Air Quality Reports

Dundee City Council (DCC) has an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the whole city, as a result of exceedances of the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (annual mean and hourly mean) and particulate matter (PM10) (annual mean). The main source contributing to these exceedances is road traffic, however the increasing popularity of wood burning stoves and other biomass sources has the potential to increase local background concentrations.

Dundee City Council currently monitors for NO2, PM10 and PM2.5, the latest results and trends are discussed in Chapter 3. The majority of monitoring locations are showing an improving trend in pollutant concentrations, however potential for exceedances of the AQOs exist at the following locations:

• the city centre bus corridor;
• the inner ring road;
• adjacent to the trunk road network; and
• main arterial routes.

Dundee City Council produced its Air Quality Action Plan in 2011 and has a Corporate Air Quality Steering Group which co-ordinates actions to improve air quality in the city. The group contains representatives from various council services including: corporate policy; fleet management; planning; transportation and environmental health. The group also includes representatives from other major employers, including Dundee University and NHS Tayside.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) consult with the council on new industrial process applications and provide an annual update on existing processes in the city. Dundee City Council continues to work with Transport Scotland, SEPA and the regional transport partnership TACTRAN as part of the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF) process to develop a low emission zone for Dundee and also to discuss whether any additional actions are possible to reduce pollutant concentrations at relevant locations close to the trunk road network in Dundee.

Actions to Improve Air Quality

Dundee City Council has taken forward a number of measures during the current reporting year of 2019 in pursuit of improving local air quality. Some of the actions taken during the past year have included:

• Both ECO Stars schemes for larger commercial vehicles and for taxi / private hire vehicles continued to run during 2019. There was a 19.7% increase in the number of members to the Dundee ECO Stars larger commercial vehicles scheme, with 188 members (7188 vehicles) signed up by the year end. The ECO Stars scheme for taxis/private hire vehicles maintained its membership at 17 (517 vehicles) by the 31st December 2019.

• The Drive Dundee Electric campaign continued its successful engagement with current and potential electric vehicle (EV) owners (both in public and business). This included the filming of episodes of the YouTube show ‘Fully Charged’ in Dundee, with local taxi drivers, businesses, council spokespersons, and local EV users being interviewed. Various charging hubs throughout the city were visited, while Drive Dundee Electric had a stall at the event and used the opportunity to promote EV charging facilities.

• The continued promotion of EV vehicles and assistance to those who choose to switch to EV has helped result in 18% of Dundee’s taxis now being fully electric vehicles. There are 97 pure electric taxis in Dundee which is a 5% increase from 2018.

• Dundee City Council again supported and participated in ‘Clean Air Day’ on June 20, with a small event held on the Nethergate to help promote travel alternatives that are beneficial to air quality and health. In the lead up to Clean Air Day, local school children helped promote awareness of the day by painting messages on bus shelters in the city centre. A number of schools also participated in an air quality banner competition that was run by the SEPA.

• Dundee City Council continued to help promote public transport as an attractive and affordable alternative to private car use. In 2019 Dundee City Council teamed up with local bus operators again to offer a 20p fare promotion (Holiday Hop) to children travelling with adults during the Easter, summer, and October school holiday periods. When compared to baseline data from 2016, the promotion contributed to 74% (Easter 2019) / 94% (Summer 2019) / 86% (October 2019) increases in bus patronage over these periods.

• An in-house Cycling Projects Officer in place to provide support on multiple behaviour changes and active travel infrastructure projects. In 2019 the Cycling Scotland Annual Report showed an increased number of people commuting by bike (up to 8.5%) in Dundee.

• By the end of 2019 DCC had 116 electric vehicles in its fleet. During the year DCC became the first UK local authority to have over 100 EVs in their fleet.

• A Schools Active Travel team was established at Ancrum Centre in April 2019 and began working with Dundee schools. DCC is now the best local authority in Scotland in terms of the percentage of primary schools offering Bikeability.

• Dundee continues to lead the way in electric vehicle (EV) uptake with the installation of 20 publicly available charging points and 7 Dundee City Council privately owned points during 2019, including the first of three multi-storey charging hubs opening in October 2019 at Greenmarket. The hub consists of 10 new chargers, controller-receiver technology which allows dynamic load managements all of which are located under solar canopies.

• The 2019 Local Development Plan was adopted in February 2019. The ‘Supplementary Guidance Air Quality & Land Use Planning’ document was adopted in conjunction with this.

• A citywide Climate Action Plan in support of the transition to a net-zero and climate resilient future was developed through the Dundee Partnership. In line with Scottish Government and Council objectives for the Cleaner Air For Scotland (CAFS) strategy, tackling air quality and decarbonising transport are key objectives of this plan. This Plan was launched in December 2019.

• A DCC staff travel survey was carried out in October 2019 to help progress with the development of a Staff Travel Plan that is proposed to be launched in 2020.

