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30
Jul 2020
Knaresborough air pollution still illegal, despite Bond End changes
Air pollution at Bond End in Knaresborough remains at illegal levels, despite a mini-roundabout being put in to cut toxic vehicle fumes.
These were the findings of Harrogate Borough Council's latest air quality report that has been submitted to the government. It tracked levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at various monitoring sites across the district throughout 2019.
NO2 is an air pollutant produced mainly by exhaust fumes and has been linked to myriad health conditions including heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer's.
The UK still adheres to EU legal limits for air pollution stating no monitoring site should exceed 40 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) over the course of a year — which was breached at Bond End in 2019.
Bond End has been a hotspot for congestion for many years, with regular tailbacks towards the River Nidd.
HBC declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for the road in 2010, which the government requires councils to do to try and improve areas with particularly bad air pollution. In September 2018, North Yorkshire County Council replaced traffic lights at Bond End with a mini-roundabout to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic.
There are four sites monitoring air pollution at Bond End which all reported decreases in 2019. However, one remained above the legal limit at 40.47 µg/m3. The other three monitors at Bond End measured 38.6 µg/m3, 31.2 µg/m3 and 24.27 µg/m3 in 2019.
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Across the Harrogate district, the report revealed that air pollution is falling. Concentrations within the Harrogate AQMA at Wetherby Road fell, as did Ripon's AQMA along Low Skellgate, High Skellgate and the junction with Westgate.
During the height of lockdown in March and April, government air pollution monitors reported 50% drops in major towns and cities. However, numbers have almost returned to normal levels since restrictions have eased.
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