Monitoring zone plan for pollution blackspot

DOZENS of households in an air pollution blackspot in a Yorkshire city are being exposed to concentrations of nitrogen dioxide caused by vehicle fumes which are above the Government’s recommended levels.

The latest bid to contain pollution in York which is linked to scores of premature deaths each year is due to see a new air quality management area (AQMA) introduced in the Leeman Road area.

The most recent monitoring data has indicated about 52 properties in the neighbourhood along Salisbury Road are being exposed to excessive levels of nitrogen dioxide. The respiratory irritant affects vulnerable people such as the young and the elderly, and those suffering from asthma, emphysema and lung disease.

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York Council’s cabinet member for city strategy, Coun Dave Merrett, is expected to approve plans for the AQMA on Thursday in the hope of keeping a close check on the levels of nitrogen dioxide.

Nearly two-thirds of residents who responded to a public consultation urged the council to adopt an option for the most extensive AQMA under consideration to cover Leeman Road, Salisbury Terrace and Garfield Terrace, as well as Livingstone Street, Kingsland Terrace and Water End.

Coun Merrett said: “The council is very aware of the issues surrounding air pollution in the city and we are making every effort to ensure the health of residents is protected.”

York was last year named as the UK’s second-fastest growing city after Milton Keynes and its population has now broken the 200,000 mark, prompting fears over the under-pressure transport infrastructure.

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The council is aiming to cut car use by five per cent within the next three years amid attempts to promote alternative modes of transport, including walking, cycling and buses.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in 2010 that pollution had been linked to an estimated 158 premature deaths in York every year.