Local Priorities and Challenges

Dundee City Council expects the following measures to be completed over the course of the next reporting year:

• A continued expansion of the infrastructure to support uptake of ULEV as well as continued free parking for pure EV vehicles in the multi-storey carparks of the Olympia, Greenmarket, Bell Street and Gellatly Street.

• Drive Dundee Electric will continue to help raise awareness and encourage uptake of low emission vehicles at various events throughout the year.

• Continuation of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles and Taxis / Private Hire vehicles to encourage engagement with and participation of these transport providers in the achievement of air quality improvements in the city.

• Continued support for Active Travel related projects including the delivery of the School Active Travel Delivery programme, the embedding of the SUSTRANS Cycling Strategy Officer within City Development and the new team taking on the running of the Active Travel Hub at the Waterfront.

• Additional support for the E-bike public bike hire scheme that is expected to launch in late 2020 (delayed from 2019) at locations in parts of the city with higher levels of pollution and health inequality.

• Continued active participation with the Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group and the review of the 2015 CAFS Strategy being undertaken in 2020.

• The completion and launch of the new Staff Travel Plan during 2020.

• The development of the Dundee Low Emission Zone will progress in line with guidance provided in the National Low Emission Framework and in line with the revised indicative introduction date of the first half of 2022 as announced in the 2020/21 Programme for Government. DCC will be represented in all the tiers of governance set up to deliver the low emission zones in Scotland.

• The Paramics Traffic Model for Dundee will be used in conjunction with the National Modelling Framework Air Quality City Model for the development of the Dundee Low Emission Zone. Scenario testing of proposed LEZ design options will be carried out in 2020.

• Take forward the other proposed Local Air Quality Management tasks highlighted in Section 6.3.

Air Quality in Dundee

Dundee City Council (DCC) has an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the whole city, as a result of exceedances of the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)(annual mean and hourly mean)  and particulate matter (PM₁₀)(annual mean).  The main source contributing to these exceedances is road traffic, however the increasing popularity of wood burning stoves and other biomass sources has the potential to increase local background concentrations. 

Dundee City Council currently monitor for NO₂, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, the latest results and trends are discussed in Chapter 3.  The majority of monitoring locations are showing an improving trend in pollutant concentrations, however potential for exceedances of the AQOs exist at the following locations:

• the city centre bus corridor;

• the inner ring road;

• adjacent to the trunk road network; and

• main arterial routes.

Dundee City Council produced its Air Quality Action Plan in 2011 and has a Corporate Air Quality Steering Group which co-ordinates actions to improve air quality in the city.  The group contains representatives from various council services including: corporate policy; fleet management; planning; transportation and environmental health. The group also includes representatives from other major employers, including Dundee University and NHS Tayside.  The Scottish Environment Protection Agency consult with the council on new industrial process applications and provide an annual update on existing processes in the city.  DCC will liaise with Transport Scotland as part of the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF) process to discuss whether any additional actions are possible to reduce pollutant concentrations at relevant locations close to the trunk road network in Dundee.

• In 2018 there was a 12% increase in membership (140 rising to 157) of the Dundee ECO Stars fleet recognition scheme for Heavy Duty Vehicles, with vehicle numbers rising to 6495 by 31 December 2018.
• Over 17% of Dundee’s taxis are now fully electric (there was a 4% increase in electric taxis in 2018).
• The Drive Dundee Electric campaign has continued its successful engagement with current and potential EV owners (both in public and business). It has helped raise awareness about EVs and incentives by hosting, talking or exhibiting at events (Clean Air Day, Dundee Food & Flower Festival, EV Festive Parade) in Dundee as well as promoting the new charging hubs present at Lochee, Princes Street, and Broughty Ferry.  It has also built an online social media presence (@DundeeElectric has now over 1100 followers on Twitter) and created and distributed PR material.
• Dundee City Council supported and participated in the ‘Clean Air Day’ on June 21. Members from the health protection team of NHS Tayside supported Dundee City Council on the day at the event, held on the Nethergate, to help promote travel alternatives that are beneficial to air quality and health.
• Dundee continues to lead the way in electric vehicle uptake, with 122 charging posts (providing 237 charging points) present in the Dundee City Council area. Of these, 38 charging posts (providing 74 charging points) are located at Dundee City Council depots. There are 62 charging posts (providing 84 charging points) at public on-street charging locations which include the new charging hubs that opened in 2018 at Lochee, Princes Street, and Queen Street Broughty Ferry.

• A SUSTRANS Cycling Strategy Officer was embedded at Dundee City Council from October 2018 to help the council implement actions contained in Dundee's 2016 Cycling Strategy and support the delivery of cycling infrastructure projects.

