Tackling traffic improves street's air quality

The main source for pollutants in the borough was traffic

A high street has been removed from a pollution hotspot register after improving its air quality, a council has said.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council's Environment Committee agreed to revoke Ewell High Street's air quality management area as nitrogen dioxide emissions had been reduced.

The air quality in a section of the street has been monitored since June 2007, when it was found to exceed the nationally determined objective for nitrogen dioxide, with traffic cited as the main source of pollutants.

Councillor Liz Frost, who chairs the council's environment committee, said it was "fantastic news" that the government mandated monitoring could be lifted.

She said: "Reducing nitrogen dioxide emissions has been extremely important for the council as these can contribute to negative impacts on the environment and on our health."

The council worked with the Highways Authority to combat congestion in the area.

It used methods such as the disapplication of certain marked roadside parking bays during peak times, widening the carriageway and re-engineering the junction between the High Street and Cheam Road.

"This revocation is a testament to the work of both Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and our partners in the area, as well as interventions that have taken place both regionally and nationally to tackle nitrogen dioxide emissions," Frost said.

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