Kenny Bissett presentation - Local Solutions, managing traffic in Fife

1. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Kenny Bisset, Lead Officer, Fife Council Land & Air Quality Team,
ITS UK Smart Environment Interest Group (SEIG), Tuesday 21st October 2014,
Forth Replacement Crossing Contact & Education Centre, South Queensferry.
Fife Council s Air Quality Strategy:
Local Solutions: Managing Traffic in Fife

2. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Content
Background
Review & Assessment
Cupar & Dunfermline AQMAs
Air Quality Action Plans
Traffic Management Measures
Strategic Measures
Best Practice
Deadly smog leaves us gasping for breath:
Millions of asthmatics struggle as giant cloud
of Saharan sand and toxic air covers Britain
Daily Mail 3rd April 2014

3. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Background
(1) Air pollution is now the world s largest single
environmental health risk Reducing air pollution
could save millions of lives.
World Health Organisation (March 2014)
(2) Government statistics estimate that air
pollution in the UK reduces the life expectancy
of every person by an average of 7 8 months,
with an associated cost of up to £20 billion each year
Scottish Government Air Quality Website (March 2014)
(3) The higher attributable fractions of deaths associated
with PM2.5 pollution mirrors the higher estimated levels of
PM2.5 in the urban city areas within Scotland.
HPS/NHS Report Air Quality (PM2.5 particulate air
pollution)) and Mortality in Scotland (April 2014)

4. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Responsibilities
Environment Act 1995 and Air Quality Regulations 2000
- Review and assessment of local air quality
- Prescribed air quality standards and objectives
- Short (1hr/24 hour) & long term objectives (annual mean)
- Based on human health effects mainly cardiopulmonary
- Includes monitoring at busiest roads/junctions
- Production of annual air quality reports - PG & TG 09
- Declaration of Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs)
- Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs)

5. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Pollutants
Air Quality (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (as amended)
- Benzene
- 1,3 Butadiene
- Carbon monoxide
- Lead
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- PM10 (respirable fraction of particles)
- Sulphur dioxide
Each of these have prescribed objectives
PM2.5 particulate fraction to be included shortly
Key air quality issue for majority of local authorities
NO2 and PM10 from road vehicle emissions
Over 250 AQMAs in UK - most for NO2 and PM10

6. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Objectives
Key AQS objectives for Fife Council are annual mean NO2 & PM10 concentrations
Annual mean objective for NO2 is 40 µg m-3 and for PM10 is 18 µg m-3

7. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Monitoring and Assessment
Monitors located at busy roads especially narrow and congested streets
Passive monitors - 48 NO2 diffusion tube sites
Automatic Monitors - NO2 and PM10
(1) Admiralty Road, Rosyth
(2) Appin Crescent, Dunfermline
(3) Bonnygate, Cupar
(4) St Clair Street, Kirkcaldy
(5) Mobile Monitor Survey (1) to (4)
Dispersion Modelling simple (spreadsheet) and complex (software)

8. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Air Quality Management Areas
AQMAs are essentially air pollution zones
One or more of objectives exceeded
14 authorities in Scotland have AQMAs
Over 30 AQMAs in Scotland
Most are for NO2 and PM10
Majority as result of road traffic pollution
Fife has two AQMAs
(1) Bonnygate, Cupar
(2) Appin Crescent, Dunfermline

9. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Kingdom of Fife
CUPAR
WELCOMES YOU
Fife is Scotland s third largest local authority area by population at 367, 000
Population of Cupar is 9,000 (rural) & Dunfermline is 50,000 (urban)
DUNFERMLINE
HASTE YE BACK

10. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Bonnygate & Appin Crescent AQMAs
Bonnygate, Cupar & Appin Crescent, Dunfermline
(1) Busy (> 10, 000 AADT) roads;
(2) Narrow & congested roads and;
(3) Street Canyons trap pollutants
Extensive monitoring and modelling
NO2 & PM10 exceedances
Bonnygate AQMA declared 2008
administrative based area
Appin Crescent AQMA declared 2011-
pollutant based area
Air quality action plan in 12-18 months
Set of measures to tackle the problem

11. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Air Quality Action Plans
Bonnygate Air Quality Action Plan 2010 & Appin Crescent Action Plan 2013
Produced following extensive consultation process including local communities
Prioritised set of measures for working towards meeting air quality objectives
Focus on traffic management measures for purposes of this presentation

12. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Traffic Management in Cupar
Market town not a major city
Population of almost 9, 000
Serves a wide agricultural catchment
Not an obvious candidate for AQMA but ..
Non-bypassed
On primary road network (A91 & A914)
Focal point for local road network
Fife Council Local Transport Strategy Over
half of all trips in Cupar are local (less than 2 miles)

13. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
A91
A914
Bonnygate Road Network
A91 from Stirling to St Andrews (AADT 10, 500 vehicles)
A914 from Central/West Fife areas (AADT 4, 700 vehicles)

14. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Bonnygate Monitoring
Seven sites includes triplicate tubes co-located with automatic monitor
High buildings either side near to Bonnygate/Crossgate street canyon effect

15. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Traffic Management Measures
Bypasses/relief roads not the only solution expensive & might relocate problem!
Cost effective traffic queue relocation scheme introduced in Bonnygate in 2009
Co-ordinated system of traffic lights (SCOOT) & pedestrian crossings
Relocates traffic queue westwards outside street canyon and improves traffic flow
Before & after dispersion modelling plots show noticeable decrease in pollutant levels

16. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
NO2 Concentrations Bonnygate
Traffic queue relocation system introduced 2009 decline in NO2
concentrations maintained following construction in 2009
Similar improvements observed for NO2 diffusion tube concentrations

17. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
PM10 Concentrations Bonnygate
Decline from 23 µg m-3 to borderline reading of 18 µg m-3 for PM10 in 2012/13
Indications that annual mean PM10 objective may be increased to 20 µg m-3

18. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Bonnygate Gap Site
Buildings in 26/32 Bonnygate demolished in 2010
Ventilation from gap site creating AQ improvements?
Concerns from public regarding filling the gap
Two development scenarios proposed
- With/without vennel in buildings
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
air quality modelling study in 2012
Useful for narrow streets with high volumes
of traffic including influence of wind direction
Difference in the NO2 concentrations
for the filled gap site or vennel site scenarios
considered to be insignificant

19. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Cupar Street Scene Project
Two traffic management design options
considered in Cupar Town Centre in 2013:
Design Option 1 - mini-roundabouts at East
Bridge/St Catherine Street and controlled
pedestrian crossings
Design Option 2 - reconfiguration of junctions
at East Bridge/St Catherine Street including
fixed cycle time pedestrian crossings
Modelled to predict potential impact on
air quality in Bonnygate AQMA
Traffic flow & speed data from S-PARAMICS
traffic micro-simulation model which simulates
behaviour of individual vehicles within a road
network

20. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Cupar Street Scene Outcomes
Modelling of air quality impacts of Design Options
1 (mini roundabouts) & 2 (junction reconfiguration)
using ADMS Roads modelling software
Used annual mean NO2 & PM10 concentrations
for 2012 baseline year & 2017 future scenarios
Design Options 1 and 2 will lead to a
general reduction in NOx and PM10
emissions in Bonnygate AQMA
However, in general, it is Option 1
(mini roundabout scheme) that offers the
greater air quality improvements than Option 2
Option 1 completed in September 2014 & on-going
monitoring and assessment to confirm modelling
outputs

21. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Appin Crescent Traffic Management
One of key Appin Crescent AQAP measures
is optimisation of the traffic management
system in Appin Crescent area
Main issues at Appin Crescent are:
(1) emissions associated with high
baseline traffic flows (AADT 20,000 vehicles);
(2) low average vehicle speeds
during peak periods and;
(3) poor pollutant dispersion as residential
properties located near to roadside
Feasibility study (FS) of traffic management
measures - in terms of delivery of air quality
improvements - undertaken in 2013-2014

22. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Appin Crescent FS Inputs
Dispersion modelling of traffic management (TM) options (ADMS Roads)
Modelling of annual mean NO2 & PM10 concentrations
for 2011 baseline year and 2015 future scenarios
Three TM options vs 2015 future do nothing scenarios:
(1) Slip Lane Options
- Dedicated left hand slip lane from Appin Crescent
- Turning south into St Margaret s Drive (A823)
(2) Appin Crescent Bypass
- Referred to in local plan
- Hypothetical road design to bypass Appin Crescent
(3) Halbeath Park and Choose
- Park and Choose development to east of Dunfermline (2013)
- AADT both east & westbound reduce by 300 vehicles per day

23. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Appin Crescent FS Outputs
None of the modelled slip road scenarios
reduce concentrations of NO2 and
PM10 on Appin Crescent to below AQOs
Improves traffic flows approaching from
the north heading south but little benefit to
the traffic travelling westbound in AQMA
Slip road options show air quality improvement
at locations very close to the roundabout but
not at Appin Crescent itself
Only the bypass scenario offers a solution in
terms of securing AQOs but a costly measure
& unlikely in the short-term future.
Look at alternative short- to medium term
cost effective traffic management measures

24. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Appin Crescent FS Traffic Signalling
The traffic management options currently
being investigated in 2014-2015:
(1) Optimise signal phasing around Sinclair
Gardens Roundabout - improve traffic flow
including traffic approaching from east
along Appin Crescent
(2) Signalise the Garvock Hill roundabout -
displacing slow moving/queuing traffic
eastwards to Halbeath Road
(3) Small scale interventions
relocation of bus stops
Modelling using 2013
traffic counts monitoring
data & scenario analyses

25. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Appin Crescent Lane Markings
Highest NO2 exceedances at South side of Appin Crescent
Buildings nearer the kerbside relative to North side
Traffic surveys indicated that middle lane approaching
Sinclair Gardens roundabout from Appin Crescent
was being underused
Road lane markings revised in March 2013
Revised lane markings encourage use of middle lane
Three NO2 tube site exceedances in 2012
Only one NO2 tube site marginal exceedance in 2013
Need further monitoring to confirm these results

26. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Partnerships Air Quality Strategy
Fife Council Air Quality Strategy 2015-2020
To be submitted for Committee approval in 2015
Further integration of air quality issues into
transportation, planning and climate change
policies & strategies
Includes encouraging and adopting partnership
approaches for improving air quality
Encourage community engagement on air
quality issues and provide a service that
meet the needs of customers
Ensure consistency with Scottish Government
Low Emissions Strategy for Scotland which
is expected to be published in 2015
AND MORE

27. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Best Practice
A good example of a thorough approach in developing an action plan which
includes comprehensive links to transport policy and sustainable travel
DEFRA Best Practice Website Bonnygate Cupar Air Quality Action Plan 2010
An example of best practice
LAQM Appraisal Team for Fife Council Air Quality Annual Reports 2013 & 2014
Fife Council is making excellent progress on the implementation of its action plan
in Cupar
Minister for Environment and Climate Change - Scottish Government March 2014

28. Economy, Planning and
Employability Services
Contacts
Land & Air Quality Team
Kenny Bisset kenny.bisset@fife.gov.uk
Eloise Griffin eloise.griffin@fife.gov.uk
Donald Payne donald.payne@fife.gov.uk
Jim Robb jim.robb@fife.gov.uk
Blair Falconer blair.falconer@fife.gov.uk
Fife Direct Air Quality Web Pages www.fifedirect.org.uk/airquality and;
Air Quality Queries can also be directed to air.quality@fife.gov.uk
-Thank you for listening!
-Any Questions?