• In conjunction with Leisure and Culture Dundee, a School Active Travel Active Delivery Programme (walking / scooting / cycling) was developed, and is due to commence in Spring 2019. The project objectives are to provide more Dundee pupils with opportunities to experience active travel and provide support to the Bikeability Programme.
• Dundee City Council continued to help promote public transport as an attractive and affordable alternative to private car use. In 2018 Dundee City Council teamed up again with local bus operators to offer a 20p fare promotion (Holiday Hop) to children travelling with adults during the Easter, summer, and October school holiday periods. This initiative has seen a huge increase in the number of children travelling by bus during the holiday periods compared to before the promotion was introduced.
• The Air Quality and Land Use Supplementary Guidance document was reviewed in 2018 and was adopted in early 2019 in conjunction with the new 2019 Dundee Local Development Plan.

In addition, both of the main bus companies have improved their fleet.  Investment by Xplore Dundee in late 2018 saw the introduction of 14 double decker EURO VI buses on the Service 22 corridor running from Craigowl to Ninewells via the city centre (Seagate).  Xplore Dundee have also used Transport Scotland BEAR fund to retrofit cleaner EURO VI engines to five (previously) EURO V buses.  In August 2018, Stagecoach East Scotland launched a fleet of 15 new EURO VI buses on the Taylink 99 service operating between St Andrews and Dundee.

Local Priorities and Challenges

Dundee City Council expects the following measures to be completed over the course of the next reporting year:

• A continued expansion of the infrastructure to support uptake of ULEV, with the opening of further electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Dundee’s three main multistorey car parks; Green Market, Olympia and Bell Street. Each hub will see the installation of 10 posts with two connectors and will trial “master and slave” configurations. Each hub will also integrate solar energy and battery storage.
• Drive Dundee Electric will continue to help raise awareness and encourage uptake of low emission vehicles. DDE will be in attendance at the EV Roadshow hosted by Home Energy Scotland at the Dundee Science Centre in March 2019, while a ‘Fully Charged’ show event has been booked for June 2019 at the V&A Dundee.
• Continuation of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles and Taxis/Private Hire vehicles to encourage engagement with and participation of these transport providers in the achievement of air quality improvements in the city.
• Continuation of the 20p Holiday Hop promotion through the Easter, summer and October school holidays in 2019.
• Continued support for Active Travel related projects including the delivery of the School Active Travel Active Delivery programme and the embedding of the SUSTRANS Cycling Strategy Officer within the Council.
• Additional support to the proposed E-bike public bike hire scheme expected to be launched in 2019 at locations in parts of the city with higher levels of pollution and health inequality.
• Continued active participation with the Cleaner Air for Scotland (CAFS) Governance Group and assist as necessary with the review of the CAFS strategy being undertaken in 2019.  
• Further progression with the development of the Dundee Low Emission Zone in line with guidance provided in the National Low Emission Framework, and continued participation in all tiers of governance set up to deliver the low emission zones in Scotland.
• Completion of the update to the Paramics Traffic Model for Dundee, which will be used in conjunction with the National Modelling Framework Air Quality City Model as necessary for the development of the Dundee Low Emission Zone.
• Take forward the other proposed Local Air Quality Management tasks highlighted in Section 6.3

Air Quality in Dundee

Dundee City Council (DCC) has an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the whole city, as a result of exceedances of the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)(annual mean and hourly mean)  and particulate matter (PM₁₀)(annual mean).  The main source contributing to these exceedances is road traffic, however the increasing popularity of wood burning stoves and other biomass sources has the potential to increase local background concentrations. 

Dundee City Council currently monitor for NO₂ and PM₁₀, the latest results and trends are discussed in Chapter 3.  The majority of monitoring locations are showing an improving trend in pollutant concentrations, however potential for exceedances of the AQOs exist at the following locations:

• the city centre bus corridor;

• the inner ring road;

• adjacent to the trunk road network; and

• main arterial routes.

Dundee City Council produced its Air Quality Action Plan in 2011 and has a Corporate Air Quality Steering Group which co-ordinates actions to improve air quality in the city.  The group contains representatives from various council services including: corporate policy; fleet management; planning; transportation and environmental health. The group also includes representatives from other major employers, including Dundee University and NHS Tayside.  The Scottish Environment Protection Agency consult with the council on new industrial process applications and provide an annual update on existing processes in the city.  DCC intends to liaise with Transport Scotland as part of the NLEF process to discuss whether any additional actions are possible to reduce pollutant concentrations at relevant locations close to the trunk road network in Dundee.

Actions to Improve Air Quality

Dundee City Council has taken forward a number of measures during the current reporting year of 2017 in pursuit of improving local air quality.  Key completed measures are:

• The Whitehall St / Crichton St / Nethergate bus movement review was completed with the report received in July 2017. Information from this project will help inform the Cleaner Air for Scotland National Modelling Framework assessment for Low Emission Zones.

• In 2017, there was a 33% increase in membership (105 rising to 140) of the Dundee ECO Stars fleet recognition scheme for Heavy Duty Vehicles, with vehicle numbers rising to 5946 by 31 December 2017. This has since risen to 143 members covering over 6000 vehicles.

