'No idling' zones needed around schools, says health guideline

By-laws should be introduced so that “no vehicle idling zones” can be enforced around schools, hospitals and care homes, states a guideline published today by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Public Health England (PHE). A crackdown on vehicle idling should focus on areas where “vulnerable people congregate and in areas where exposure to road traffic-related air pollution is high”, says the guideline. 

Public and private sector organisations should use zero or low emission vehicles for deliveries to retail, office, residential and other sites in Clean Air Zones, “particularly for the last mile of deliveries in city centres”. There should be restrictions or charges on certain classes of vehicle in Clean Air Zones, the guideline adds.

Public transport networks based on low emission vehicles should also be established, including park & ride schemes. 

Electric vehicle charging points are needed in workplaces, commercial developments and residential areas, the guideline says. It also calls on local authorities and other public and private organisations to support car clubs and active travel programmes. These must offer a choice of cycle routes that avoid highly polluted roads, ideally quiet streets and segregated routes. Where cyclists have to use busy roads, as much space as possible should be provided between bikes and vehicles, the guideline states. Dense foliage should be used to screen cyclists from vehicles while the time cyclists spend at highly polluted sites, including junctions, should be reduced.

The report also calls on public sector transport services and vehicle fleets to train drivers to promote smooth driving, and switching off engines when dropping off people or deliveries. ‘In-vehicle’ systems should be installed in vehicles to display real-time information about fuel efficiency, appropriate gear selection and speed alongside telematics technology that provides next-day information about driving style. 

All tiers of local government should incorporate air pollution in ‘plan making’ in line with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning Policy Framework, says the guideline. Councils should site living accommodation away from roadsides, and avoid street and building configurations, such as deep street canyons, that encourage pollution to build up where people spend time. Planners should also do more to include trees and vegetation in open spaces or ‘green’ walls or roofs. 

The proposed changes should be implemented without delay, says the report, “unless there is a good reason for not doing so, for example, if it would be better value for money if a package of recommendations were all implemented at once”.

Organisations should develop an action plan, creating the steps to put guidelines into practice. “Big, complex changes may take longer to implement, but some may be quick and easy to do. An action plan will help in both cases.”

Air pollution: outdoor air quality and health

Find out more about initiatives to improve air quality at Healthy Streets 2017