Progress with integrating air quality management into the Transport Policies and Programmes of English County Government

摘要

The Environment Act 1995 and subsequent UK National Air Quality Strategy impose new duties on local authorities with regard to air quality. As transport is the main contributor to all but one of the pollutants under review, transport policy will be a key issue within the Air Quality Management (AQM) regime. 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, DoT) through the annual Transport Policies and Programme (TPP) bidding process.rnA previous study (Beattie et al) examined the integration of AQM issues into the TPP submissions of English county government (July 1997 submission). It was concluded that the level of integration of AQM within the TPP process was immature except in selected areas where AQM practice had been stimulated by government action. The AQM process has now matured and this paper examines the integration of AQM within the TPPs of the July 1998 submission. The paper identifies and evaluates improvements in policy and practice of the transport planning community with regards to AQM.