• Over 10% of Dundee’s taxis are now fully electric (there was an 18% increase in electric taxis between August and November 2017), with 17 members (including 519 vehicles) joined to the Dundee ECO Stars fleet recognition scheme for Taxis / Private Hire Vehicles by 31 December 2017.

• The Drive Dundee Electric campaign was launched by DCC in June 2017 and has been successful in engaging with current and potential EV owners (both in public and business). It has helped raise awareness about EVs and incentives by hosting, talking or exhibiting at events (Green Fleet Dundee @ Caird Hall in August; Cenex-LCV in September; Dundee Food & Flower Festival in September, EV Festive Parade in Dundee in November), building an online social media presence (@DundeeElectric has over 400 followers on Twitter) and creating and distributing PR material. Dundee City Council also supported and participated in the inaugural ‘National Clean Air Day’ on June 5 2017, with an event being held in the City Square to promote travel alternatives that are beneficial to air quality.

• Dundee continues to be described as ‘leading the way’ in electric vehicle uptake, with 75 charging posts (supplying 181 charging points) within the council area. Of these, 56 charging posts (118 charging points) are owned by Dundee City Council.  Further steps were taken in 2017 to increase the charging infrastructure to meet the high demand by focusing on the completion of the rapid charging hubs. Construction at the Lochee hub commenced in 2017 (officially opened April 2018), while investigatory work for the Princes Street hub continued (work on site commenced in March 2018).

• The adopted Dundee Cycling Strategy progressed with regular meetings of the Dundee Cycling Forum throughout 2017.

Dundee City Council continued to promote public transport as an attractive and affordable alternative to private car. This included the ‘Kids travel for 20p’ scheme which ran during the Easter break in 2017 and saw more than 13200 bus journeys (over 800 per day) taken for 20p during this period.

Local Priorities and Challenges

Dundee City Council expects the following measures to be completed over the course of the next reporting year:

• Continuing active participation with the Cleaner Air for Scotland (CAFS) Governance Group and in the implementation/consideration of aims and objectives of CAFS across all relevant service/policy areas to contribute to the achievement of the necessary air quality improvements.  The actions that are to be taken forward in 2018/19 are detailed in Section 2.3;

• A continued expansion of the infrastructure to support uptake of ULEV by taxi trade, with the Princes Street charging hub opening. Drive Dundee Electric will continue to help raise awareness and encourage uptake of low emission vehicles;

• Continuation of the “i-bike officer” initiative to raise awareness and encourage modal shift to gain air quality improvements, whilst also supporting and participating in Clean Air Day 2018 which will be held on 21 June 2018;

• Continuation of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles and Taxis/Private Hire vehicles to encourage engagement with and participation of these transport providers in the achievement of air quality improvements in the city;

• Development of Active Travel hub at the Waterfront and identification of a suitable operator of this which is due to open in Summer 2019;

• Creation of a ‘Cycling Action Plan Project Officer’ to help implement actions within the 2016 Cycling Strategy; and,

• Expansion of the ‘Kids Travel for 20p’ scheme to run through the summer holidays in 2018.

• Upgrade the council’s urban air quality monitoring network to include PM_2.5 monitoring in line with new statutory requirements to determine whether an AQMA is required or not;

• Contribute to the development of a city model of Dundee as part of the National Modelling Framework, being developed under the Cleaner Air for Scotland Strategy;

• Continue to liaise with Transport Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in the development of the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF) being development under CAFS to help inform how this can be taken forward in Dundee;

• Take forward the other proposed Local Air Quality Management tasks highlighted in Section 6.3.

Air Quality in Dundee

Dundee City Council (DCC) has an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the whole city, as a result of exceedances of the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)(annual mean and hourly mean)  and particulate matter (PM₁₀)(annual mean).  The main source contributing to these exceedances is road traffic, however the increasing popularity of wood burning stoves and other biomass sources has the potential to increase local background concentrations. 

Dundee City Council currently monitor for NO₂ and PM₁₀, the latest results and trends are discussed in Chapter 3.  The majority of monitoring locations are showing an improving trend in pollutant concentrations, though exceedances of the AQOs are still predicted at the following locations:

• the city centre bus corridor;
• the inner ring road;
• adjacent to the trunk road network; and
• main arterial routes.

Dundee City Council produced its Air Quality Action Plan in 2011 and has a Corporate Air Quality Steering Group which co-ordinates actions to improve air quality in the city.  The group contains representatives from various council services including: corporate policy; fleet management; planning; transportation and environmental health. The group also includes representatives from other major employers, including Dundee University and NHS Tayside.  The Scottish Environment Protection Agency consult with the council on new industrial process applications and provide an annual update on existing processes in the city.  DCC intends to liaise with Transport Scotland as part of the NLEF process to discuss whether any additional actions are possible to reduce pollutant concentrations at relevant locations close to the trunk road network in Dundee.

