Exeter Air Quality Annual Status Report 2024
This longer blog-style post explores the findings of the most recent air quality report for Exeter and explains why these results matter for the future of safe, easy and affordable travel in Exeter.
This month, Exeter City Council published the latest Air Quality Annual Status Report for 2024. The report is an update on action and monitoring undertaken as part of the Air Quality Action Plan Management Area. The AQAP is in place to tackle illegal levels of Nitrous Oxides (NOx) pollution from motor vehicle exhausts. Exposure to NOx leads to ill health, chronic illness and early death, and costs the country many millions of pounds.
The Report finds that new cycle paths and safer streets have helped to tackle illegal air quality in Exeter.
You can read the full report here:
committees.exeter.gov.uk/documents/s101632/Appendix%201%20-%20Annual%20Status%20Report.pdf
Good news – legal minimum standards met
In 2024, for the first time, NOx levels were within legal limits at all of the monitoring points in Exeter. This is great news and Exeter City Council deserves appreciation for the progress made. There had been particular concern at East Wonford Hill, but that too was within legal limits. It will take more years of positive monitoring to confirm full compliance.
The Report attributes this positive trend to a number of things, including the investment in Exeter’s active travel network providing safe alternatives to motor vehicles. Recently, the Leader of Exeter City Council confirmed that new safer streets and cycle paths at places such as Rifford Road, Dryden Road and Wonford Road have all played their part in tackling dirty air in Exeter.
Meeting minimum legal limits is important. It saves lives. But we hope our local authorities will maintain their focus on air quality and keep taking action to protect the health of Exeter residents.
Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets Trial: claims vs reality
The Report also contains a specific section (Appendix H) assessing the impact of the Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets Trial (AST). The AST involved experimental traffic filters being placed on four streets for the period August 2023 to July 2024, with the aim of enabling more people to travel by foot, bike and wheels and so contribute to the fight for cleaner air.
It is a familiar story that opponents of measures to improve local air quality and reduce traffic make claims that the measures actually worsen air quality and cause traffic chaos. The AST was no exception.
Opponents argued that traffic was forced onto surrounding corridors, worsening air quality.
The monitoring data in the Report tells a different story.
The Report concludes that there is no suggestion in the data that areas that you might have expected to be affected by the scheme, such as the Pinhoe and Heavitree corridors, actually were affected.
At East Wonford Hill, monitoring confirmed reductions in NOx compared to the pre-Trial years. This location was chosen as a sensitive indicator of potential displacement, yet the data showed an ongoing downward trend in pollution consistent with previous years and other sites.
Compliance with national air quality objectives at East Wonford Hill was achieved for the first time during the years when the AST was in place.
In short, there is no evidence that the AST worsened air quality, directly contradicting the claims of opponents.
Opponents also argued that the AST had created congestion chaos on arterial roads.
Monitoring results in the Report again show otherwise.
Whilst the AST was in place, counts on Pinhoe Road, Heavitree Road and Honiton Road showed no significant increases in traffic flow between 2022 and 2023 and then reductions in traffic flow on both Heavitree Road and Pinhoe Road between 2023 and 2024. Not the claimed chaotic increases. These were the routes where opponents demonstrated with placards and told motorists that the traffic queues they were sitting in were due to the AST. This has turned out not to be true.
These official results matter.
Opponents claimed more pollution and congestion due to the AST; the Report concludes that neither occurred.
The Campaign is not advocating for a return of the AST but it is great that Exeter City Council chose to investigate the claims that were made, to see if they were true.
Claims of air pollution and traffic chaos seem to be made every time positive change is suggested in every city, including Exeter. Most recently the very same claims have been made by those seeking to get safe cycling and walking measures removed at Dryden Road. Thankfully those claims have been carefully addressed with evidence.
We say well done to Exeter City Council and their partners for the progress on clean air in the City.
And we take two big messages from the Report, which we will be reminding Councillors of.
This longer blog-style post explores the findings of the most recent air quality report for Exeter and explains why these results matter for the future of safe, easy and affordable travel in Exeter.
