A public health crisis on streets
I’m not prepared to put my family at risk on Scotland’s polluted streets. Scotland now has 38 air pollution hot spots where air pollution is at illegal levels. This is a public health crisis!
Air pollution is responsible for around 2500 deaths across the country every year and also adversely effects those with lung and cardiac issues.
The First Minister recently announced funding to tackle air pollution in Scotland’s four biggest cities, with Glasgow set to introduce the first Low Emission Zone next year.
I have previously challenged Scottish ministers over a lack of action on air pollution from traffic, with the number of air quality zones in Scotland where pollution limits are regularly broken having risen to 38 by January 2017 – five more than last year.
Naturally I welcome the investment to tackle this problem in our biggest cities, but air pollution is not confined there and needs to be tackled elsewhere too.
Perthshire is home to two of Scotland’s Air Quality Management Areas; High Street in Crieff and Atholl Street in Perth. It is vital that the Scottish Government ensure that sufficient resource is provided to tackle poor air quality here too.
The solutions implemented in Glasgow and Edinburgh are unlikely to be suitable for Crieff and Perth, therefore it is also important that the government provide Perth and Kinross Council with the appropriate funding and technical support to allow them to tackle this silent killer.
In recent months I have managed to push air quality up the political agenda and I am pleased that the Scottish Parliament’s Environment and Climate Change Committee, of which I am a member, will be undertaking Scotland’s first inquiry into this serious issue.
There are a number of steps that can be taken to help tackle air pollution. Local councils must seriously assess the impact new developments have on air pollution, so we don’t see any more ludicrous decisions like the recent granting of a large scale housing development in Scone which could have serious implications for air quality in the area. We must also encourage investment in sustainable transport by increasing investment in rail and bus travel, rather than new roads, and increasing opportunities for people to walk and cycle safely.
I have brought forward a proposal for a Safer Streets Bill in the Scottish Parliament. This will change the default speed limit in residential streets from 30mph to 20mph making the streets we live, work and play on safer for everyone.
Research shows that 20mph limits in residential streets reduces fatalities from vehicle collisions. But also reduces air pollution. With cars travelling slower people are also more inclined to cycle. My proposal would end the current patchwork of 20mph zones throughout the country.
In some areas, such as Clackmannanshire, almost every residential street is already 20mph yet others, like Falkirk, have no 20mph zones. It is important to stress however that I am not prosing a blanket 20 limit. Councils would still have the power to keep roads at 30mph where they felt this was appropriate.
I hope to bring my bill before parliament in the coming months.
Constituents can contact me via email mark.ruskell.msp@parliament.scot or phone on 01786 448 203. You can also catch my speeches, campaigns and other work on Facebook – Mark Ruskell MSP – Scottish Greens and on Twitter @markruskell
This article first appeared in the Strathearn Herald