A23 northbound Hollingdean Road Lewes Road A2073-A270 The Drove under the railway New England Rd below railway A270 Severn Dials Queens Road-Terminus Rd A2010 Edward Street Old Steine-St James Street B2118 North Street-Western Rd B2066 Eastern Road Pavilion Parade A23 Kingsway A259 15

16 PM µg/m3 NO 2 25 µg/m 3

17 PM µg/m3 NO µg/m 3

18 Normal Day compared to Road Closure

19 Nitrogen Dioxide Levels on North Street

20 North Street Western Road Diffusion Tube

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22 Queens Rd Terminus Rd (A2010)

23 Queens Rd 7 Dials (A2010)

24 London Road Oxford Place (A23)

25 London Road Oxford Place (A23)

26 Trends North of Valley Gardens (A23)

27 Valley Gardens Grand Parade (A23)

28 Valley Gardens (A23)

29 New England Road

30 West of Preston Circus (A270)

31 Lewes Road (A270)

32 Nitrogen Dioxide Levels on North Street

33 A270 Lewes Road

34 Wellington Road Station Road (A259)

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36 Portslade Trends

37 Rottingdean AQMA Streets Close to NO 2 Legal Limit Near Miss Vicarage Lane Rottingdean High Street B2123 Near Miss Marine Drive A259 c) Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence: , Brighton & Hove City Council Cities Revealed(R) copyright by The GeoInformation(R) Group, 2013 and Crown Copyright (c) All rights reserved. Brighton & Hove City Council Air Quality Action Plan Technical Appendix 37

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39 Rottingdean Trends

40 Summary of Monitoring Recent monitoring evidence shows some improvement in outdoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations across Central Brighton and the wider region. Further improvements in air quality especially at roadside are required if the city is to entirely comply with UK, EU and WHO limits for the protection of human health.

41 Construction Boom

42 Planning Air Quality is a material consideration for the planning process as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This is most applicable where an AQMA has been declared. A development or process cannot legally cause an exceedance of the air quality directive. Planning applications can be refused if they fail to take steps to improve local air quality or are deemed to make the existing situation worse. The government has updated its method for calculating the cost of pollution. Innovative approaches supported by developer contributions will need to be encouraged as works and construction activities are likely to contribute to local pollution over the next decade. If air quality improves and the city is compliant with air quality laws this will be a better environment for health and business.

43 AQMA and Developments

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46 Taxi Licensing Committee Cut engine, cut pollution signs at city taxi ranks Seeking taxi policy shift towards low NOx options considering petrol and electric A Retrofit and testing programme

47 Exhaust Retrofits

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49 Perceptions Some common sense understanding that pollution is worse next to roads or in city centres Surprise on how much higher nitrogen dioxide levels are within 9 metres of roads surrounded by buildings or one city block back from the sea front Surprise re severity of the situation and its impacts on NHS overall health More awareness since the VW fiasco

50 Summary Twenty years of monitoring evidence suggest good years for pollution followed by bad Recent improvement Air quality to be considered in all planning, highway and tourist decisions Previously better awareness with regard to road safety and carbon reduction Almost 1.5 Million won from DfT for Vehicle Retrofits Clean Air Zone being considered by Defra Essential that more is done to improve oxide of nitrogen emissions from vehicles Management of Construction Traffic Benefits of an active travel programme For smaller vehicles petrol is an option as well as electric