Care4Air - In My Area

The consultation period associated with the publication of the Action Plan to reduce air pollution concentrations adjacent to the M1 motorway came to an end on April 30th. The action plan has been drafted in response to the declaration of an Air Quality Management Area along the M1 in Barnsley, due to raised concentrations of the polluting gas nitrogen dioxide.

Barnsley Council’s Pollution Control section will now take on board comments received from the Government, the Highways Agency and local stakeholders in order to shape the future direction of the Plan.

The Council’s Pollution Control section is also currently working on the next stage of the continuing process of assessing the Borough’s air quality. This work will look closely at pollution levels at congested road junctions in the Borough, the findings of which will be available during the summer.

The airborne pollutants that will be assessed at these junctions are the gas nitrogen dioxide, and fine inhalable particles. Traffic emissions contribute to increased concentrations of both these pollutants.

This work has raised the awareness of air quality within the Borough. In response to this, the Council is developing its own air quality web site, which will form part of the official barnsley.gov.uk website. Barnsley’s air quality information will also be viewed on the town centre South Yorkshire Communities Online Project information kiosks, and it is hoped to be available eventually on interactive digital TV. The site will be online shortly, and will also be linked to the care4air website.

Ken Eastwood, the Council’s Environmental Protection Unit Manager, said, “I am pleased that we are able to make information and advice on air quality publicly available in this way and I very much hope that this will lead to raised awareness of the issues and the actions will can all take to improve air quality locally.”

In the meantime, information on the Borough’s air quality can be obtained form the Council’s Pollution Control section, by ringing 01226 772458 (e-mail pollutioncontrol@barnsley.gov.uk). Further details on air quality work in Barnsley will be broadcast on the Care4Air website in the coming months.

Live comfortably and protect the environment. This is the message from Doncaster Councils Energy Team.

Doncaster Council’s Energy Team, who administer the South Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (SYEEAC, a partnership between Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley and Sheffield Councils) are a driving force in energy efficiency and carbon reduction.

Doncaster Council believes that it is everyone’s right to live comfortably in their homes without fear of the next fuel bill. The Save’n’Warm scheme was set up in 2002 to assist householders throughout South Yorkshire purchase energy efficiency measures at heavily subsidised prices.

To improve the environment and air quality through carbon reduction is the main target of the Save’n’Warm scheme as well as reducing householders fuel bills. The requirements of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1996 are demanding but achievable and the Save’n’Warm scheme is a considerable contribution to this target. The scheme has maximised partnership funding to provide the most affordable and effective energy efficiency measures.

Over the past 2 years the Save’n’Warm scheme has enabled over 5,500 households to reduce their fuel bills, improve air quality and the environment.

Doncaster Councils Energy Team is working collectively with various organisations across the region in an effort to ensure that energy consumption is reduced, that harmful carbon dioxide emissions are reduced and that the residents of Doncaster save money on their heating and hot water bills.

Doncaster’s Energy Team (South Yorkshire EEAC) acts as a ‘one stop shop’ for information on grants, schemes and energy efficiency advice for all South Yorkshire residents.

The SYEEAC provides training / energy awareness sessions, presentations, DIY Home Energy Checks, insulation grants and free impartial energy efficiency advice all in the attempt to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

The scheme will assist all those householders that do not qualify for the governments Warm Front grant.

For grants on cavity wall and loft insulations and discounts on condensing boilers please contact the South Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre free on 0800 512012. (The South Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre is part funded by the Energy Saving Trust).

Air pollution has been a concern for the people of Rotherham for many years. The Council has actively monitored air quality since the 1950s. The Council has regulated air pollution from domestic sources through the introduction of smoke-controlled areas, and Local Air Pollution Control of certain industries, to improve the environment.

A number of Council initiatives are taking place, which over the next few years will result in the further safeguarding of the air we breathe.

Automatic air monitoring has been in place since 1995 in Rotherham Town Centre, and the network has gradually expanded since this time to 8 automatic sites and around 70 non-automatic sites.

The air quality data is used by Environmental Services to inform the Review and Assessment of air quality of the Borough, which is undertaken as part of the Government’s National Air Quality Strategy.

The Council has declared two Air Quality Management Areas, where it is likely that the Government’s health based objectives for levels of air pollutants will not be met.

The Council produced an Air Quality Action Plan in partnership with the M1 Corridor Clean Air Partnership in 2003.

The Council has worked with Wentworth Primary Care Trust during 2003 to improve the air quality and health of residents in Brampton Bierlow.

The Council is a partner in the South Yorkshire Vehicle Emissions Testing programme.

The recycling and composting of waste are being promoted by the Council through initiatives such as the ‘Blue Box’ scheme, which is being rolled out throughout the borough, and a trial of 12,000 ‘green’ bins for the collection of garden waste.

Air quality knows no boundaries so here is where you can find out about actions and initiatives that are happening across our region.

SYVET – South Yorkshire Vehicle Emissions Testing Partnership
Roadside emissions were carried out across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield by the SYVET partnership from May to December 2003. In addition emissions testing was carried out at exhibitions and shows across the region to publicise the work of the Partnership and to promote the need for clean vehicles. The main findings were that around 17% of all vehicles tested filed the MOT standard . For further details see www.syvet.com

Public Transport

Using your car less, where possible using alternatives like walking, cycling and public transport benefits air quality. South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and the 4 local authorities are working closely to achieve better quality public transport for all.

Go here for...

Bus and Rail timetables www.sypte.co.uk
Park and Ride Sites www.sypte.co.uk
Supertram routes and times www.supertram.com

SYtravelwise
South Yorkshire’s travelwise website www.sytravelwise.net. A one-stop shop for everyone's travel needs and help with your transport choices. Whether you live in the county, are a visitor or are just passing through, there will be something of interest for you here. Travelwise is a national campaign that aims to promote travel choice. It encourages individuals and organisations to think about their mode of transport, why they travel and if there are any possible alternatives that could be considered. Covers cycling, walking, public transport, car sharing, motoring ,travel planning , travelling to school and business travel in each of the 4 areas in South Yorkshire.

SYPTE
The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive www.sypte.co.uk web site gives you all the information you could want on public transport in South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive are partners in the Care4Air campaign.

SYPTE identifies the travel needs of the people of South Yorkshire and meets those needs by promoting the best possible systems of public transport within the financial and other resources available.

SYPTE therefore:

promotes the maximum use of public transport;
encourages growth of the public transport network:
funds indispensable services which are not provided on a commercial basis;
and plans future developments in public transport.

SYPTE is also responsible for:

the strategic planning of public transport in South Yorkshire;
developing new products and services aimed at improving the network;
and, through subsidiary companies, the operation of Supertram.

The South Yorkshire Local Transport Plan
View the current documents here www.southyorks.org.uk

The Local Transport Plan has been developed by the Transport Executive, the Transport Authority and the four district councils to provide a transport strategy that is integrated into the wider vision for South Yorkshire. It is a five-year programme and will seek to integrate with various other initiatives to promote a step change in the development of South Yorkshire's social and economic base.