The Clean Air Zone was introduced in Bristol in November 2022, to tackle high levels of poisonous air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, which are emitted by motor vehicles. A landmark report has now been published evaluating its successes one year on. Nitrogen dioxide, which contributes to health problems like asthma, lung cancer and heart disease, is measured in many tiny tubes scattered around Bristol. Each month the diffusion tubes take a reading of nitrogen dioxide, providing scientists with an annual average. But what do locals think of the clean air zone?
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00:00 The Clean Air Zone was first introduced in Bristol in November 22 to tackle high levels
00:05 of poisonous air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, which are emitted by motor vehicles.
00:12 A landmark report has now been published evaluating its successes one year on.
00:18 Nitrogen dioxide, which contributes to health problems like asthma, lung cancer and heart
00:23 disease, is measured in many tiny tubes scattered around Bristol.
00:28 Each month the diffusion tubes take a reading of nitrogen dioxide, providing scientists
00:34 with an annual average.
00:36 But what do locals think of the Clean Air Zone?
00:39 I don't have a car so that side of it has not affected me.
00:43 As far as the breathing, I don't get into town very often.
00:49 So the only difference was that if my family come to visit me they have to go a long way
00:55 round because they don't have the right sort of cars and so they have to allow a bit more
01:03 time and they don't come quite so often because it costs a bit more in their fuel.
01:08 But because I'm the only member of my family that lives north of the river.
01:13 Everybody else lives over the other side.
01:17 But that's okay, there's telephones and things aren't there.
01:20 I think it's a good idea but it does affect a lot of people.
01:28 So it doesn't really affect us, we don't really have an opinion of it I suppose.
01:33 Air pollution levels have fallen on average across the city by 9.7%, with some areas falling
01:40 by over 20%.
01:42 But a few parts of the city have actually got worse.
01:45 Most areas both within the CAZ and outside saw a reduction in air pollution last year,
01:51 with an average of 12.6% inside the CAZ and 7.8% outside it.
01:56 But according to the evaluation report, a few diffusion tubes actually measured increase
02:02 in nitrogen dioxide.
02:04 Blackboy Hill at the top of White Ladies Road near the Downs saw a whopping increase by
02:09 42%.
02:11 Oh, that amazes me.
02:15 But maybe the people that need to use Park Street can't find another way around.
02:21 Or if they're in businesses I suppose, they've just got to go there, haven't they?
02:25 For the environment, it cleans up Bristol.
02:27 When we had Covid there was less traffic about and there was less air pollution so it will
02:32 be effective I think.
02:34 In 2022 the site was within its legal limits for air quality.
02:39 But last year measured an average of 51.4% of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air.
02:46 I must admit I've not been terribly aware of the pollution except by what I hear on
02:52 the news things because I suppose I've just always grown up in Bristol and you just accept
02:59 stuff.
03:00 Only time will tell if Bristol will get to net zero by 2030.