Talk title: Will Defra's air quality plan help improve air quality in York and Bradford Routes to Clean Air is a two-day conference from the IAQM where academics, professionals and policy makers share their experiences of improving traffic emissions. This event highlights the importance of public communication and behavioural change surrounding road transport and air quality issues.

1. Will Defra’s Air Quality Plan
help improve air quality in
York and Bradford?
Elizabeth Bates
City of York Council and City of Bradford
MDC

2. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Based on information produced by DCAA Local Government Finance
©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved Licence Number 100024857.2014
Cities of contrast

3. York – historic walled city

4. .....based on a Roman road network
designed for chariots and horses, not
buses, lorries and cars

5. Bradford – historic industrial
city
Image courtesy of Bradford City
Art Galleries and museums

6. ...which grew up around the
river valley and canal network.
5-rise locks Bingley - Bradford

7. Exposure and deprivation

8. National modelling v York monitoring
Predicted range 2020 (11- 30ug/m3) Current AQMAs - some locations
currently over 50ug/m3

9. National modelling v Bradford monitoring
Predicted range 11-
40ug/m3 by 2020
4 AQMAs currently
declared, actual levels
exceed 70ug/m3 in
some areas. More
AQMAs expected soon.

10. York – AQAPs 1 & 2

11. Annual average NO2 - York
46
41
35
33
37
38
40
45
48
43
40
34
35
31
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Biascorrectedannualmeannitrogendioxideconcentration(µg/m3)
Year
Annual Mean Objective is 40µg/m3
LTP3 Target for AQMA
is 44ug/m3 by 2014/15

12. York Low Emission Strategy
and AQAP 3

13. A bespoke solution?
Low Emission Bus Corridor feasibility study:
- Only conversion of all buses to Euro V likely to have any
significant air quality impacts
Electric bus feasibility study:
- approx 80% of bus movements in York made by only
49% of the total number of buses
- electric buses could work in York
So what if you combine both ideas?
- converting all P&R buses to electric could have a
greater impact than a blanket Euro IIII or Euro IV
standard for all buses

14. CAZ - York style...
- Area where bus emissions are
controlled based on frequency of entry
- Most frequent services to be ULEV by
2018.
- Clean Air Zone (CAZ) proposal
included in AQAP 3
- Two P&R sites already using electric
buses
- Electric tour bus in operation with 5
more by summer 2017
- Ultra Low Emission City status attained
2016

15. Will the national air quality action
plan help deliver clean air in York?
• Gives the impression that air quality in York is OK
• Has caused confusion locally about the term ‘Clean
Air Zone’
• Doesn’t have a bus only option for the CAZ - we
don’t need to include taxis
• Sets Euro 6 diesel as the goal (but we know we can
do much better)
• Uncertainty about the knock on effects of the CAZ in
Leeds and impact on our bus fleet
• Doesn’t offer anything new for York

16. Bradford LAQM journey
• Bradford’s first AQAP produced in 2009
• Less emphasis on specific sustainable travel
measures, greater emphasis on policy
development and understanding the problem
• Air Quality Strategy published in 2011
• Low Emission Strategy adopted November
2013
– Development control - Industry
– Transport - Waste Management
– Procurement - Health Education
– Domestic emissions

17. BiB project – photographs by Ian Beesley

18. Bradford /Leeds Low Emission study

19. Bradford /Leeds Low Emission study

20. Health Impact Assessment outcomes
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Reduction in
deaths
attributable to
PM2.5
Reduction in
cardiopulomnary
deaths
attributable to
PM2.5
Reduction in low
birth w eight
babies
attributable to
PM2.5
Reduction in low
birth w eight
babies
attributable to
NO2
Reduction in
coronary events
scenarios
Reductioninnumberofhealthevents
All pre Euro4 buses and HGV upgraded to
Euro6
All pre Euro5 buses and HGV upgraded to
Euro6
Reduction of diesel cars to 50% - 20%
10% reduction in journeys

21. Child Asthma Reduction

22. LES study - conclusions
• There is currently a substantial health burden related to the
emissions from vehicles in the Bradford District which
contributes to health inequalities
• Within the inner ring road buses are the most significant single
contributor of NOx.
• The most cost effective improvement options are :
– improving bus emissions (particularly through the uptake of
gas bus technology),
– measures to discourage diesel car use
– Measures to discourage older HGV use
• A 10% reduction in passenger car traffic gives significant
improvements in air quality, the health and well being benefits
in up taking active travel will also be significant for the
individual.
• No single intervention scenario will be sufficient to meet the
NO2 objective in the AQMAs in Bradford.

23. Will the national air quality action plan
help to improve air quality in Bradford?
• Failure to recognise the scale of the problem in Bradford is
in conflict with locally identified health impacts e.g. BiB
• Strong evidence to support the implementation of a bus
based CAZ in Bradford, but city now less likely to obtain
national and regional support to achieve this.
• CAZ in Leeds could have significant negative implications
for Bradford
• Both Leeds and Bradford controlled by the same transport
authority - a wider strategic approach across West
Yorkshire needed to ensure air quality improvement
maintains momentum and funding across the region

24. Conclusions
• Both York and Bradford still consider air quality to be
significant long term challenges for their cities
• Both cities recognise the need for ‘CAZ’ style controls
but have evidence to support more bespoke
approaches and may not to wish to adopt a DEFRA
style CAZ
• Not being on the CAZ implementation ‘list’ is
currently considered to be a potential barrier to
policy implementation , funding opportunities and
longer term air quality in both cities

25. Acknowledgements
• Sally Jones – City of Bradford MDC
• Ian Beesley – Photographer
• West Yorkshire Low Emission Strategy Group
• Andrew Gillah /Mike Southcombe – City of
York Council
• DEFRA
• DfT Cleaner Bus Technology Fund
• OLEV