Cities across the UK are seeing their pollution levels return to pre-pandemic rates — but Manchester isn’t one of them.
That’s according to new research from Nuaire and Ricardo Energy & Environment, which found that the city-region’s levels of nitrogen dioxide were between 30 and 40 percent lower than ‘business as usual’ models suggested.
The same study found that 11 sites across five cities had seen emissions rise back to their pre-lockdown levels.
It used data from 2018 to mid-February of last year to predict how pollution levels would change had the Covid-19 pandemic never struck, with sites in Piccadilly seeing levels 40 percent below predicted figures, and Sharston in Wythenshawe’s site being 30 percent lower, too.
Now, experts are said to be fearful of how pollution rates may change once the government lifts all coronavirus restrictions, set for July 19.
“Our study across the automatic urban and rural network shows air pollution has already returned to normal levels in half the cities we analysed, despite final lockdown restrictions yet to be lifted,” Wayne Glover said.
“It’s astonishing how quickly UK air pollution has returned to pre-Covid levels despite the country being far from back to normal. If this continues, it’s safe to assume that we are on a trajectory for another summer of polluted air.”
However, cleaner days could be ahead for Manchester, after a survey of Mancunians also found that almost one quarter are prepared to stop taking ‘unnecessary’ car journeys, with one in twenty planning on giving up their cars altogether.
17 percent said they were intending on making their next car an electric or hybrid vehicle.
That’s alongside the introduction of Greater Manchester’s clean air zone from May 30, 2022.
It means that buses, minibuses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, vans, and HGVs will have to pay a daily fee to drive within the zone, which covers all of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs.
High-polluting vehicles will have to pay £60 per day, whilst vans will pay £10 with taxis and private hire vehicles paying £7.50.
Failure to pay the charge will result in a £120 fine, plus the daily charge.
