A briefing has been issued by the City Council on air quality in the City.
In 2012 a number of monitoring sites exceeded permitted levels of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and this is thought to be caused by traffic:
- 24 of the 48 monitoring sites exceeded the permitted annual mean for NO2 (20 were in the central area, 1 was on the Northern by-pass and 3 were at Green Road Roundabout).
- 10 of the 48 monitoring sites exceeded the hourly mean for NO2 (all in central area).
NO2 is mainly derived from road traffic and levels in Oxford’s air have not reduced as much as predicted. This is believed to be due to the failure of diesel exhaust emission systems to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions as specified by vehicle manufacturers, when used in urban driving conditions.
Our concern about poor air quality has been increasing since Super Output Area data revealed significantly higher results in the Windmill Road area. We have requested more specific data , and will publish this on receipt.
The Oxford Area Strategy, which forms part of the Local Transport Plan is available here It is well worth a read as it makes many references to Headington. The up and coming Neighbourhood Plan will seek to improve the environmental well-being of those who live and work in Headington – this document is a good starting point.
An Air Quality Action Plan has been produced (July 2013) and public consultation starts on the 17th July and will run till the 17 September. The plan highlights the need for an integrated approach to reducing emissions that impact on air quality and contribute to climate change. The overall objective of the plan is to: “Pursue the achievement of air quality standards and objectives across the city, and reduce carbon emission from transport activity”’.
Individuals and groups will be able to respond to the consultation on this plan through the Council’s on-line consultation portal , or by visiting the Council’s customer contact centre at St Aldate’s Chambers.
The consultation will run from 17 July until 17 September.