The consultation period for the environmental targets set by the government last month is nearly over, how might they impact your projects? We look into the announcement and how it could impact on future developments from a transport perspective.

In March 2022 the government announced new long-term environmental targets. The proposed targets are part of the Environment Act which passed into law in November 2021 and aims to protect and enhance our natural world.

The proposed targets cover a wide range of avenues including water, diversity of wildlife, waste, tree cover and Marine Protected Areas. Of particular interest to transport planning are the targets proposed around air quality.

Air pollution poses the biggest environmental risk to public health and is a particular risk to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the very young, and those with existing health conditions.

The Government is proposing two key targets in relation to Air Quality:

• A maximum annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 10 µg/m3 across England by 2040; and
• A 35% reduction in population exposure to PM2.5 by 2040 (compared to a base year of 2018).

Transport plays a significant role in air quality and is the main source of NO2 emissions accounting for 34% nationally(a). Transport’s role in PM2.5 emissions is smaller but still significant, accounting for 12% of these emissions at a national level. This figure can vary significantly though depending on location with road transport accounting for 26% of PM2.5 emissions in city centres(b).

What does this mean for developments?

Electric vehicles offer significant overall benefit to air quality in cities through the removal of tail-pipe emissions. However, specifically in relation to PM2.5 the benefit of a switch to electric vehicles is less clear cut, as the principal contributor in relation to transport is tyre and break wear.

Given the additional weight of electric vehicles and associated increased tyre wear, electric vehicles, particularly those with larger battery capacities, are likely to result in increased PM2.5 when compared to conventional petrol vehicles(c).

Whilst providing infrastructure for electric vehicles will remain an important element of all new developments, a more fundamental change will be required to help achieve the government’s PM2.5 reduction targets involving a significant modal shift built around promotion of public transport and active travel over private vehicles.

The key to achieving a significant modal shift will be in choosing the right location for developments with access to a mix of land-uses and ensuring that the design of new developments prioritises walking and cycling as the natural choice for short journeys with public transport available for longer journeys.

This approach is however in line with key sustainable transport policies such as LTN 1/20, Gear Change and Bus Back Better as well as the objectives of the recently updated Highway Code and, therefore, there should be a progressive reduction in PM2.5 arising from transport as schemes come forward set against this higher emerging policy bar.

Active and sustainable travel interventions, either to support development schemes or delivered by local authorities, should be recognised as not only solving mobility issues but also making important contributions to these emerging air quality targets.

The proposed targets are now in an eight-week consultation period ending on 11th May 2022 where government is seeking the views of environment groups, local authorities and stakeholders.

PJA were the lead author of LTN1/20, the Government’s cycling infrastructure design guidance which was published alongside ‘Gear Change’, co-authored the guidance on Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans and are now helping to establish Active Travel England.

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(a) Defra (2019), Clean Air Strategy. London: The Stationery Office.
(b) BEIS 2019. UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI)
(c) https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/e1bc711b-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/e1bc711b-en