Inverness 'falling behind on tackling air pollution' but Highland Council disagrees
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Friends of the Earth has claimed that Inverness is “falling behind” on tackling air pollution in city centre streets – allegations rebuffed by Highland Council
The environmental charity says new data reveals air quality has not improved in Academy Street or Telford Street since 2021 due to council inaction on the issue. and that what is really needed is a Low Emission Zone
Friends of the Earth say “little action has been taken in Inverness” as the local authority could have but did not take advantage of government subsidies for electric buses.
The council, however, argues that the claims are based on out of date pandemic-era data when traffic conditions across the city centre and elsewhere were “abnormal”.
It said that it had since introduced a number of changes to tackle air quality, the impact of which would not be known until monitoring data from last year and 2023 is available.
Controversial proposals are also still in the pipeline that could see traffic access to Academy Street limited to emergency vehicles, public transport and deliveries.
Friends of the Earth says the biggest improvements in Scottish streets in 2022 came in areas with enforced low emission zones.
Well established solutions
Andrew Dallas, a GP at Cairn Medical Practice 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.
“It contributes to lung disease, heart disease, stroke and many other conditions. It also contributes to health inequalities because people in lower income areas are significantly more exposed to air pollution.
“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."
No Highland area exceeds national air quality standards
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."
