A Bristol mayoral candidate has pledged to give away ‘pollution-absorbing paints’ to street artists in a bid to tackle air pollution.
Liberal Democrat Caroline Gooch, a scientist, says the use of pollution-absorbing paints is a “very, very quick thing we can do” to start reducing the level of pollutants in the city’s air.
It is estimated that around 300 Bristolians die each year from exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter.
Manufacturers of pollution-absorbing paints claim their products can remove atmospheric pollutants, but government experts have questioned their effectiveness.
A large mural called ‘Hunting Pollution’, commissioned to raise awareness of environmental issues and created entirely with the photocatalytic paint technology, appeared on a seven-storey building in Rome in 2018.
Dr Gooch said the idea was “one of the things I really, really like” during a discussion about the environment in an election hustings on April 29.
“Obviously we want to plant a lot more trees, we want to do a green highway on the M32,” she told the online hustings hosted by news publisher Bristol Live.
“But there are pollution absorbing paints. I really want to use pollution-absorbing paints in Bristol.
“I think we are the best city in the world to use them, so I would give them out free to street artists.”
Dr Gooch said the Liberal Democrats would also implement the Clean Air Zone required by the Government, and would control parking around the outside using residents’ parking zones.
The party would also introduce more park and rides on the main arterial routes into Bristol, build more segregated cycle lanes, franchise the bus network, and ask the Government for funding to undertake a “massive” housing retrofit, she said.
Dr Gooch's rivals in the race to become Bristol’s next elected mayor set out their pledges related to transport and the environment as well.
Green Party candidate Sandy Hore-Ruthven promised half-price bus fares for under 21s, more new MetroBus routes in the next four to five years, and more cycle lanes and walking routes.
The Conservatives’ Alastair Watson said he would aim for net zero carbon Bristol by 2030, and would promote electric vehicles use, park and rides, liveable neighbourhoods, light rail, and trams.
Labour’s Marvin Rees, who is seeking a second term as mayor, said options for an underground-overground mass public transit system were with the Government. In the meantime, the council was improving bus services through its deal with First Bus and had pedestrianised the Old City, widened pavements and introduced segregated cycle routes around the city, he said.
Nine candidates are vying to become Bristol’s third elected mayor at local elections on May 6.
