Malton drivers urged to swap their vehicles for electric cars to cut pollution in town centre

TECHNICAL consultants hired to report on air pollution in two North Yorkshire towns have suggested drivers should scrap their old cars and swap them for cleaner electric vehicles.

Pollution levels in Malton and neighbouring Norton, caused by traffic queues on narrow, traditional streets, are said to be among the worst in the region, and there have been demands for a ban on lorries.

But a report from a firm of international transport consultants, commissioned by Ryedale council officials at a cost of up to £12,000, has recommended instead that local motorists should take the initiative.

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It says owners of “the dirtiest vehicles” should upgrade to cleaner alternatives as soon as possible and that the council “should encourage the uptake of electric vehicles” in the area.

It acknowledges that electric cars currently make up only 0.1 per cent of traffic in the towns.

Malton currently has no public charging points for electric cars, according to the listing website, ZapMap. The nearest is in Pickering, eight miles and a 15-minute drive away.

Ryedale councillor Di Keal, who has campaigned for an HGV ban in the towns, said it was “unreasonable” for a main recommendation of the report to be focused on getting rid of cars.

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She said: “Lots of people would like an electric car but they are far too pricey.”

The report, by the consultancy firm Systra, says the council should work with bus companies, transport authorities and taxi operators “to provide a transport system that supports economic growth while delivering reductions of the main pollutants”.

It adds that the council should launch a “hearts and minds” publicity campaign aimed at discouraging car use, especially the use of older diesel vehicles, in the town centres, and that drivers should be urged to take part in “scrappage” schemes designed to rid the roads of the most polluting vehicles.

It rejects the argument for a ban on heavier vehicles.

But Coun Keal said a ban was long overdue.

She said: “There is growing public concern about traffic congestion and pollution levels and the impact it is having on people walking the streets.”

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She added that a better solution would be to discourage people from driving between Malton and Norton, which are only a few hundred yards apart.

“The key is in reducing the number of vehicles,” she said. “A lot of people would prefer to walk or cycle but they are anxious about the traffic.”

She said the haulage industry, which has opposed an HGV ban in the area, could be made to park lorries on the fringes of the towns and transport goods in smaller vans.

Malton Town Council has supported a clampdown on HGVs in the central area.

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The level crossing on Castlegate, where the York to Scarborough rail line passes through the centre of Malton, is partly blamed for the traffic congestion. The frequency of trains on the line is due to be doubled shortly.

Jill Thompson, a planning specialist with Ryedale Council, said air quality in Malton and Norton was affected by its old buildings creating a “canyon effect”, which made pollution slow to disperse.

She said: “The report identifies a range of responsibilities from a range of people”.

A new slip road from the main A64 at Brambling Fields, east of the towns, had encouraged drivers to avoid the centre of Malton, she added.

The Systra report will now go before county traffic planners.