Parents who keep their car engines running while dropping children off at school could be fined as part of moves to reduce air pollution.
Trafford Council bosses have been asked to approve plans to tackle air pollution in the borough and across Greater Manchester.
The proposals form part of Greater Manchester’s efforts to deal with dangerously high levels of the harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
The government has instructed the region to develop a Clean Air Plan to reduce NO2 on local roads as soon as possible.
Tests show that 152 stretches of roads in Salford are at risk of breaching air quality laws beyond 2020.
Some of Salford’s worst affected areas include Chapel Street, Regent Road, Albion Way, Langworthy Road and Canal Bank in Monton. All these routes exceed 40.1 in the Air Quality Index, exceeding the legal limit.
Trafford Council’s Executive is being asked to agree to the plan at a meeting on Monday, 18th March.
You can’t see air pollution but roadside emissions contribute to the equivalent of 1,200 deaths in Greater #Manchester every year.
Find out more about the city region’s plans to protect your health by cleaning up the air we breathe.
? https://t.co/pfL3Ezu7q9 #CleanAirGM pic.twitter.com/HSivPHdQuO
— Trafford Council (@TraffordCouncil) March 18, 2019
Councillor Steve Adshead, Trafford Council’s executive member for environment, air quality and climate change, said:
“Doing nothing is not an option for Trafford or Greater Manchester. Air pollution is having a significant impact on the health of people in the borough and we need to tackle the issue.
These measures we are proposing will clean up the air we breathe as quickly and effectively as possible, while also protecting people, businesses and the economy in Trafford and Greater Manchester.”
Darren Morgan, headteacher of Kings Road Primary School in Stretford, said he was “pleased to hear” the council are treating the matter seriously.
He added: “We have been saying for a while that climate change is a priority concern for us all, those that are unwilling to play their part should have to face a consequence as a result of their selfish attitude.
“Irresponsibility from a few individuals is a key component in many areas of school life, none-more-so than with traffic outside of schools.
“I will never understand why those who could walk to school, choose to drive, choose to increase risk to life and are willing to affect environmental factors due to what seems to me to be laziness.”
A full business case is hoping to be developed by the end of 2019 and, subject to government funding, measures to tackle the issue would be introduced by 2021.
We asked parents their thoughts on the council introducing this fine:
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