Richard continues...

The 10 Greater Manchester local authorities are working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to produce a single approach to improving air quality. The outline business case is currently being agreed by the 10 local authorities at the moment and it sets out the proposals for the GM Clean Air Plan, which includes a Clean Air Zone.

We are currently consulting with IOC and organisations likely to be impacted by the proposed measures, and would like to invite operators to take part in an evening workshop to discuss thoughts on potential future measures.

The workshop will take place from 6pm to 8.30pm on the following evenings:

Tuesday 19th March (Fallowfield)
Wednesday 20th March (Fallowfield)
Tuesday 26th March (City Centre)

To request a place at one of the workshops, please get in touch with SYSTRA researcher Marianne Woodyard: call 01483 616303

TfGM targeting freight group meeting for April

Mayor Andy Burnham ‘the largest clean air zone outside London.’

TfGM are beginning arrangements for the first 2019 Greater Manchester Freight Forum in April as Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Councillor Alex Ganotis, Greater Manchester Green City-Region Lead have reaffirmed their commitment to make Greater Manchester one of the healthiest, cleanest and greenest city-regions in Europe.

Part of ambitious plans to make Greater Manchester one of best places in which to live, work and grow old. The plan puts forward an unprecedented upgrade programme to clean up the city-region’s bus, HGV, taxi, private hire and van fleets – future-proofing the road transport system and helping to make it, and the environment, fit for residents today and for generations to come.

The plan also proposes a Clean Air Zone covering all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities, for a population of nearly three million people across 500 square miles, the largest Clean Air Zone outside London. The Zone would require owners of high-polluting, non-compliant HGVs, buses, taxis, private hire vehicles, vans and minibuses – but not cars – to pay a daily penalty to drive in Greater Manchester.

An unprecedented package of funding of £116m has been proposed to help the city-region’s freight and logistics sector, taxis, private hire and bus operators make the move to low-emission vehicles over the next two to four years. There will be a number of other measures included in the proposal which will support cleaner travel choices. These include expanding the electric vehicle charging network, sustainable journeys and more.

Air pollution across the TfGM Manchester city-region contributes to the equivalent of 1,200 deaths a year in Greater Manchester alone. The report to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) sets out an outline business case for the ‘Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan to tackle nitrogen dioxide exceedances’, a proposed package of measures to significantly reduce harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from road vehicles. The 10 local authorities will now be asked to consider the outline business case for the proposals. The outline business case will then be submitted to government by the end of March 2019.