Green MEP calls for action on air pollution as public transport costs rise

A UK Green MEP has attacked the failure of consecutive UK governments to take action on air pollution, while public transport costs continue to rise. Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, says new government figures released in response to a written question by Caroline Lucas MP, show the cost of motoring, including purchasing a vehicle, has fallen by 20 per cent since 1980, while rail fares have risen by 63 per cent and bus and coach fares are up by 64 per cent. According to a report by the Royal Col
May 4, 2017 Read time: 1 min
A UK Green MEP has attacked the failure of consecutive UK governments to take action on air pollution, while public transport costs continue to rise.


Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, says new government figures released in response to a written question by Caroline Lucas MP, show the cost of motoring, including purchasing a vehicle, has fallen by 20 per cent since 1980, while rail fares have risen by 63 per cent and bus and coach fares are up by 64 per cent.

According to a report by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, around 40,000 deaths each year in the UK are attributable to exposure to outdoor air pollution.

The High Court has ruled that the government must reveal its plans for tackling air pollution by 9 May.

Urban Traffic Control Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Charlotte, NC: looks like we’re walking
    November 7, 2022
    Charlotte is committing to ambitious Vision Zero targets and has a plan for modal shift which emphasises active travel in the North Carolinian city
    Read More
  • IAM calls on government to increase targeted enforcement
    June 4, 2015
    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is urging the new government to increase its efforts in promoting road safety by giving targeted enforcement a higher priority. With the yet-to-be-revealed figures for 2014 shaping up to show an increase in deaths and injuries on UK roads, the IAM believes the new government must make road traffic policing a core priority function for police forces and commissioners in England and Wales. The call comes following a survey conducted by the IAM throughout April 2
    Read More
  • Survey: Majority of UK public remains worried about global warming
    August 4, 2015
    A new survey of over 2,000 members of the public by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and ICM Unlimited has found that 57 per cent of the public are worried about global warming, with 14 per cent saying they were ‘very worried’. The poll found that 64 per cent of people think global warming is already a problem now, while 70 per cent said they think global warming will be a problem in 20 years’ time. The main issues the respondents said they were worried about were flooding and sea level rises (63
    Read More
  • Continental: US road deaths are ‘public health crisis’
    June 6, 2019
    The 40,000 deaths on US roads last year amount to a ‘public health crisis’, according to Continental North America’s president Jeff Klei. Giving the opening keynote address at ITS America’s 28th Annual Meeting & Expo, Klei said: “If you could save 40,000 lives a year, would you? We believe this situation needs to be treated with the same priority as other health crises in this country.” But help is at hand, he said. The concept of ‘Vision Zero’, where there are no fatalities from crashes, “seems a lon
    Read More

Highlighted Content