Two Birmingham Clean Air Zone areas with air pollution ‘challenges’

Birmingham’s CAZ was launched in 2021 as part of the city council’s plan to tackle poor air quality and lessen the risk to public health.

A council report on the impact of the Zone touched on some of the huge challenges which faced the council, saying: “Birmingham has had some of the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) ‘exceedances’ outside of London.

“It has been estimated poor air quality has been responsible for around 900 premature deaths in the city each year.

“It also makes many existing health conditions worse and disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable citizens, including children.”

The report, which summarised air quality data from 2023, said positive progress had been made in the city council’s fight for cleaner air.

“The CAZ continues to be the single biggest intervention by the council to address the issue of poor air quality – specifically nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – and this scheme appears to be discouraging vehicles that do not meet its emissions standard from entering the Zone,” it said.

“This change is contributing to an overall reduction in the levels of NO2 in the city centre.”

But the report acknowledged there are two city centre areas within the Zone, and three locations on the A4540 Middleway, with ‘ongoing exceedances’ of the legal limit of NO2.

1) Moor Street Queensway

On one of the areas, Moor Street Queensway, the report said: “The Moor Street area is dominated by high volumes of bus traffic.

“It is understood the area is the busiest bus interchange in the West Midlands with over 60 million bus trips per year.”

It continued: “It is clear a number of the exceedances of 40μg/m3 in this area are being generated through the very high volume of bus traffic, with other vehicle categories being relatively small.”

It said the Clean Air Zone team was working closely with Transport for West Midlands to find ways of accelerating the adoption of zero emission buses operating in the area.

“Inevitably, the benefits of such an intervention in this part of the city would bring benefits to other parts of the city where these buses operate,” it said.

2) The A38 (St Chads Queensway)

According to the report, issues around A38 (St Chads) surround the ‘complex road system’ between the A38 and the A4400, formed of eight lanes of traffic, slip-roads and tunnels.

“It should be noted that in this section of the A38 (St Chads) there is a significant gradient which would put additional pressure on vehicle engines,” it said.

“Furthermore, there are a number of large buildings along the road length that may contribute to a ‘street canyon’ effect, thereby preventing the dispersal of pollutants.

“All of these factors play a part in causing the elevated levels of NO2 in this area.”

Stephen Arnold, head of the Clean Air Zone, told a council meeting this month the area around St Chads wa “very, very close to the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide”.

“So that’s really positive,” he said. “But there is still some additional work we think we can do in that area to help achieve compliance.”

Ideas being explored to improve the air quality situation in the area included improving the traffic flow; reducing the volume of vehicles through proposed changes to the A38; and decreasing the risk of human exposure to air pollution, which could involve green infrastructure.

3) A4540 Middleway

There were also three locations on the A4540 Middleway, outside of the CAZ, with ‘exceedances’ of the legal limit:

• Dartmouth Middleway

• Watery Lane Middleway

• Islington Row Middleway

The report said there had been an improvement in the ‘Euro Class standard’ of vehicles travelling on the stretch of road since the introduction of the CAZ.

But the Clean Air Zone team was still exploring options, including improving the traffic flow and reducing exposure.

Speaking at a transport scrutiny meeting this month, cabinet member Majid Mahmood said the council was looking to develop “robust responses to challenges” around the two areas in the CAZ, as well as the three locations on the A4540 Middleway.

He said the revenue the council made from the scheme was “carefully considered and reinvested in long-term strategic transport projects only” and supported the delivery of the Birmingham Transport Plan.