Latest news with #CleanAirZone
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Start date for Bradford bike hire scheme 'under review' says council
The start date for an electric bike hire scheme in Bradford, previously expected to be up and running by spring 2025, is "under review", the council has September, Bradford Council approved plans to roll out the scheme across the district with the project being funded through cash raised from the city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) would allow cyclists to hire e-bikes from docking stations and return them to either the same or a different docking station when council said it was in "detailed discussions with a bike share scheme provider" and the launch date was "under review to ensure that we maximise the bike usage when it is launched". According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a spokesperson said the precise location of docking stations would be determined "through consultation with the scheme provider and other key stakeholders".But the authority said the network would be designed to cover "key trip origins and destinations in the main urban area" such as Bradford Interchange, Forster Square Station, Darley Street market as well as the university, colleges and council reports on the scheme had said areas outside the city including Bingley five rise locks, Haworth, and East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley could also be included. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Suspension Bridge shuts to traffic over weekend
Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol will be closed to traffic over the weekend for refurbishments. The city landmark will shut to vehicles and cyclists from 19:00 BST on Friday to 07:00 BST on Monday while lights are installed on its two towers. Pedestrians will still have access, however. The closure will also allow workers to continue painting chains and erect scaffolding, staff said on the Clifton Suspension Bridge website. A diversion will be in place via Bridge Valley Road, Brunel Way and A369 Rownham Hill. Vehicles following the signed route will be exempt from Bristol City Council's Clean Air Zone. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol Bridgemaster Trish Johnson said: "As part of this project to conserve the bridge for many years to come, we need to schedule occasional road closures to carry out works safely." She said cyclists could dismount and push their bikes across the bridge, but said they were requested to avoid using it if possible as only one footway would be open. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Landmark bridge to close for refurbishment Bridge leaving X prompts thousands of comments Landmark bridge gets multi-million pound refurb
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Clifton Suspension Bridge shuts to traffic for one weekend
Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol will be closed to traffic over the weekend for city landmark will shut to vehicles and cyclists from 19:00 BST on Friday to 07:00 BST on Monday while lights are installed on its two towers. Pedestrians will still have access, closure will also allow workers to continue painting chains and erect scaffolding, staff said on the Clifton Suspension Bridge website.A diversion will be in place via Bridge Valley Road, Brunel Way and A369 Rownham Hill. Vehicles following the signed route will be exempt from Bristol City Council's Clean Air Zone. Bridgemaster Trish Johnson said: "As part of this project to conserve the bridge for many years to come, we need to schedule occasional road closures to carry out works safely."She said cyclists could dismount and push their bikes across the bridge, but said they were requested to avoid using it if possible as only one footway would be open.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'We wouldn't let our children drink dirty water. So why do we let them breathe dirty air?'
Once again, Greater Manchester is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Children should not be suffering the brunt of air pollution. The new figures from campaign group Mums for Lungs reveal that, in the past two years, nearly 8,500 children have been admitted to Manchester hospitals or seen by paediatric respiratory specialists for breathing problems. This is shocking. The fact that hospital admissions for young children with respiratory conditions have soared by hundreds in just one year, should be a wake-up call for all of us. READ MORE: Drama as Jet2 flight to Manchester Airport diverted due to 'disruptive passengers' READ MORE: Police update as emergency services flood estate after 'attack' Children like Elliot, whose mum bravely shared her story with the Manchester Evening News, should not be fighting for breath just because they're growing up near a busy road. But this is the harsh reality for thousands of families in the region. In some areas of Manchester, nitrogen dioxide concentrations exceed the World Health Organization's safe limit by more than five times. Air pollution can stunt the growth of children's lungs, worsen existing lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, and cause conditions like lung cancer. Yet despite these shocking statistics, action to tackle air pollution in the city has stalled. Nothing has changed in recent years, because the issue is not taken seriously enough. Urgent action is needed now. Air pollution affects all of us, but it harms the youngest and most vulnerable