Highland Council hits back at claims from Friends of the Earth it is doing little to tackle pollution in Inverness
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Highland Council has strongly pushed back against claims made by Friends of the Earth that it is “falling behind on tackling air pollution” on Academy Street in Inverness.
The environmental organisation claims that new data reveals that the city is falling behind on tackling air pollution at the same time other cities in Scotland have improved air quality.
Some of the most polluted streets in Scotland delivered clean air zones and used government subsidies for electric buses but Friends of the Earth say “little action has been taken in Inverness.”
The claims are based on analysis of official air pollution data for 2022 looking at two toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport and the provisional data suggests air pollution around Academy Street barely changed from 2021.
But Highland Council rubbished those allegations stating that data referred to goes back to 2021 and it is impossible to “properly quantify” any changes due to the “abnormal traffic conditions experienced throughout” the pandemic.
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The council added that it has undertaken significant work to reduce pollution on Academy Street including the Rose Street bus gateway which keeps buses away from the city centre while Stagecoach Highland has just introduced all-electric buses.
The impacts of these changes will not be known, the council says, until monitoring data from 2022 and 2023 becomes available.
It has also launched a hugely controversial scheme to cut traffic by around 70 to 75 per cent from the city centre, at great expense to its reputation with local businesses, in part to improve conditions in the city centre.
But Friends of the Earth, while recognising some of these changes, say more work needs to be done as the biggest improvements in 2022 came in Glasgow, which has a Low Emission Zone.
According to the organisation’s figures, the European Ambient Air Quality Directive set a limit for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre and currently Hope Street in Glasgow is the worst with Nitrogen Dioxide Annual mean of 39.24.
Meanwhile, Academy Street sits at 29.31 and Telford Street at 12.84 in 2022 – almost identical to 2021 while other sites referenced show St John's Road sits at 29.26 and Atholl Street in Perth registered 29.15.
Gavin Thomson, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Air pollution from transport is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in Scotland every year, and causes serious heart and lung issues, and not nearly enough is being done in Inverness to prevent this.
“The provisional data show that cities with Low Emission Zones, like Glasgow, are taking steps to lower pollution and protect people’s health. The zones coming to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee will also bring similar improvements. Why isn’t Inverness considering a clean air zone?
“The planned changes to Academy Street are a great step in the right direction but Highland Council needs a vision for the whole city. When it comes to air pollution, we know what works - investing in walking, wheeling and cycling, and taking control of public transport.”
Andrew Dallas, GP at Cairn Medical Practice in Inverness and chair of Highland Healthcare for Climate Action, said: "We know that on days where air pollution levels are higher, we see increased levels of admission to hospital as a result.
“This is yet another health injustice as those suffering most from the effects of air pollution they had little to do with creating it. Despite all this, the quality of our air is not high enough on our agenda and it is frustrating to see little progress being made in Inverness.
“The solutions to this problem are well established. If we create low emission zones, better public transport and better active travel infrastructure we can reduce the health burden of air pollution, reduce our contribution to climate change and enjoy all the well documented health benefits of being more active."
A spokesperson for the Highland Council, said: "The air quality monitoring data mentioned in this report relates to data obtained throughout 2021.
“Due to the abnormal traffic conditions experienced throughout 2020 and 2021 as a result of the Covid 19 response it is not possible to properly quantify what improvements in air quality have resulted from the work that has been undertaken by both the council and its partners since this time.
“This includes for example the completion of the Rose Street bus gateway which has allowed a lot of bus traffic to be diverted away from the City Centre. More recently Stagecoach Highland has also replaced the city’s diesel bus fleet with all-electric buses.
“The resultant improvements in air quality arising from these two improvements and others will not become apparent until the monitoring data from 2022 and 2023 becomes available.
“It should be noted that no exceedances of the national air quality standards have been identified within Inverness, or anywhere else in Highland, and pollution concentrations remain well below the national standards.
“However, Highland Council and its partners are continuing to look at ways in which to help improve air quality within the City Centre.
“This includes, for example, the streetscape proposals for Academy street, promotion of active travel within the city centre and surrounding areas, and increased availability of electric vehicle charging hubs throughout the city."
