[cleanairuk_news] Air pollution stops road expansion in Manchester - M60 Motorway (correction: not M62)

Mon Nov 25 11:09:02 GMT 2013

*Correction: previous email should have read M60 and *NOT M62* - apologies.*

Contents:

1)  Highways Agency Says Motorway Pollution Too High - Breathe Clean Air Group

2)  M60 expansion plans too damaging to public health - Campaign for
Better Transport

3) Manchester smart motorway: variable mandatory speed limits -
Highways Agency

---------------

*1) Highways Agency Says Motorway Pollution Too High*

(from
http://www.breathecleanairgroup.co.uk/highways-agency-says-motorway-pollution-too-high/) on 24  
November
2013

Members of the Breathe Clean Air Group attended the public
consultation on the future of the M60 motorway between junctions 8 at
Sale and 20 at Rochdale, held at the George H. Carnall Leisure Centre
last weekend. The proposals concerned improving motorway travel by
converting the hard shoulder to an extra traffic lane.

“The Agency admitted that nitrogen dioxide air pollution caused by
traffic fumes was already 50 percent above the regulated maximum,”
said Pete Kilvert, Chairman of the group, “and we understand that they
will be scrapping plans to install the extra lane between junction 8
at Sale and 18 at the M66 junction near Prestwich. It seems that
limiting the speed of vehicles along this already busy section is the
answer to controlling exhaust emissions pollution”.

The Breathe Clean Air Group has been campaigning to improve air
quality for over three years since the announcement to build the
Barton Renewable Energy Plant. Trafford Council rejected the plant,
but a public Inquiry in November last year ruled in favour of the
plant. Now Trafford Council has appealed against that ruling.

“The major polluter in this area is the motorway,” said Pete Kilvert,
“but any additional air pollution is taking us in the wrong direction.
Proposed developments such as the Biomass waste incinerator and the
Coal Bed Methane extraction plant (Fracking) in Davyhulme will not
only add extra nitrogen dioxides to the motorway pollution, but other
nasties as well such as heavy metals, Particulate Matter, dioxins and
benzene, all of which can cause cancer.

The Breathe Clean Air Group is concerned about the five Trafford
schools that are within yards of the motorway and in the fall-out zone
of the proposed waste incinerator and fracking plant. It is well known
that children’s lungs are not fully developed and are susceptible to
air pollution. Children exercise more, and breathe in more than
adults. Any air pollution that settles on the school playing areas
will be kicked up and breathed in. “That is why we must reduce air
pollution,” added Mr Kilvert, “to protect the next generation as well
as the current population”.

----------------

*2) M60 expansion plans too damaging to public health*
14 November 2013

Campaigners have welcomed the shelving of plans for more lanes on a
section of the M60 in Greater Manchester.

Launching a consultation on plans for the M60, the Highways Agency has
ruled out hard shoulder running between junctions 8 and 18 because of
the detrimental impact it would have on air quality. The Agency’s
environmental assessment concluded that allowing more cars to use the
road between Sale and Swinton would breach UK and EU standards
protecting public health and the natural environment.

Alan Andrews, environmental lawyer at ClientEarth said

"The Highways Agency deserve credit for getting this one right. Air
pollution in Manchester is already way above legal limits, and it’s
the same story in towns and cities throughout the UK. That’s why we’ve
been fighting a three year legal battle with the Government, which
finally resulted in the Supreme Court ruling that the UK was breaking
the law earlier this year. It seems that ruling is starting to have a
real effect on the ground."

Alan Andrews continued

"All arms of government have a legal duty to ensure these limits are
met as soon as possible. That means that at the very least they can’t
do anything which makes air quality worse."

Sian Berry, coordinator of Campaign for Better Transport’s Roads to
Nowhere campaign said

"With this decision the Highways Agency has explicitly acknowledged
that laws designed to protect peoples' health and the environment
prevent them from opening the hard shoulder to extra traffic."

Sian Berry continued

“Dropping plans to widen this section of the M60 is great news for
everyone who lives near the road. This should be a precedent-setting
decision by the Highways Agency. Public health should always be put
above cramming yet more cars onto our roads. The Government wants to
pour billions into new road building and we need proper scrutiny of
the impacts this will have on health and our environment.”

