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

  • Latest annual rail freight figures show the future for rail freight, say campaigners
    June 9, 2017
    The latest annual Office of Rail and Road (ORR) rail freight statistics show consistent expansion in the key consumer and construction rail freight markets with record levels of traffic, according to the Campaign for Better Transport, demonstrating the potential and demand for rail freight services. This year has been a period of transition for the industry as it adjusts to the deep decline in coal traffic.
  • GPS accuracy concern in US
    April 17, 2012
    Pressure is growing in the US over concerns that GPS accuracy could be affected. A coalition has formed that comprises an array of the leading construction equipment manufacturers, GPS technology providers and other concerned bodies including those from the agricultural and airline industries. The coalition claims that up to 3.3 million US jobs could be affected by the threat to GPS accuracy, with an economic impact of some US$96 billion in annual direct economic benefits to the US economy.
  • How can US transportation be ‘re-envisioned’?
    October 17, 2019
    In her address to this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, called for a ‘re-envisioning’ of transportation. Her speech is below – and ITS International asks a number of US experts what they would like to see ‘re-envisioned’…

    I would like to welcome  ITS America to the nation’s capital.

  • Hyderabad seeks comments on ITS master plan
    November 28, 2013
    India’s Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has developed its Comprehensive Transportation Plan-2014 for Hyderabad Metropolitan Area and a draft Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Master Plan and is seeking public comments and suggestions. The Comprehensive Transportation Plan, prepared by consultants LEA Associates, envisages a total investment of US$35 billion over the next thirty years. It includes travel demand forecasts up to the year 2041 and proposes the expansion of Metro Rai