Indicators to support 'Air quality and environment'
Improve air quality (reduction of NO2) in identified Air Quality Management Areas (LTP8)
Certain aspects of Bedfordshire’s environment are already under threat. In particular, air quality has reached and exceeded designated threshold levels in three locations within Bedford and Air Quality Management Areas have been declared by Bedford Borough Council. Under current legislation, these AQMAs have to have an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) in place by October 2006 and we are currently working with the Borough Council (the 'declaring authority') to improve air quality on the High Street and Prebend Street in Bedford and at Great Barford.
We have taken advice from Defra and have set a preliminary general target to improve air quality in the identified AQMAs reflecting the fact that the AQAP is not yet agreed or in place and that as the highway authority, we do not have direct responsibility for it. Our target to improve air quality will reduce congestion in the designated areas and will lead to improvements in area wide and local air quality. This reflects the public priorities of improving traffic conditions in poor air quality areas, and supporting the work of AQMA’s. Once the AQAP is agreed and in place, we will set a precise trajectory for this target.
Greenhouse gas emissions from transport
The actions we are taking to improve air quality will also contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from road transport. However, we have not set a target, as our ability to influence this through the LTP is limited. There is a significant risk that, whilst measures to reduce congestion will also reduce CO2 emissions, this will more than likely be offset by the planned growth in Bedfordshire and the increase in through traffic as a result of the national road building programme over the plan period and beyond. The evidence in Chapter 3 on future congestion predictions supports this view.