Richmond Council

Council committed to work with others to improve air quality

A new steering group with Richmond Council and community representatives, could be set up to help ensure that measures are put in place to improve air quality across the borough.

As part of a new proposed Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP), the Council is making a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a long-term Air Quality steering group, made up of Councillors, Council officers, businesses and community groups.

The group will ensure that the implementation of AQAP measures is coordinated effectively between relevant council services and external partners.

The proposed AQAP is a statutory document that outlines how the Council will work to improve air quality across the borough.

Other proposals within the plan include:

  • Identifying the key causes of traffic congestion and pollution ’hotspots’ and to determine effective measures for improving traffic flow through those areas using detailed air quality and traffic management modelling tools;
  • Providing guidance to developers on the impact of development on air quality and ensure that approved schemes include effective mitigation and maximise the opportunity to improve infrastructure for sustainable transport options;
  • Encouraging the uptake of low emission vehicles through expansion of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure;
  • Formalising anti-idling enforcement in order to minimise emission from vehicles around key locations such as schools, level crossings, taxi-ranks, air quality focus areas and hot-spots;
  • Continue working with schools, parents and students to improve awareness of air quality and to optimise parents’ and children’s desire and opportunity to adopt sustainable travel options;

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