Wraps taken off five-year plan to tackle air pollution
A new five-year plan to improve air quality and tackle pollution in the borough has been published.
The Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) has been produced by Dudley Council as part of the authority’s legal duty to monitor and report on air quality.
It covers the period up to 2029 and outlines the steps the council intends to take in order to cut harmful emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas and particulate matter (PM10 & PM 2.5)
The report reveals air quality has improved “significantly” in the borough since 2016, when there were 15 areas which exceeded national air quality objectives. In 2023 there were only two areas remaining which exceeded the guidelines, the report says.
The plan has a number of key priorities, including improving infrastructure to allow more journeys to be taken by public transport, on foot or via bicycle.
The plan also suggests encouraging the adoption of low emission transport, such as electric vehicles, and making the public more aware of the health risks of air pollution.
Work to improve the borough’s green infrastructure is already underway, with a new public transport interchange, the West Midlands Metro extension and more electric vehicle charging points set to arrive in the next 12 months.
The report also cites work using funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to retrofit all buses in the borough to meet standards for exhaust emissions.
Councillor James Clinton, cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said:
“Air pollution is recognised as a contributing factor in the onset of serious life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and cancer.
“As a council we are committed to reducing the exposure of people in the borough to poor air quality to protect health.
“We would like to thank West Midlands Combined Authority and Transport for West Midlands for all the help and assistance they have given so far.
“This action plan will build on the excellent foundations laid by the previous one and we hope to be achieving all our national air quality objectives by the time it comes to an end.”