Actions to Improve Air Quality

Dundee City Council has taken forward a number of measures during the current reporting year of 2016 in pursuit of improving local air quality  Key completed measures are:

• Dundee City continues to lead the way in the uptake of electric vehicles in the UK and are the only Scottish city named as a Go Ultra Low City by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).  The funding that the city secured in 2016 is being used to build on the existing infrastructure and in developing a comprehensive and innovative charging network in the region that will encourage all groups to switch to electric vehicles.

  The main element of the proposed infrastructure is to create three charging hubs across the city that will ensure that anybody in Dundee is only a short distance from a charging hub.  These will be supplemented by taxi-only chargers on two of the sites following a successful bid into OLEV in 2017.

• The uptake of electric vehicles was also advanced through the offer of free parking to all electric vehicles within the city; changes to the taxi licensing rules to encourage uptake; and, taking advantage of funding streams available to purchase new vehicles.  To date, between the council fleet (81 EVs) and taxi industry (currently 48 EVs) over 3 million pure electric miles have been driven in the city, with electric vehicles now becoming a well-recognised sight in the city.
• Continuation of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDV) and Taxis/Private Hire vehicles (PHV).  DCC was delighted in reaching the milestone of recruiting the 100^th member in the latter part of 2016.  Local haulier Harry Lawson Ltd was presented with an award for achieving a four star rating in February 2017.  There are now 105 members (4666 vehicles) in the HDV Scheme and 15 members (512 vehicles) in the Taxi/PHV Schemes
• The Dundee Cycling Strategy was adopted in June 2016 and gives a greater focus to all the cycling related work around the Council.  The government had requested that all local authorities develop strategies around active travel.  In late 2016, the Dundee Cycling Forum was established as a community body whose aims are the encouragement, promotion and support of cycling in the city.
• Continuation of delivery of air pollution and active/sustainable travel workshops to every Primary 5 class in Dundee and the “i-bike” officer initiative to raise awareness and encourage modal shift to gain air quality improvements.
• Active participation in the Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group and in the implementation/consideration of aims and objectives of CAFS across all relevant service/policy areas to contribute to the achievement of the necessary air quality improvements.  An update on progress is detailed in Section 2.3.

Local Priorities and Challenges

Dundee City Council expects the following measures to be completed over the course of the next reporting year:

• Review of bus movements in Crichton Street/Whitehall Street/Nethergate to investigate and identify measures to improve congestion and air quality.  This project is now scheduled to be completed in early 2017/18.
• Continuation of detailed assessment of traffic and urban realm issues in the Seagate examined a range of traffic management options which could reduce pollution on the Seagate, a pollution hotspot.  This work identified options to reroute a substantial proportion of the buses in the area to other streets.  Further funding was provided in 2016/17 to investigate the viability of these proposed changes.  The traffic modelling has shown that the proposed transport management options would be unacceptable on traffic congestion, access and air quality grounds.  The area will therefore be re-examined as part of the CAFS (NMF & NLEF) assessment process detailed in Section 2.3 of this report.
• Further expansion of the infrastructure to support uptake of ULEV by taxi trade;
• Continuation of the “i-bike” officer initiative to raise awareness and encourage modal shift to gain air quality improvements;
• Continuation of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles and Taxis/Private Hire vehicles to encourage engagement with and participation of these transport providers in the achievement of air quality improvements in the city;
• Continued active participation in the Cleaner Air for Scotland (CAFS) Governance Group and in the implementation/consideration of aims and objectives of CAFS across all relevant service/policy areas to contribute to the achievement of the necessary air quality improvements.  The actions that are to be taken forward 2017/18 are detailed in Section 2.3;
• Upgrade the council’s urban air quality monitoring network to include PM_2.5 monitoring in line with new statutory requirements;
• Contribute to the development of a city model of Dundee as part of the National Modelling Framework, being developed under the Cleaner Air for Scotland Strategy;
• Continue to liaise with Transport Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in the development of the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF) being development under CAFS to help inform how this can be taken forward in Dundee;
• Take forward the other proposed Local Air Quality Management tasks highlighted in Section 6.3.

How to Get Involved

Further information on air quality in Dundee can be found on the website at the following location: https://dundeecity.gov.uk/air-quality/

This includes advice on how we can all help to improve air quality in Dundee, such as: using public transport; car-sharing & car clubs; no-idling; electric vehicles; cycling; walking; and not having a garden bonfire or burning wood.

Air Quality in Dundee

Dundee City Council (DCC) has an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the whole city, as a result of exceedences of the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)(annual mean and hourly mean) and particulate matter (PM10)(annual mean). The main source contributing to these exceedences is road traffic, however the increasing popularity of wood burning stoves and other biomass sources has the potential to increase local background concentrations.

