The five West Yorkshire Authorities have been working for a number of years to bring about improvements in air quality. A problem common to each is poor air quality due to:
- Nitrogen Dioxide;
- and airborne particulate matter.
Things can be improved by these authorities working together to develop a Low Emissions Strategy. This five-year strategy sets out our collective ambitions and objectives. This is together with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and working with Public Health England.
The goal is to create a healthier place for people to live, work and visit via:
- Lower harmful emissions;
- and improved air quality.
This closely links to our own ambition to:
- Promote growth;
- reduce inequalities;
- and do business in a sustainable way.
The WYLES has several aspects, but overall it is to improve air quality as we:
- Promote the use of cleaner transport technology and better transport choices;
- and think about new development and how it can lower exposure to poor air quality.
We adopted the strategy in December 2016, which is important because:
- Poor air quality causes health issues, such as breathing problems and heart conditions. It also leads to premature deaths.
- Exhaust fumes from traffic (more so from diesel vehicles) is one of the main causes of poor air quality.
- People inside vehicles and those living and working near busy roads are exposed to the poorest air quality.
- Levels of air pollution in some urban areas of West Yorkshire exceed legal limits.
The core of the strategy is formed from:
These documents may be revised in the future and the strategy may be amended.