Air pollution is an “invisible killer” damaging the lives of people in the North East, an expert has warned ahead of Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) launching.
Monday will see new tolls levied for the first time on certain high-polluting vehicles coming into Newcastle city centre, under a scheme designed to slash illegal levels of emissions. While the charges, which will be as much as £50 per day for some vehicles, have proved controversial for some, a university boffin says the new restrictions are needed to combat what he says should be considered a global emergency.
Anil Namdeo, a professor of air quality management at Northumbria University, compared the toxic fume crisis to the lethal smog that enveloped London in the 1950s – and believes that if the emissions from modern vehicles were visible they would be treated with much greater concern. Calling air pollution the “invisible killer”, Prof Namdeo told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Not many people know about the threats of air pollution because we cannot see it. In the 1950s when we had the problem of smog, people could see it coming out of vehicles and chimneys and knew it was a problem.
Read More: Newcastle Clean Air Zone: What you need to know about new pollution tolls before January 30
“But now the beast has changed, it has become invisible and people do not associate air pollution with health. It is linked to 28,000 to 50,000 per year deaths in the UK alone, globally it is linked to about seven million deaths per year.
"If it was anything else, we would have declared a global emergency. But people do not know much about the air pollution problem and we do not talk much about it.”
On Tyneside, poor air quality is linked to more than 300 premature deaths each year and local councils were ordered by the Government to cut emissions at certain hotspots.
From next Monday, January 30, older and higher-polluting taxis, buses, coaches and HGVs will be subject to tolls of either £12.50 or £50 per day. There will also be tolls coming into force for vans, although these have been delayed until July, but all private cars are exempt.
The plans have been in the works for years, but suffered a number of delays caused by the Covid pandemic, a High Court legal battle, and concerns about the impact that the heavy tolls will have on people and businesses already enduring a cost of living crisis. They were also scaled back from original suggestions that could also have included private cars in the toll scheme.
Prof Namdeo, a regional clean air champion for UK Research and Innovation, admitted that no single solution can solve the North East’s air pollution problem – with a more reliable, cheaper and more efficient public transport network also key. But he said the CAZ was a “step in the right direction”, adding: “It will help the people who are susceptible and vulnerable, such as the elderly, children and people suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular illnesses. It will certainly help them.
“It may not help the wider population in the beginning though, because we are only restricting certain vehicles.”
Petrol vans and taxis that meet ‘Euro 4’ standards are exempt, as are ‘Euro 6’ diesels. All HGVs, buses and coaches must be of ‘Euro 6’ standard to avoid the toll. Newcastle and Gateshead councils say that, as a general rule, the following vehicles should meet the minimum standard and, therefore, be exempt from tolls:
- Taxis – Diesels registered after September 2015, petrol cars registered after 2005;
- Vans – Diesels registered after September 2016, petrol after January 2006;
- HGVs, buses and coaches registered after 2014.
You can check if your vehicle is compliant or not by entering your registration number at gov.uk/clean-air-zones.
Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp said: “The removal of diesel-guzzling vehicles polluting the city centre can only improve things. It is about people’s health, it is about the impact on asthma and the people who die from air pollution every year.”
The Labour councillor said he had “no indication” that the CAZ rules may change to one day include private cars too. In response to concerns about the impact on the taxi trade and city centre businesses, he added: “At the moment this is about trying to deter pollution-giving vehicles coming into the city centre, this is not about affecting trade. We are a vital city centre, we are a regional capital, somewhere people want to come to for work, leisure and play - and we have an excellent public transport system that provides that support.”
Read More:
- 'Bigger, better, and bolder' – Michael Gove's promise as £4.2bn North East devolution deal is signed
- Tyne Bridge restoration cost worries mount after report reveals true state of North East icon's disrepair
- First new Tyne and Wear Metro train hit by 'technical glitch' that halts journey to North East again
- Race to become first North East mayor kicks off as police commissioner enters Labour Party battle
- What comes next in Gateshead leisure centres saga after council presses pause on closure plans