Dundee City Council currently monitor for NO2 and PM10, the latest results and trends are discussed in Chapter 3. The majority of monitoring locations are showing a decreasing trend in pollutant concentrations, though exceedences of the AQOs are still predicted at the following locations:

• the City Centre Bus Corridor;

• the inner ring road;

• adjacent to the trunk road network; and

• main arterial routes.

Dundee City Council has a Corporate Air Quality Steering Group which co-ordinates actions to improve air quality in the city. The group contains representatives from various council services including: corporate policy; fleet management; planning; transportation and environmental health. The group also includes representatives from other major employers, including Dundee University and NHS Tayside. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency consult with the council on new industrial process applications and provide an annual update on existing processes in the city. DCC intend to liaise with Transport Scotland to discuss possible actions to reduce pollutant concentrations at the newly identified exceedence areas adjacent to the trunk road network in Dundee.

Actions to Improve Air Quality

Dundee City Council has taken forward a number of measures during the current reporting year of 2015 in pursuit of improving local air quality. Key completed measures are:

• Transportation and air quality study reports have been undertaken for the Seagate, North-West arterial route (5.3MB PDF), Stannergate area (5.4MB PDF), and Kingsway/Forfar Road junction (5.1MB PDF) by specialist consultants. A summary of the conclusions from the studies is contained in Appendix C (1.2MB PDF) of this report;

• Continuation and expansion of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles and Taxis/Private Hire vehicles. There are now 79 members (3948 vehicles) in the HDV Scheme and 11 members (201 vehicles) in the Taxi/PHV Scheme;

• Dundee City Council commissioned an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) freight distribution feasibility study in partnership with TACTRAN for an ULEV last mile delivery system operated by a social enterprise. A Freight Consolidation business plan has been prepared and there are ongoing discussions with a potential operator to develop a small scale Freight consolidation centre in the city;

• Provision of permanent infrastructure to increase separation distances between receptors and road traffic at Meadowside will be completed in 2016. The 2015 NO2 monitoring results demonstrate that the air quality improvements attributable to this infrastructure change have been maintained;

• The Council’s Fleet Management Team has developed an Asset Management Plan with an emphasis on the replacement of the oldest and most polluting vehicles. Approximately £1.8 million was spent in 2015/16 replacing 31 vehicles and 45 items of plant;

• Introduction of “I-Bike” scheme. An officer was appointed in July 2015 initially working with Grove and Menzieshill Secondary Schools and their respective feed-in primary schools to encourage cycling and promote modal shift for school journeys, and to help in securing long-term change in travel behaviour, and;

• “Dr Bike” has visited Dundee City Square, Dundee University & Abertay University Campus several times offering bike maintenance workshops.

In addition to the implementation of the above measures Dundee City Council (Fleet Management Team) were awarded the Low Carbon Vehicle Operator of the Year at the prestigious Low Carbon Champions Award in Milton Keynes in September 2015. The council also received the Public Sector Fleet of the Year (medium to large fleet), in October 2015, at the Green Fleet Awards in Birmingham. This was awarded to the UK public sector organisation with a fleet of more than 250 vehicles that demonstrated a reduction in CO2 and other pollutants through fuel efficiency programmes, green fleet management and driver awareness training. This demonstrates the council’s strategic approach to both fleet and infrastructure and in leading the way in contributing to providing a cleaner and greener fleet in the city.

Local Priorities and Challenges

Dundee City Council expects the following measures to be completed over the course of the next reporting year:

• Detailed assessment of traffic, air quality improvements and urban realm issues of the proposed traffic management changes in the Seagate will be undertaken to inform the viability of the proposed change;

• Review of Bus movements in Crichton Street/Whitehall Street/Nethergate to investigate and identify measures to improve air quality;

• Continuation of both ECOSTARS Schemes for Heavy Duty Vehicles and Taxis/Private Hire vehicles to encourage engagement with and participation of these transport providers in the achievement of air quality improvements in the city;

• Develop a cost effective monitoring strategy for PM2.5 to satisfy the requirements of new air quality legislation and undertake the proposed LAQM tasks highlighted in Section 6.3 (dependant on funding);

• Consider whether specific action plan measures are possible to target the newly identified exceedence areas on the inner ring road and trunk road network;

• Active participation in the Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group and in the implementation/consideration of aims and objectives of CAFS across all relevant service/policy areas to contribute to the achievement of the necessary air quality improvements;

• Continuation of delivery of air pollution and active/sustainable travel workshops to every Primary 5 class in Dundee and the “I-bike” officer initiative to raise awareness and encourage modal shift to gain air quality improvements.

How to Get Involved

Further information on air quality in Dundee can be found on the website at the following location: https://dundeecity.gov.uk/air-quality/

This includes advice on how we can all improve air quality in Dundee, such as: using public transport; car-sharing & car clubs; no-idling; electric vehicles; cycling; walking; and not having  a garden bonfire or burning wood.

