Government ban on petrol and diesel cars ‘doesn’t go far enough’, says UK adviser

Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Professor Frank Kelly, chair of the UK Government’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, says fewer not cleaner vehicles are needed to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis, plus more cycling and walking and better transit systems. The Government recently released its Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, with only electric vehicles available after that.
August 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Professor Frank Kelly, chair of the UK Government’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, says fewer not cleaner vehicles are needed to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis, plus more cycling and walking and better transit systems.


The Government recently released its Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, with only electric vehicles available after that.

Kelly said that, while the ‘switch to electric vehicles is a signal for real change and is the direction we need to go’, the government’s plan, does not go nearly far enough. “Our cities need fewer cars, not just cleaner cars,” he says.

“One issue is that electric vehicles will not sufficiently reduce particulate matter (PM), the other toxic pollutant emitted by road transport. This is because PM components include not only engine emissions, but also a contribution from brake and tyre wear and road surface abrasion. Governments don’t currently pay much attention to PM, but it is in fact highly polluting, with strong links to cardiopulmonary toxicity.”

The UK is one of 17 EU countries breaching annual targets for nitrogen dioxide, a problem which has been made worse by the failure of the European testing regime for vehicle emissions, according to ITM Power. It recently called on the government to provide equivalent financial support for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) infrastructure as it has already provided for plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) infrastructure.

Kelly said he was encouraged by changing attitudes to car ownership. He noted, “Younger Londoners are increasingly replacing little-used vehicles with car club membership and ride-sharing apps.” However, he said we must also champion the value of exercise and continue to make public transport the convenient option.

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • March 5, 2018
    26% of UK respondents expect to buy an alternative fuelled car by 2024
    26% of 2,000 UK car buyers are expecting to purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle within six years, 45% of which cited that electric is better for the environment, according to a study conducted by Motorway.co.uk. The inquiry showed that 11% are planning on selecting an electric car while 15% are prepared to choose a hybrid model. Additionally, 34% said they would transition to electric as they believe these vehicles are cheaper to run, 28% stated that the more advanced technology attracted them, while
    Read More
  • February 19, 2019
    Peak-hour commutes of less than 45 minutes by 2040, says panel
    Nine out of ten peak-hour commutes in Singapore should take less than 45 minutes by 2040, saving the average person around 15 minutes every weekday. This is one of the recommendations that the Land Transport Master Plan’s (LTMP) advisory panel submitted to the government to make public transport more connected, safer and inclusive. The recommendations are based on more than 7,400 responses taken from a public engagement exercise conducted by the Land Transport Authority. The study included feedback fr
    Read More
  • December 6, 2012
    Debating the future of in-vehicle systems
    Industry experts talk to Jason Barnes about the legislative situation of current and future in-vehicle systems. Articles about technology development can have a tendency to reference Moore’s Law with almost indecent regularity and haste but the fact remains that despite predictions of slow-down or plateauing, the pace remains unrelenting. That juxtaposes with a common tendency within the ITS industry: to concentrate on the technology and assume that much else – legislation, business cases and so on – will m
    Read More
  • December 6, 2017
    Mexico City seeks solutions to improve air quality
    David Crawford ponders prospects for one of the world’s most congested and polluted cities. In 1992, the United Nations named Mexico City as the world’s most polluted urban centre. In the first half of 2016, following the updating of pollution alert limits to meet international standards, Mexico recorded 115 days where ozone concentrations exceeded the acute exposure health limit.
    Read More

Highlighted Content