This decision could have repercussions for a number of other
contentious road schemes where potential health impacts have already
been identified. These include:

A14 Cambridgeshire - Proposals include plans for new lanes to be added
to the existing road in areas already identified as being close to
legal limits

A556 Knutsford bypass - The Highways Agency's environmental assessment
of the proposed bypass identifies a 'significant adverse' impact on
air quality including passing environmental thresholds.

Silvertown Tunnel / Gallions Reach Bridge - plans would push more
traffic into areas of London with some of the worst air quality in the
UK.

Notes

1. The Highways Agency’s announced it has shelved plans to allow hard
shoulder running (sometimes referred to as Smarter Motorways) in
consultation document M60 junction 8 to M62 junction 20 Smart Motorway
– Consultation document for statutory instrument.

Page 10 of the document contains the following statement:

“We looked extensively at the option to provide all-lane running on
the M60 section between junctions 8 and 18. However, our environmental
assessment concluded that creating this improvement would result in an
increase in traffic using the motorway which would then have a
detrimental affect [sic] on air quality. Poor air quality is a concern
for the UK and across much of Europe, despite air being cleaner now
than at any time since the industrial revolution.

There are UK and European standards designed to protect human health
and sensitive ecological habitats which we cannot ignore; as a result
we are unable to take this proposal of making the hard shoulder
available to traffic on this section at this time. We are committed to
delivering solutions to minimise the air quality impacts resulting
from traffic using our network and are working to develop further
solutions that will help improve this section of our network that
comply with statutory air quality limits.”

The full Highways Agency document can be accessed on the www.gov.uk website.

2. On 1 May 2013, Client Earth won an appeal to the UK Supreme Court
over air pollution, with the Court finding the Government in breach of
article 13 of the EU Air Quality Directive.

Details of EU air quality standards are set out on the ec.europa.eu website.

Recent medical studies have highlighted the impact road traffic
emissions can have on human health, including causing some cancers and
low birth weights.

3. Campaign for Better Transport is the UK's leading authority on
sustainable transport. We champion transport solutions that improve
people's lives and reduce environmental damage. Our campaigns push
innovative, practical policies at local and national levels. Campaign
for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).

4. ClientEarth is an environmental law organisation

-----------

*3) Consultation : Manchester smart motorway: variable mandatory speed limits*

(From:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/manchester-smart-motorway-variable-mandatory-speed-limits)

Organisation:
      Highways Agency

Page history:
      Published 12 November 2013

Policies:
      Making roads safer and Managing, improving and investing in the
road network

Minister:
      Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport

This consultation closes at 6 February 2014 23:45

Summary

Consulting on draft regulations for implementation of variable speed
limits on the M60 junction 8 and M62 junction 20

Documents
M60 junction 8 to M62 junction 20 smart motorway: consultation
document for statutory instrument
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255525/M60_J8_-_M62_J20_MMM_Consultation_Document_SI_November_final_061113_1030_doc__attachment_.pdf
(PDF, 1.83MB, 40 pages)
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request a different format.

If you use assistive technology and need a version of this document in
a more accessible format please email ha_info at highways.gsi.gov.uk
quoting your address, telephone number along with the title of the
publication ("M60 junction 8 to M62 junction 20 smart motorway:
consultation document for statutory instrument").
Consultation description

Draft regulations regarding implementation of variable speed limits
between M60 junction 8 (Carrington spur) and M62 junction 20 (A627M
Oldham and Rochdale). The Highways Agency aims to relieve congestion
in this area by using technology to vary the mandatory speed limits.
We are keen to hear your views on how the draft regulations could
affect you, your organisation or those you represent.
Ways to respond

Respond online: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SV7J3L3

or

Email to:
      manchestersmartmotorways at highways.gsi.gov.uk
Write to:
      Jacqui Allen
      Senior Project Manager
      Highways Agency
      Piccadilly Gate
      Store Street
      Manchester
      M1 2WD

Published:
      12 November 2013

Organisation:
      Highways Agency
Policies:
      Making roads safer
      Managing, improving and investing in the road network
Minister:
      Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport