UK government publishes new air quality plan for consultation

The UK government has published a draft plan to improve air quality by reducing nitrogen dioxide levels in the country. The options now open for consultation on reducing nitrogen dioxide in our towns and cities are designed to reduce the impact of diesel vehicles, and accelerate the move to cleaner transport. Local authorities are already responsible for improving air quality in their area, but will now be expected to develop new and creative solutions to reduce emissions as quickly as possible, while avoid
May 8, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The UK government has published a draft plan to improve air quality by reducing nitrogen dioxide levels in the country. The options now open for consultation on reducing nitrogen dioxide in our towns and cities are designed to reduce the impact of diesel vehicles, and accelerate the move to cleaner transport.


Local authorities are already responsible for improving air quality in their area, but will now be expected to develop new and creative solutions to reduce emissions as quickly as possible, while avoiding undue impact on the motorist.

The government is consulting on a range of measures that could be taken to mitigate the impact of action to improve air quality.

In line with the timetable directed by the Courts the government is seeking views on these proposals in advance of preparing its final plan for publication by 31 July. All final decisions will be taken by the incoming government.

This consultation will run until 15 June.

Following the news, Ozgur Tohumcu, chief executive officer of 8615 Tantalum Corporation said:
“It is good news that the Government is taking further action to reduce the 40,000 annual deaths linked to air pollution. They are now talking about up to 15 Clean Air Zones, which could charge a total of 4.4 million cars alone. If the Government pushes forward with an old-fashioned camera based system it will cost billions in compliance and enforcement. Tantalum’s Air.Car service, charges on the actual environmental impact of the individual vehicle and how it is being driven. Air.Car delivers emission reductions cheaper and faster and allows drivers to control how much they pay through better driving habits. The Government is right to be concerned about onerous so-called ‘pollution taxes', and Tantalum’s Air.Car solution would drive down emissions in a smarter and fairer way, putting individual motorists in charge and delivering emissions reductions more cost effectively."

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Plug-in vehicles set to increase in popularity
    January 11, 2016
    The demand for plug-in vehicles (PIVs) has increased in the UK over the last number of years, says UK Construction Media. According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the number of electric car registrations has increased substantially over the past 12 months. An average of 2,400 electrical vehicles was registered per month in 2015 compared with just 500 at the beginning of 2014. It is estimated that the total number of electrical vehicles on the UK roads total
    Read More
  • Arup picks 8 ways ITS can save the planet
    January 6, 2022
    The solutions we need to accelerate carbon-free transport are known, available and ready to be deployed. Tim Gammons from Arup explains what the ITS industry can do now to help…
    Read More
  • We need to talk about AVs
    October 15, 2021
    Will driverless vehicles lead to more deaths and destroy more lives than their manual counterparts? Transport writer Colin Sowman argues that they will
    Read More
  • Jenoptik mulls road user charging post-Covid
    October 8, 2020
    The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the transport sector showed a significant reduction of traffic, greenhouse emissions and air pollution all over the world. However, as the economy recovers, traffic, emissions and air pollution are expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels or may become even worse.
    Read More

Highlighted Content