59 per cent air pollution drop in Oxford

New data has shown that Oxford city centre has seen a historic 59 per cent drop in air pollution as a direct result of the coronavirus lockdown.

Independent experts from Ricardo Energy and Environment modelled what air quality would have been like without lockdown measures in place and compared this with the actual measurements obtained at sites across the UK. The assessment found a 59 per cent reduction in toxic nitrogen dioxide in Oxford as a direct result of the lockdown measures.

In Oxford, 75 per cent of nitrogen dioxide comes from transport and, with roads clear of congestion, levels are now below the legal limit in Oxford city centre for the first time in generations. To put the reduction into perspective, over the decade to 2019 air pollution levels in Oxford had decreased by 36.8 per cent.

Oxford City Council recently announced that it was exploring a range of measures – including reallocating road space for walking and cycling, and pedestrianising Broad Street – to protect public health, and provide pedestrians and cyclists with more space, as the city centre reopens.

The City Council and Oxfordshire County Council will introduce a Zero Emission Zone, which will see diesel and petrol vehicles discouraged from entering Oxford city centre in stages between 2021 and 2036.

As part of the assessment, Ricardo Energy and Environment utilised data from 29 sites across the UK, including in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton and York. Oxford had the highest percentage reduction in nitrogen dioxide across the sites (59 per cent), followed by Glasgow (55 per cent), Leeds (54 per cent), York (54 per cent), Edinburgh (47 per cent) and Manchester (46 per cent).

Tom Hayes, Cabinet Member for Financial Inclusion and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “Coronavirus has suddenly given British cities cleaner air. Increasingly, those braving Oxford’s empty streets are crying out to clean up our communities, and this City Council is listening to them. Why should we return to pollution-spewing traffic that harms human health when we know the pandemic is preying on people with underlying health conditions?

“Many pavements are so narrow that it’s all but impossible to pass someone on foot without breaching social distancing rules. To keep people safe and lock in this rare upside to lockdown, we need to rethink how much space we give over to cars then rapidly take the right action. We need to act now to protect the right to walk and cycle safely free from the risk of infection, traffic injury, and emissions-belching cars. Now is the time to make our city’s air cleaner for everyone, including the small number who will still need to drive, including our disabled citizens.”