The lowest levels of air pollution since the introduction of Bradford’s Clean Air Zone have been recorded.

It is 12 months since the Government directed Bradford Council to introduce a Clean Air Zone and target illegally high levels of air pollution.

The Clean Air Zone was hailed as a way to help people benefit from cleaner air, reduce the associated health risks of air pollution, and relieve pressure on the NHS.

New data released by Bradford Council shows the district has seen some of the lowest levels of Nitrous Oxide (NO2) since records began. 

This is despite traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels.

CAZ figures in brief

  • The Council’s automatic monitoring sites have provided supplementary data showing that concentrations of NO2 have remained stable at monitoring stations outside the CAZ and continue to be well within the legal limits set by Government.
  • Market Street in Bradford city centre has seen NO2 levels drop from 45 in 2021 to 39 (below the legal limit of 40) in 2022. Bradford Council said the early upgrade of buses and taxis has created improvements in air pollution in this area of the city, where there is a high pedestrian flow.
  • To date, more than 65million journeys have been made through Bradford’s Clean Air Zone
  • When it comes to vehicle upgrades, the non-compliant vehicle journey rate has dropped from 3.6 percent of all journeys in summer 2022 to 1.5 percent at the end of July 2023. This means that, per month, only 1.5 percent of approximately 7million vehicle journeys into the CAZ are chargeable.
  • Compliant vans have increased from 50 percent to 70 percent while larger vehicles like articulated lorries have increased from around 80 percent compliant to 97 percent. 
  • Bradford’s taxi fleet is 99 percent compliant, making it the cleanest fleet in the country and mainly comprised of hybrid electric vehicles.
  • Bus operators now have 317 newly compliant buses, with funding for new electric buses in place for late 2023.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council said: “We all have a moral, environmental, and legal responsibility to make Bradford’s air cleaner and improve the health of our residents and visitors. 

“We want to thank businesses and transport partners who were using the grants available to upgrade vehicles in advance of the launch of the CAZ. It’s good to see these measures translating into improvements in air quality.”

“The number of non-compliant vehicles has fallen due to vehicles upgrades and changes to fleet composition, this improves air quality not just in Bradford but throughout West Yorkshire.

“Grants are still available to Bradford businesses and residents who wish to upgrade non-compliant vehicles along with specific grants to assist taxi drivers to switch to electric vehicles.”

How is money from Bradford’s Clean Air Zone being used?

Bradford Council has launched some projects to improve air quality using money from the Class C+ CAZ.

It has distributed grants worth £20,486,001 to residents and businesses, as of September 2023.

This includes businesses and transport operators taking advantage of grants and investing in upgrades for their vehicles.

Meanwhile other projects include the Clean Air Schools Programme which supports schools in reducing traffic emissions and taking enforcement action against drivers caught idling.

The Council also approved a £500,000 grant programme, offering up to £10,000 to schools for projects such as improved cycling and walking access.