Canterbury District Green Party Chair, Prof. Stephen Peckham, had the letter below printed in the Kentish Gazette on 21st April 2016. There was also a long article about the air pollution problem in Canterbury containing an interview with Stephen in the same issue of the newspaper.
Dear Sir
There are major concerns about the proposed traffic plans
being put forward by Corinthian, the Mountfield Park Developers (Gazette April
14). While gridlock and traffic chaos are obvious consequences of what is
proposed, the resultant increase in air pollution also needs to be highlighted.
Canterbury already experiences poor air quality from traffic with a third of
roadside pollution monitors recording levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
higher than the maximum permitted annual level of 40 ug/m3. In addition, many of the sites record levels
that are close to the maximum hourly rate – especially at peak travel times. Traffic
pollution builds up during the week and people living or working close to main
roads are particularly at risk, as are children in schools located next to busy
roads.
In February this year a new report from the Royal College of
Physicians estimated that air pollution causes over 40,000 deaths annually in
the UK as well as contributing to health problems such as asthma, cancer and heart
disease. Children are particularly vulnerable – damage to children’s lungs
occurs at levels well below the national permitted levels. In Canterbury estimates
suggest that air pollution is also responsible for over 100 deaths each year. Moreover, historic buildings are damaged by
air pollution – an important issue given Canterbury’s status as a UNESCO World
Heritage site.
The analysis of traffic increases outlined by the developers
in the South Canterbury – as well as other large developments such as in Thanington
– significantly underestimate future traffic volumes. Contrary to the assurances
given in the air quality report submitted with the planning application for
Mountfield Park, air quality has been getting worse and will continue to worsen
with increased traffic volume, especially in the key access roads such as New
Dover Road, Rheims Way and Wincheap. In 2015 ozone levels exceeded maximum
legal limits on 11 days and NO2 levels increased across many
monitoring sites in 2014. Given the extensive housing and commercial developments
proposed for Canterbury, it is inevitable that air pollution levels will continue
to rise.
While the Local Plan strategy of increasing pedestrian, cycle
and bus use is to be welcomed, the reality is that achieving significant reductions
in traffic requires investment across the whole district, not just in relation
to future housing developments. Reducing
traffic volumes through restrictions and use of alternatives is clearly an
important goal, but attention also needs to be paid to improving roads and
pavements for non-car users, buffering non-car users from traffic and promoting
people-friendly residential roads with 20mph speed limits and pedestrian
priority. Some initiatives that should
be considered before agreeing further developments could include:
·
banning
the most polluting heavy vehicles by creating a low- emission zone within Canterbury,
encouraging public and commercial organisations to switch to low emission
vehicles;
·
better
traffic management including pedestrian and dedicated cycle access for
congested roads and junctions;
·
more
roadside pollution monitoring with the installation of automated monitoring
stations on New Dover Road, Wincheap and Rheims Way to get a clearer picture of
pollution levels and routine measuring of roadside particulate matter levels;
·
increased
buffer planting near schools and housing to reduce pollution exposure;
·
deterring
vehicles from congested areas by providing alternative transport options with
priority access.
It is vital to consider measures to reduce the growing
problem of air pollution before large-scale developments are given the green
light in order to protect the health of Canterbury residents.
Professor Stephen Peckham
Centre for Health Services Studies
University of Kent
