in the UK outside of London
A fund worth £20 million has been announced by the Welsh Government to tackle Wales’ most polluted roads – including Hafodyrynys Road in Crumlin.
The Air Quality Fund, which will run until 2021, will support councils to comply with nitrogen dioxide limits and improve air quality in polluted areas.
Speaking during a plenary debate on Tuesday, April 24, Environment Minister Hannah Blythyn AM said a consultation will be launched on plans to allow councils to set up Clean Air Zones – places where heavily polluting vehicles could be banned.
The Minister also said temporary 50mph speed limits will come into force within the next two months to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels on five stretches of roads where levels are currently above legal limits.
These include the M4 between junctions 41 and 42 near Port Talbot; the M4 between junctions 25 and 26 Newport; and the A470 between Upper Boat and Pontypridd.
Ms Blythyn said: “Delivering clean air in Wales is one of my key priorities. I am committed to taking action to reduce air pollution in Wales to support a healthier future for our communities and protect our natural environment.
“I am confident the measures I am announcing will help support the changes we need to make in Wales to deliver cleaner air.”
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet has already approved an action plan to clean up the A472 Hafodyrynys Road in Crumlin.
The Hafodyrynys Air Quality Action Plan, which was approved earlier this year, outlines short and long-term alterations to infrastructure. Among them, the option of a new bypass will be investigated, as well as the feasibility of demolishing affected housing on the village’s Woodside Terrace.
Localised strategies have also been suggested, with greater publicity of alternative transport, with travel plans for local HGV fleet operators and an improvement to walking and cycling routes all explored.
Figures from 2016 found that the A472 had higher levels of nitrogen dioxide than any other road in the United Kingdom outside of central London.
It is estimated that air pollution is responsible for as many as 30,000 premature deaths in the UK every year, while Public Health Wales say five people die because of air pollution every day in Wales.
The Welsh Government announcement of the £20m fund comes after it conceded a High Court action brought by environmental campaign group ClientEarth.
In January this year its barrister told a court hearing that ministers would work on new plans to tackle air pollution.
ClientEarth had claimed the Welsh Government’s “inaction” had been unlawful.
It has been proved that while traffic calming measures reduce vehicle speeds on our roads and may contribute to enhanced road safety, these measures can result in significantly higher fuel consumption and emission rates when drivers accelerate and decelerate unnecessarily.
Making us all drive slower is not the answer, putting traffic lights on roundabouts and making us stop and idle our car engines for no reason is not the answer, do these twerps actually drive themselves?
It is quite ironic that they make us slow to 20mph when passing a school, thus making us all slow down and then accelerate which causes more pollution which is concentrated outside a building full of children.
Typical council, find a problem and slow everything down then call it sorted.
You should have realised the council do everything slowly – they call it progress
Unrelated to the story above but Why do so many articles have closed comments, is the th observers way of controlling free speech?
Yes, free speech is not fashionable these days. When I was very young you could say pretty much anything, incitement to violence, slander and libel were not allowed but opinions were freely offered about anything.
Today we have the ridiculous “inappropriate comment” which is suppressed. Who is that decides what is inappropriate or not? This has led to our universities not allowing speakers that do not follow the establishment line being barred from expressing an opinion, the ridiculous invention of ‘hate crimes’ and a host of other cretinous control measures.
The reason that Great Britain has sucessfully held a nation made up of four different countries together for hundreds of years was the gradual acceptance of free speech and the right to offend anyone. The constant rivalty and bickering between English, Irish,Scots and Welsh provided a safety valve that prevented serious conflict which has served us well.
What makes me laugh is the volume of traffic between Treforest and pontypridd its got dirty air so the Welsh government says.
And they close the dwp in Caerphilly and the rest of Wales and send them to Treforest by car lol.
Yes, stupidity by our lords and masters.