the most. When babies and toddlers are admitted to hospital in record numbers with respiratory issues, leaders in Manchester should not be complacent. Respiratory illness is keeping children out of school, putting massive pressure on the NHS, and stealing away the carefree early years every child deserves. The government originally told Andy Burnham to get its air pollution under control by 2025. Instead, there has been dithering and delays for years, including the planned Clean Air Zone being scrapped. Manchester residents are now seeing the consequences of that decision. Car ownership in the city is climbing at over twice the national rate, while cities that pressed ahead with Clean Air Zones are seeing sharp drops in polluting vehicles and noticeable improvements in air quality. Greater Manchester's recent clean air plan makes promising commitments about investing in cleaner buses, walking and cycling, and non-charging plans. While these are welcome steps, they don't go far enough. Bold and ambitious action is needed, like in Bradford. The clean air zone there mandates older, more polluting lorries, buses and taxis must pay to drive into the city, leading to a significant decrease in the number of people going to GPs and A&E with respiratory problems and saving the NHS money. Where is this ambition for Manchester? Manchester has historically been a leader of innovation and progress. Yet, in its approach to tackling air pollution it lags behind. This isn't just about buses and taxis, it's about our children gasping for breath in A&E. It's about the 1,200 early deaths a year in Greater Manchester linked to dirty air. Tackling air pollution must move away from the pro or anti car debate, to one that speaks to the public health emergency it presents, and the city's leaders must lead the way. We wouldn't let our children drink dirty water. So why do we let them breathe dirty air? At Asthma + Lung UK, we're calling on the Mayor of Greater Manchester, city councillors and national government to come back to the table, this time with a real plan. A plan that meets not just outdated legal limits, but the standards set by the World Health Organization. A plan that listens to the science and puts people's health above political convenience. The people of Manchester deserve better. Our children deserve better. And they can't wait any longer.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Newcastle's Stephenson Road a nitrogen dioxide pollution hotspot
A city may have to wait 20 years to cut pollution levels to legal limits because of issues with a single Road in Heaton, Newcastle, has high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and difficulties tackling the problem means the city is not forecast to meet targets until as late as 2045 -13 years behind the rest of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said one street could cause an entire area to be considered in breach of legal pollution limits and Tyneside had a particular "localised hotspot".Newcastle City Council identified that as Stephenson Road and said it "remained committed" to tackling its high NO2 levels. NO2 is a toxic gas which exacerbates asthma, impedes lung development and raises the risk of lung response to a parliamentary question, Defra said 13 urban areas in England with a population greater than 250,000 exceeded the annual mean limit value for NO2 in included Tyneside, Greater London and the Bristol urban area. The department said it did not hold "up-to-date detailed modelled projections" on the impact of current policies in reducing NO2 concentrations, but current estimates suggested all failing regions would comply by 2032, except for would meet the target by 2045 at the latest, Defra added.A Newcastle City Council spokesman said Stephenson Road experienced high pollution due to its "topography", as well as it being "a main bus route, busy junction and main route connecting North Tyneside into Newcastle".They also noted nearby residential streets did not exceed legal limits for the pollutant. Pollution trap Prof Margaret Bell at Newcastle University said there could be several reasons why the problem was so bad at this particular addition to the heavy traffic the road experienced, it was also very close to a grade-separated roundabout, she said, which "traps the pollution"."There's no ventilation under that roundabout," she said. "So the pollution will be building up and going out at the sides."Buildings around this "canyon" also sheltered the area from wind, she said, further cutting the level of pollution that could be as the roads at the site are on hills, cars are forced to accelerate which produces more pollution, according to Prof council said it was working with the government's Joint Air Quality Unit to tackle pollution issues on Stephenson Road, but it was not possible to "predict a precise date" when levels would become compliant in Newcastle. The road sits outside of the city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) which was introduced in 2023. The local authority said data published since the launch of CAZ suggested "an overall improvement" in air both Defra and the council said a transition to low emission vehicles should lead to air pollution levels falling city council spokesperson said: "We know that poor air quality is harmful to everyone's health and we remain committed to tackling areas where we are still seeing unacceptably high levels of NO2." Follow BBC Newcastle on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
