Cyclists across the city have been called to action as part of Clean Air Day.
Climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion has organised a mass bike ride from College Green from 6pm this evening (June 20).
Described as a family-friendly, leisurely ride around the centre of Bristol, the cyclists will leave College Green around 6.30pm with the aim of reaching Queen Square around 7pm.
It is unclear how many cyclists are expected for the ride and how much traffic will be disrupted as a result of the event - particularly as it’s later in the rush hour slot.
The ride is expected to last about an hour and Bristol Live understands the number of people taking part mean traffic will be slowed to a cyclist's pace.
The event is one of many taking place across the city as part of the UK- wide initiative Clean Air Day.
What is Clean Air Day?
In a nutshell, it's all about raising awareness of how to cut your contribution to air pollution by making small changes to your lifestyle - such as leaving your car at home.
Hosted on June 20, Clean Air Day is all about making people more aware of the alterations they can make to their day-to-day life, with today the perfect opportunity to try them out to see whether they work for you.
There are a number of events taking place across the city today - including an event in Castle Park until 2pm where people are invited to take a picnic and share their travel stories.
There is also a street party taking place in Bishopston at the corner of Gloucester Road and Nevil Road with a number of stalls and craft activities from 3pm to 6pm this afternoon.
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees is also hosting a Clean Air Day event with key city partners where he will detail the action being taken in the city to tackle the serious health challenge posed by air pollution.
The battle to clean up Bristol’s air has been an ongoing issue in the city which has ramped up recently as the city tried to meet a government requirement to improve air quality by reducing nitrogen dioxide levels.
Just this week, Bristol City Council’s cabinet announced two proposals to cut pollution in the city - one of which would see a charge on the most polluting commercial diesel vehicles, including buses, lorries, taxis and vans, in the city centre.
A consultation on the plans is set to go live next month where the public will be invited to share its views.
Also today First bus announced it would be introducing 77 new biomethane buses onto the city’s streets.
The new biomethane buses will pump out 80 per cent less greenhouse gases, and 95 per cent less nitrogen oxides.
