Council draws up list of measures to tackle air quality problems

ELEVEN measures have been put forward by a council in a bid to combat bad air quality.

Improving walking and cycling infrastructure, bus and ferry ticketing discounts and a clean air zone with charges for certain vehicles are just some of the actions Fareham Borough Council is looking to take to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide on the A27.

Tim Pratt from Fareham and Gosport Friends of the Earth said: '˜There is some really positive stuff in there and it is great to see there is a focus on improving walking and cycling lanes.

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'˜I am also surprised that clean air charging zones are on there as when we brought this up to the council before they were quite negative about it.'

Fareham and Gosport Friends of the Earth have recently been undertaking their own Clean Air poll to find out the concerns of people in the local area.

Tim said: '˜The majority of people have issues with the numbers of new developments being built or planned and I don't know if the council has considered this within this list of measures because the number of cars that will bring will add to the problem as well.

Another measure the council is considering is increasing the provision of Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCP) within car parks and key destinations.

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Tim said: '˜I think the council has a great opportunity to kick start the electric vehicle market by installing more charging points because range is a concern many potential buyers have.

'˜However in our clean air poll, EVCP was a least favourite option in terms of a solution to our air problem but I think if there are more visible charging points then it would be something people are more likely to consider.'

Executive member for health and public protection, Councillor Trevor Cartwright said: '˜We have been working in different measures for a long time now and we put up cameras around the borough so we could get a better understanding of the vehicles we are dealing with.

'˜The clean air charging zone is definitely a last resort and it would not be a popular choice.'

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If approved by the council's executive on Monday, a public consultation will take place for six weeks from September 4.

Tim added: '˜A public consultation is a great idea and it is really important to get the views of the people but it sounds as though the council have already made up their mind.'