28 September 2015
Green Party councillors are urging Norwich City Council to improve air quality in the city by introducing ultra-low-emission buses. A motion to the city council, which will be presented at the council meeting on Tuesday 29thSeptember, calls upon the council to work with transport partners and bus operators to achieve the Euro 6 standard of ultra-low-emission buses locally within the next five years.
The ‘Euro’ standards, which impose maximum emission levels for new vehicles, have significantly reduced pollution levels since they were introduced Europe-wide in 1993. A bus meeting the latest ‘Euro 6’ standard, which came into force in 2014, emits 95% less nitrogen dioxide than a Euro 5 bus.
Councillor Denise Carlo, who represents Nelson ward and has tabled the motion, said:
“Public Health England estimates that in Norwich in 2010, 5.5% of all deaths of people over 25 years old were associated with fine particulates from diesel vehicles. There may be additional local deaths attributable to nitrogen dioxide which have not been quantified. Diesel vehicles generally emit greater levels of air pollutants as size and engine capacity increase.”
Cllr Carlo added:
“The draft Air Quality Action Plan for addressing poor air quality in the City Centre Air Quality Management Area lacks ambition in specifying compliance with Euro V vehicle emissions standard for buses within three years. Buses built to Euro V standard emit more nitrogen dioxide and particulates and they have been overtaken by the higher Euro VI standards for new buses which came into service from January 2014. If we don’t aim for high vehicles emission standards at this stage, it will take at least a decade to achieve clean-running buses in Norwich”.
