Assessment of the levels of integration of air quality management within the transport policies and programmes of english county government

摘要

The Environment Act, 1995 [1] and the Uk National Air Quality strategy (NAQS) [2] impose new duties on local authorities with regard to air quality. In many areas, transport is the main contributor of atmospheric pollutants. The development and implementation of local authority transport plans is managed by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (formerly the Department of Transport, DTp) through the annual Transport Policies and Programme (TPP) bidding process. In March 1997 t he DTp issued a circular on the forthcoming TPP process which set out a number of aims for transport policy with respect to improving local air quality [3]. The publication of this circular was coincident with the conclusion of the development of the NAQS. Hence the oportunity was afforded to incolude some of the issues central to the NAQS within the planning process for the 1997 TPP round. THis paper will prsent examples of the way in which county level English government responded to this opportunity. A preliminary analysis of the level of integration of Air Quality Management (AQM) within the TPPs of a sub-set of local authorities in England is presented. It is concluded that the level of integration of AQM within the TPP process is immature except in selected areas where AQM practice has been stimulated by government action.