The Chair of TRESA, Geoff Allan, submitted questions about the impact of the Clean Air Zone on Totterdown at a recent meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny management board. Questions were also submitted by our local councillors Ed Plowden and Lisa Stone.
The questions, together with the written answers received, are reproduced in full below.
Questions 1 – 2: Geoff Allan, Chair, TRESA
In relation to the Clean Air Zone, we are aware that a number of issues have been identified, and mitigation measures agreed, for businesses with non-compliant vehicles and people on low incomes.
However, we are not aware of any issues identified, or mitigation proposed, for communities living on
the edge of the clean air zone. As a group representing Totterdown residents, we are particularly
concerned about the impact of vehicles travelling along the A4 Bath Road and A37 Wells Road into Bristol (both key routes), who may look for ways to avoid driving into the clean air zone e.g. rat running in side streets, adding to congestion and poor air quality on other routes e.g. St Johns Lane, and/or parking in side streets and walking/cycling the rest of the journey.
Question 1
Please can you give details of the issues considered, modelling undertaken, and mitigation measures proposed in relation to motor vehicles travelling along the A4 Bath Road and A37 Wells Road into Bristol who may look for ways to avoid driving into the clean air zone?
Officer response
The number of vehicles diverting their trips to roads outside the zone is expected to be relatively small. The council will look to address any issues and work with communities to mitigate unintended negative impacts.
71% of vehicles travelling in the zone are already clean enough and won’t be charged – this percentage will increase as more people take advantage of our financial support to upgrade their vehicles or switch to a cleaner way of travelling. The zone will improve air quality on most roads in the city due to the knock-on benefits of people switching to cleaner vehicles across the whole network. With the options to upgrade, pay the charge or use alternative transport the number of vehicles travelling on roads outside the zone to avoid the charge is expected to be relatively small and this will be mitigated by compliant vehicles diverting away from roads on the outside edge of the zone to go through the zone.
The A4 and A37 have been included within the modelling, however this is a regional model and does not include each individual side road. Designing or developing mitigations for any impacts that the zone may have has not been undertaken at this stage as the modelling suggests that these impacts will be relatively small. We will however be monitoring the impacts and seek to develop mitigations as impacts become apparent.
Question 2
What mechanisms are proposed to enable people in communities at the edge of the Clean Air Zone to report issues of concern and seek remedial action? (For example, could there be a dedicated interactive map, similar to those used for some consultations, where people can pinpoint specific issues and ask for action to be taken?)
Officer response
Residents could use existing channels to report any concerns: raise with their Councillors or contact the Council directly by emailing us at CAZsupport@bristol.gov.uk
We will be keeping the impacts of the implementation of the CAZ under review in terms of routine traffic and air quality monitoring.
Questions 7 – 9: Councillors Lisa Stone and Ed Plowden
Question 7
The Cabinet report says that excess revenue “may” be used to deliver liveable neighbourhoods across the City. There may also be other calls on the excess revenue, especially to mitigate the effects of the CAZ on areas on the boundary of the CAZ which are modelled to experience additional traffic and/or adverse effect on Air Quality. It is good to hear that the unwanted side effects will be monitored and that mitigation “may” or “could” then be considered. It would also be good for residents to be able to input to the monitoring.
Is there a proposed process for deciding what this mitigation may be, including residents input, the range of interventions that may be acceptable and how to prioritise potentially competing claims for the mitigation?
Officer response
Any excess income secured from the charges received by operating the zone has to be used for improving air quality in the city. We will need to monitor the impact of the zone before determining where to implement mitigation measures to manage those impacts. This will include funding public transport, walking and cycling schemes.
Question 8
Residents living on the hill alongside the Three Lamps are understandably nervous about the Clean Air Zone as the A4 and A37 surround them. It is good to see that there will be an improvement in Air Quality, but they already suffer from rat running (420 vehicles in 100 minutes on one count) and commuter parking on their streets. Despite action little has been done in the area. They fear that this may become worse as the immediate area will allow people wanting to avoid the CAZ to join up and make journeys that might have previously gone through along the Bath Road and other roads such as Coronation Rd. The motorists amongst them are also concerned that in order to be able to go to the East along the Bath Road (potentially to connect to the M32) their only option is to travel into and immediately out of the CAZ incurring the full daily fee.
Will long awaiting plans for traffic calming be expedited and any special provision be allowed for these local residents to make the “U turn” onto the Bath Rd?
Officer response
There are no proposals to enable a u-turn to the Bath Rd as part of the clean air plan. This has been looked at a number of times and found to be unviable due to the lack of space and impact on other flows. When the impacts of the CAZ become clear we will seek to implement mitigations to any impacts and work with local Cllrs and communities to design any mitigation schemes.
Question 9
The graphic modelling traffic flows shows no significant difference on the Wells Rd, but the Environmental Assessment lists the Wells Road as one of the 7 areas likely to decline in Air Quality. How is this reconciled in the modelling?
Officer response
Air quality impacts are a mixture of many different factors. The mix of vehicles is as important as the volume of vehicles, the local topography and vehicle speeds/congestion levels. The modelling shows very little difference to traffic flows however there is a small increase whereas most roads experience a small decrease overall. There may also be changes to the mix of vehicles on the A37 due to its location.
Overall, the modelling shows that nowhere outside the zone experiences significant increases in pollution as a result of the zone which cleans up the fleet across the region and therefore benefits all parts of the city.