Skip to main content

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."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • C2ES: how electrified transportation can benefit low-income communities
    November 6, 2017
    City officials can help improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and cost savings to cities and their disadvantaged communities through taking steps to speed the deployment of zero- and low-emission electric vehicles (EVs). The findings come from a new brief from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) which provides resources on helping cities evaluate the benefits of electrified transportation. Called “Electrified Transportation for All,” the report covers the expansion of the
  • Germany’ plans subsidies to encourage EV use ‘an interesting move’
    April 29, 2016
    Germany has announced plans to motivate German citizens to buy electric and hybrid vehicles, say news reports, with a plan that the transport ministry hopes will boost sluggish electric-vehicle sales. The plan is expected to cost US$1.35 billion (€1.2 billion), with the government and automakers sharing the cost. Car buyers will receive a US$4,530 (€4,000) discount on electric vehicles and a US$3,398 ($3,000) discount on hybrids. The proposal also includes the installation of more charging stations
  • Airly cleans up with $5.5m funding
    November 18, 2022
    Air quality platform provides data infrastructure to allow cities to reduce pollutants
  • FHWA proposes new performance measures to reduce highway congestion
    April 19, 2016
    The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today released a proposed regulation outlining new performance measures to assess travel reliability, congestion, and emissions at a national level. It calls for an increased level of transparency and accountability in establishing and achieving targets for performance impacting commuters and truck drivers. The measures address the concerns outlined in the USDOT report Beyond Traffic, which examines the trends and choices facing