ITEM CMDT6
CABINET MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT– 4 SEPTEMBER 2008
CHIPPING NORTON AIR QUALITY ACTION PLAN
Report by Head of Transport Introduction
1. An Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) was declared by West Oxfordshire District Council for parts of Chipping Norton town centre on 1 March 2005 under the provisions of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. This was because monitoring had indicated that this area would exceed the Government’s annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The area covered by the AQMA comprises High Street and Horsefair together with sections of adjacent roads (West Street, New Street, London Road and Banbury Road). The main source of the air quality problem was identified as being from road traffic. As such the County Council, as Highway Authority, is required to agree an Action Plan to manage this problem with the District Council for submission to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and to integrate any appropriate measures from that Plan into its Local Transport Plan. West Oxfordshire District Council currently intends to submit a final Action Plan before the end of 2008.
Extent of the Problem
2. Nitrogen dioxide is an indirect by-product of all combustion processes. It forms when oxides of nitrogen from combustion react with ozone in the atmosphere. There is evidence that exposure to high levels of NO2 can inflame the airways in the lungs, although the exposure in Chipping Norton has not been measured at these levels. Over a long period of exposure, though, it can affect how well lungs work; sensitive people, such as those with asthma, can be particularly affected. It can also have environmental impacts such as stunted and stressed plant growth and is a contributor to acid rain formation.
3. The Government’s objective for annual mean level of NO2 is 40mg/m3. The National Air Quality Strategy requires actions to be considered where there are relevant exposures above this objective level. In the case of the annual mean exposure this only relates to residential properties. Monitoring and analysis of air quality by West Oxfordshire District Council has produced contour maps of average exposure in the town in 2006. This showed the highest average concentration predicted in Horsefair to be 61mg/m3. There are 30 residential properties in Horsefair and 26 residential properties in High Street, a significant number of which fall within the areas of exposure exceeding the objective standard; in addition further residential properties in West Street and other roads are also likely to fall within the areas of exposure above the standard. An AQMA was therefore required to be declared. To allow for uncertainties in the prediction process, the boundaries of the AQMA are based upon the predicted 36mg/m3 contour.
4. The main contributor to NO2 emissions is road transport, accounting for about 49% of all UK emissions in 2000. In Chipping Norton, it is estimated that 45 of the 61mg/m3 maximum concentration is probably attributable to traffic in the local area. To reduce the relevant exposure to the objective levels a 47% reduction in traffic emission of oxides of nitrogen is therefore needed (i.e. 100 x(current level – objective level)/proportion attributable to transport). Taking account of the composition of traffic in the area and the emissions profiles of different vehicle types, about 65% of traffic emissions can be attributed to heavy goods vehicles, 20% to cars and vans, 10% to light goods vehicles and 5% to buses.
5. The contribution of road transport to nitrogen oxides emissions has declined significantly in recent years as a result of various national policy measures, particularly with improved emissions standards for new vehicles, and further reductions are expected up to 2010 and beyond. Modelling has been undertaken by West Oxfordshire District Council’s air quality consultants to take account of these trends. These show that, if no actions are taken, the number of properties in the area where the objective would be expected to be exceeded to be “much reduced” but that an AQMA would still need to be in place for High Street and Horsefair. Some caution should be taken with these results as there is some evidence that the forecasts may be optimistic in terms of future emissions reduction.
Causes of the Problem
6. The air quality problem in Chipping Norton is the result of a number of interacting issues: · Traffic levels and lorry numbers are relatively high, but not unexpectedly so given its location on a national Primary Route (see below). · There is a short section where the width of the road is constrained meaning that wide vehicles cannot pass each other and queueing can occur; · Property frontages are close to the roadside with limited footways in places. · The pelican crossing in High Street is in almost constant use throughout the day meaning that traffic flow is interrupted. · The junctions at each end of High Street/Horsefair have restricted geometry and can be the source of congestion.
