Which are the UK’s most polluted cities?

Britain is one of the most congested countries in the world, with some studies suggesting that the average British motorist spends over 200 days of their life in traffic jams. London is the worst city, with around 35 per cent of the capital’s roads regularly congested according to the satnav company TomTom. Other cities with high levels of traffic congestion include Edinburgh, Manchester, Bradford, Oxford and Birmingham.

 

It isn’t just the frustration and inefficiency caused by traffic congestion that is a concern. Traffic pollution is believed to be responsible for a growing number of new cases of asthma in children. A report in the Guardian also claims that poor air quality is the cause of more than 4,000 deaths in London each year. So bad is the pollution in our capital that the EU is threatening to impose fines for failure to meet legal limits.

 

With a growing UK population density it is clear that we cannot continue to fill our roads with increasing volumes of traffic. This simply isn’t sustainable in the long-term and it poses a growing problem to our health, particularly children who live in the most polluted cities.

Road pricing – a green solution to an impending traffic crisis?

 

A report by the RAC Foundation predicts that traffic levels could increase by 33% within 15 years, due to a combination of population rises, economic recovery and road spending cuts. Unless radical changes are introduced, the result will be increasingly gridlocked traffic, greater congestion and a rise in air pollution.

 

The report goes on to suggest that a "pay-as-you-go" system could solve the problem. In a nutshell, drivers would pay per mile travelled. There remains debate on whether this will be on motorways only, or if it would be extended to other major roads. Car sharing is another initiative being promoted more heavily.

 

Whilst many people are instinctively opposed to road charging of this nature, because it’s viewed as just another tax, many acknowledge that it would make them re-consider their journeys and amount of time spent driving.

 

Regardless of the particular approach to the problem, it’s clear that traffic levels cannot be allowed to rise by over 33% with widespread gridlock ensuing. That scenario would ultimately cost motorists more and cause greater damage to the environment.

 

For eco-conscious individuals, this is a nightmare scenario – long stretches of roads with cars sat bumper to bumper cloaked in a thick shroud of smog.

 

Many insurers offer discounts for drivers who drive fewer miles, away from major roads and outside of the ‘rush hour’. It now looks as though the government will be forced to follow suit through some financially based form of incentive.