This month, Exeter City Council published the latest Air Quality Annual Status Report for 2024. The report is an update on action and monitoring undertaken as part of the Air Quality Action Plan Management Area. The AQAP is in place to tackle illegal levels of Nitrous Oxides (NOx) pollution from motor vehicle exhausts. Exposure to NOx leads to ill health, chronic illness and early death, and costs the country many millions of pounds.
The Report finds that new cycle paths and safer streets have helped to tackle illegal air quality in Exeter.
You can read the full report here:
committees.exeter.gov.uk/documents/s101632/Appendix%201%20-%20Annual%20Status%20Report.pdf
Good news – legal minimum standards met
In 2024, for the first time, NOx levels were within legal limits at all of the monitoring points in Exeter. This is great news and Exeter City Council deserves appreciation for the progress made. There had been particular concern at East Wonford Hill, but that too was within legal limits. It will take more years of positive monitoring to confirm full compliance.
The Report attributes this positive trend to a number of things, including the investment in Exeter’s active travel network providing safe alternatives to motor vehicles. Recently, the Leader of Exeter City Council confirmed that new safer streets and cycle paths at places such as Rifford Road, Dryden Road and Wonford Road have all played their part in tackling dirty air in Exeter.
Meeting minimum legal limits is important. It saves lives. But we hope our local authorities will maintain their focus on air quality and keep taking action to protect the health of Exeter residents.
Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets Trial: claims vs reality
The Report also contains a specific section (Appendix H) assessing the impact of the Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets Trial (AST). The AST involved experimental traffic filters being placed on four streets for the period August 2023 to July 2024, with the aim of enabling more people to travel by foot, bike and wheels and so contribute to the fight for cleaner air.
It is a familiar story that opponents of measures to improve local air quality and reduce traffic make claims that the measures actually worsen air quality and cause traffic chaos. The AST was no exception.
Opponents argued that traffic was forced onto surrounding corridors, worsening air quality.
The monitoring data in the Report tells a different story.
The Report concludes that there is no suggestion in the data that areas that you might have expected to be affected by the scheme, such as the Pinhoe and Heavitree corridors, actually were affected.
At East Wonford Hill, monitoring confirmed reductions in NOx compared to the pre-Trial years. This location was chosen as a sensitive indicator of potential displacement, yet the data showed an ongoing downward trend in pollution consistent with previous years and other sites.
Compliance with national air quality objectives at East Wonford Hill was achieved for the first time during the years when the AST was in place.
In short, there is no evidence that the AST worsened air quality, directly contradicting the claims of opponents.
Opponents also argued that the AST had created congestion chaos on arterial roads.
Monitoring results in the Report again show otherwise.
Whilst the AST was in place, counts on Pinhoe Road, Heavitree Road and Honiton Road showed no significant increases in traffic flow between 2022 and 2023 and then reductions in traffic flow on both Heavitree Road and Pinhoe Road between 2023 and 2024. Not the claimed chaotic increases. These were the routes where opponents demonstrated with placards and told motorists that the traffic queues they were sitting in were due to the AST. This has turned out not to be true.
These official results matter.
Opponents claimed more pollution and congestion due to the AST; the Report concludes that neither occurred.
The Campaign is not advocating for a return of the AST but it is great that Exeter City Council chose to investigate the claims that were made, to see if they were true.
Claims of air pollution and traffic chaos seem to be made every time positive change is suggested in every city, including Exeter. Most recently the very same claims have been made by those seeking to get safe cycling and walking measures removed at Dryden Road. Thankfully those claims have been carefully addressed with evidence.
We say well done to Exeter City Council and their partners for the progress on clean air in the City.
And we take two big messages from the Report, which we will be reminding Councillors of.
1. Cycle paths and safer streets that enable more people to walk, cycle and wheel are helping to tackle illegally high air pollution in Exeter
1. There is no evidence to support the claims that cycle paths and safer streets have increased air pollution or traffic congestion in Exeter. They should treat such claims with caution, as they always seem to be untrue.
We urge Devon County Council and Exeter City Council to keep taking bold steps to change how Exeter travels, so that every child walking to school in Exeter can breathe cleaner air.