7. Primary Routes are those A-roads which are nationally designated as the most appropriate route connecting adjacent Primary Destinations. Primary Destinations are usually cities or large towns to which, as a result of their size or location in the road network, a high volume of traffic is expected to go. Oxford and Evesham are designated as Primary Destinations between which a Primary Route is required to be defined. Primary Routes are marked by green-backed direction and route signing as opposed to white-backed signs for non-Primary Routes. Changes to the Primary Route Network are made by the relevant Regional Government Offices.
8. The result of these factors is that Chipping Norton is subject to periods where traffic is at a standstill, often over a large part of the town’s main roads. While these episodes generally only last a short time they occur frequently and can occur at almost any time of the day.
Action Plan Options
9. The National Air Quality Strategy requires councils to investigate a full range of possible measures in the development of an Air Quality Action Plan. District and County officers have worked together over the past eighteen months on possible measures. The measures put forward in the draft Plan included both large and small measures. Of the smaller measures which fall to the County Council to implement, the majority are already taking place: · Promotion of bus strategy, implementation of intelligent transport information, engage with operators to promote procurement of cleaner vehicles & fuel – the premium route to Chipping Norton is currently being implemented, the bus fleet for buses to Oxford and Banbury has recently been improved with lower emission vehicles · Promotion of use of cycles – in line with the recent Cabinet decision a policy statement on cycling is currently being prepared; · Development of school travel plans – all county schools are due to have current school travel plans in place before 2010. While these measures are important in their own right and in terms of meeting other objectives they are likely to have only a limited impact in bringing air quality up to the objective level.
10. A number of possible larger options have been considered in terms of their feasibility, cost, traffic impact and impact on emissions. A draft Action Plan was published in October 2007 by West Oxfordshire District Council outlining which options had been considered. A public exhibition was held on these options in March 2008. The results of this work are summarised at Annex 1 (download as .doc file).(Annex 2 (download as .doc file))
11. From this analysis the option which appears to be the most suitable for inclusion in the Action Plan are measures to control lorry passage through the town. It should be stressed in the Action Plan that all of these measures will require the consent of neighbouring authorities, which cannot be guaranteed, and that the effectiveness of such measures in reducing lorry numbers is variable.
12. The measures will require additional investigation before specific proposals can be submitted for approval. This investigation will include: · imposing an environmental weight limit, including the scope and extent of any limit, costs, timescales and consultation with neighbouring and other affected councils; · the processes involved in alterations to the Primary Route Network and the costs and timescales involved in making any such changes · whether there would be any additional benefits in enforcement terms to supplementing the weight limit with a Low Emission Zone.
13. The results of these investigations would then form a supplement to the Action Plan which would in turn be submitted to government.
How the project supports LTP2 objectives
14. Better air quality is one of the main objectives of LTP2. The Plan states that “where an AQMA is designated and it is established that the main cause is related to traffic, the County Council will work with the relevant District Council to develop an Air Quality Action Plan to address the problem.” In developing the implementation programme for LTP2 priority was given to measures which address problems in designated AQMAs. Chipping Norton air quality measures are included in the current programme of LTP funded schemes.
Financial Implications (including Revenue)
15. Allowance has been made in the Transport Capital Programme for AQMA measures in Chipping Norton. This allows for £250,000 for implementation of Action Plan measures in 2009/10. Detailed costings for the preferred option will be required as part of the further investigations outlined above.
RECOMMENDATION
16. The Cabinet Member for Transport is RECOMMENDED to:
(a) support preparation of an Air Quality Action Plan for Chipping Norton on the basis of measures to reduce lorry movements through the town as the principal action;
(b) request West Oxfordshire District Council to make it clear in the final Action Plan document that the details of any such measures are dependent upon the results of further investigations as outlined in the report; and
(c) authorise the Head of Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport, to approve a final Action Plan document, on this basis, for submission to government by West Oxfordshire District Council.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport Environment & Economy
Background papers: West Oxfordshire District Council: Draft Air Quality Action Plan October 2007
Contact Officer: Roger O’Neill, Tel 01865 815659
August 2008
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