Bristol reports 10 per cent improvement in air quality

“After securing millions of pounds over previous years to retrofit buses in Bristol, these cleaner vehicles have seen passenger numbers rise despite challenges. And despite fears that air pollution might be displaced across the Caz boundary, it has fallen across our city.”

Diffusion tubes, which monitor air quality at nearly 170 locations across Bristol, have been analysed in a laboratory. Data from these devices published shows that the biggest improvements have been seen at:

• Bedminster Down Road: down 27 per cent (site 418)
• Hotwell Road: down 26.5 per cent (site 555)
• Park Row: down 27.5 per cent (site 597)
• Upper Maudlin Street by the Bristol Royal Infirmary: down 27 per cent (site 665)
• Merchants Road: down 24 per cent (site 254).

This new report follows a technical interim report from the Joint Air Quality Unit (Jaqu) in November 2023, which showed that Bristol had passed the state 1 assessment.

Christina Gray, director of communities and public health at Bristol City Council, added: “Clean air is important in helping reduce the risk of respiratory issues and infections such as asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Air pollution can also contribute to other health issues like depression.

“I am delighted to see that the clean air zone is already making a huge difference to Bristol’s air quality, which will have a positive impact on residents’ health now and in the future.

“Our children, grandchildren, and beyond, will benefit from the cleaner air that we are all delivering through changing vehicle use and our active travel.”

Jaqu’s State 2 Assessment report will follow in summer 2024. This will be the official assessment of the first year of the Caz in Bristol. The four stages for determining if a local authority is achieving success on clean air are as follows:

• State 1 – on track to achieve success
• State 2 – has achieved success
• State 3 – demonstrated to be maintaining success with measures
• State 4 – likely to continue maintaining success in the absence of measures.

Success is defined by national government and means that the measures put in place, for example Bristol’s Caz, are having the desired effect and air pollution will not exceed the annual average legal limit. Once stage four is achieved, the Caz can be decommissioned.

This report is the first annual publication setting out all data related to the operation of the Clean Air Zone. It also includes figures showing that the proportion of drivers paying the Caz daily charge on time has risen by around one-fifth, and shows that the number of penalty charge notices needing to be issued for non-payment of the Caz daily charge has fallen by around one-third since its peak.

Over its first year, after accounting for operating costs, including to the Department for Transport, the Caz generated just under £26.4m.