This report is the 2015 Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) of air quality for Dundee City Council. It fulfils the requirements of the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) process as set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 and the National Air Quality Strategy 2007. The report has been completed in accordance with statutory Technical Guidance (LAQM.TG(09)) produced by DEFRA and the Devolved Administrations.

The objective of an Updating and Screening Assessment is to identify any matters that have changed which may lead to a risk of an air quality objective being exceeded, and whether there is sufficient risk of an exceedence to justify a Detailed Assessment. Regulations prescribe health based air quality objectives for seven pollutants.

The whole of Dundee has been declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (40μg/m3) and particulate matter (PM10) (18μg/m3) annual mean objectives and the one hour mean objective for NO2 (200μg/m3). Having considered and assessed each emission source (as necessary), it is concluded that the air quality objectives for benzene, 1, 3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, lead, and sulphur dioxide (SO2) will be met.

The 2014 monitoring data confirm the continuing need for the AQMA and the subsequent Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). Annual mean concentrations of NO2 and PM10 remain above the objective or are ‘borderline’ in several areas of the city. No exceedences of the hourly mean objective for NO2 were recorded in 2014. No exceedences of any of the SO2 objectives were recorded in 2014. Exceedences of the Scottish 24 hour mean PM10 objective were recorded at two locations using indicative monitors. The need for a Detailed Assessment for this pollutant objective will be kept under review.

The assessment of the various pollutant emission sources, including road traffic, industry, solid fuel combustion etc., has identified several roads, a fugitive emission source and biomass combined combustion sources which require further investigation.

The Dundee City Council USA 2015 concludes that no assessments of monitoring data or emission sources justify the need to proceed to a Detailed Assessment for any pollutant.

Proposed actions arising from the USA 2015 are listed in Section 9.3 of the document. The proposed actions include:

The whole of the local authority area has been declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for the NO2 and PM10 annual mean objectives and the one hour mean objective for NO2. The Updating and Screening Assessment 2015 has not identified any need to change the existing AQMA or identified the need to proceed to a detailed assessment for any pollutant objective.

The USA 2015 has identified the need for a new diffusion tube site at relevant exposure on Nethergate west of Union Street in order to better assess the impact of the removal/relocation of bus stops from Union Street. Diffusion tubes located at Carolina Court (DT 186), Hawkhill / Horsewater Wynd (DT 193), Coupar Angus Road (38) (DT 175), and Myrekirk Terrace (8) (DT 181), were discontinued as the results were well below the objective when predicted to receptor façade. The SO2 monitoring was curtailed at the end of 2014 following discussions with SEPA. The USA did not identify the need to make any other changes to the existing monitoring programme. However advice will be sought from the LAQM Helpdesk on how best to assess the impacts of the various PM10 sources on the possible exceedences at Stannergate roundabout.

Other proposed actions arising from the USA 2015 are as follows:

• Review results of new diffusion tube sites installed on Coupar Angus Rd / Stirling St. , West Marketgait /Old Mill, High Street - Lochee (22-24), Broughty Ferry Rd (129);

• Compare diurnal profiles of pollutant concentrations and traffic (where available), in particular for Lochee Road;

• Undertake further analysis of pollutant concentrations in Meadowside following the one year trialling of an Action Plan measure that extends the distance between the facades of ground floor flats and vehicle exhausts by reallocating road space to cycles;

• Review the remaining DCC traffic radar count data for the presence of relevant exposure to identify where new classified traffic counts or NO2 diffusion tube monitoring may be needed;

• Review and assess updated traffic data from Department of Transport for 2014 when this becomes available in June 2015;

• Review the results of the council’s ongoing air dispersion modelling projects for Kingsway/Forfar Road, Dundee Eastern Arterial Routes (including Stannergate Roundabout), North West arterial route (Lochee Road) and bus emissions in the city centre;

• Review the results of third party air quality monitoring and modelling study of the Kingsway/Myrekirk Road roundabout and associated road network;

• Carry out classified traffic counts on Coupar Angus Road, Lochee District Centre and South Union Street once new traffic flows and patterns become established;

• Investigate sources of biomass/solid fuel combustion in the local authority area to enable appropriate screening and report findings in subsequent LAQM reports as information becomes available;

• Take forward the planned actions highlighted in the Action Plan Progress Report; and

• Undertake and submit the 2016 Progress Report

This document is the 2014 Progress Report on air quality for the Dundee City Council area.  The report focuses on each of the pollutants listed in Air Quality Regulations that were monitored within the council area during 2013, these were; nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and fine particulate matter (PM₁₀).

The review and assessments of air quality are carried out to determine if the pollutant levels that the public are exposed to will meet the health based National Air Quality Standards(NAQS), or if additional local measures will need to be taken to address identified polluted areas.

Previous assessments of air quality established that there was no anticipated risk of exceeding the NAQS for five of the seven pollutants listed in the Regulations namely; benzene, carbon monoxide, 1,3-butadiene, sulphur dioxide and lead.  However, exceedences of the annual mean standard for nitrogen dioxide (40µg/m³) have been identified and an Air Quality Management Area was declared for this pollutant in July 2006.  The AQMA was amended in October 2010 to include small particulates PM₁₀ (annual mean) (18 µg/m³) and again in March 2013 as a result of exceedences of the hourly objective for NO₂ (200 µg/m³ -18 allowed) on the north-west arterial route.

The council produced an Action Plan in January 2011, which contains 32 measures designed to help improve air quality through efforts to tackle traffic emissions, education and raising awareness.

This Progress Report presents the 2013 NO₂, PM₁₀ and SO₂ monitoring results.  Trends in pollutant concentrations and an update of local sources are also examined within the report.  It contains information provided from lead officers taking forward each of the action plan measures. Information provided in the report will assist in other policy areas, such as transport and land use planning within the council.  Each pollutant has been assessed in conjunction with the relevant guidance and the conclusions reached are:

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) – analysis of the 2013 data for nitrogen dioxide reconfirms the need for the AQMA and the Action Plan.  There are 13 diffusion tube (and 3 associated continuous analyser) locations where the annual mean NO₂ concentration at façade is estimated to exceed the objective. There are a further 16 locations at risk of breaching the objective.  A new potential exceedence area has been identified at West Marketgait near Guthrie Street on the inner ring road (A991).

An exceptionally high number (99) of exceedences of the NO₂ hourly mean were recorded at the automatic monitoring station on Lochee Road (A923); this breaches the hourly mean NAQS objective as only 18 are allowed.  The NO₂ hourly mean at Lochee Road has been reducing since 2010 and no other monitoring station within the city (including the Seagate) has breached the limit of 18 therefore a more detailed analysis of this information will require to be carried out.

NO₂ annual mean concentrations throughout the city have shown both increases and decreases since the AQMA was declared in 2006.  The greatest increases in pollutant concentrations have been recorded along the city centre bus corridor, the north-west arterial route (A923) and associated access roads, major junctions on the Kingsway, Stannergate roundabout and the inner ring road.  Between 2012 and 2013 large decreases (> 4 µg/m³) were recorded at diffusion tubes located at Stannergate roundabout, Forfar Road near the Kingsway, Lochee Road, Rankine Street, and Meadowside.  Moderate increases (>2 µg/m³) were recorded at diffusion tubes located in: Whitehall Street; Logie Street; Muirton Road; East Port Roundabout on the inner ring road; Seagate near the bus station; Nethergate and the Kingsway (A90T) near Mains Loan.

Small Particulates (PM₁₀) - The PM₁₀ NAQS 2004 annual mean objective continues to be achieved at all locations within the city, however in 2013 concentrations of PM₁₀ above the stricter Scottish 2010 annual mean objective were measured at Meadowside (BAM) and Stannergate Osiris.  Concentrations at Lochee Road (BAM) and Osiris monitors in Albert Street and Logie Street were close to exceeding the annual mean objective.  The Osiris units are indicative PM₁₀ monitors.

The PM₁₀ NAQS 2004 24-hour objective continues to be met at all locations within the city, however, the stricter Scottish 24-hour mean objective (2010) was exceeded at two Osiris monitors located at Stannergate Roundabout and Albert Street in 2013.  Both locations experienced transient PM₁₀ events as a consequence of localised road works and it is known that Osiris monitors have a tendency to over-estimate the number of 24-hour mean exceedences.  A detailed assessment for the short-term Scottish objective is not considered necessary at this time though future monitoring results at these locations will be kept under review.

There has been a reduction in annual mean PM₁₀ concentrations, at the majority of sites with five or more year’s data.  An increasing trend was observed at Osiris monitors when located in Lochee Road and Seagate, and a slight increase is evident at TEOM and Partisol monitors located at Broughty Ferry Road.  Some year to year fluctuations are evident at roadside and kerbside sites.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂) - The monitoring results for 2013 indicate that all the NAQS objectives for sulphur dioxide (SO₂) were met at the monitoring location in Dundee.  A detailed assessment is not currently required for this pollutant.

Proposed Actions

Proposed actions arising from this Progress Report 2014 are as follows:

• All locations with exceedences identified by new 2013 monitoring data lie within the existing AQMA that was declared for the PM₁₀ and NO₂ annual mean and NO₂ hour-mean objectives.  A detailed assessment for the short-term Scottish PM₁₀ objective is not considered necessary at this time though future monitoring results at Stannergate roundabout and Albert Street will be kept under review;
• As part of the ongoing review and assessment of air quality in Dundee a new diffusion tube site at Horsewater Wynd has been added to the network in 2014.  Several of the new diffusion tube sites added to the network in 2013 were not continued into 2014 as the measured annual mean NO₂ concentrations were well below the objective.  These will be detailed in next year’s report;
• Review monitoring to account for any newly identified relevant exposure;
• Continue monitoring at Union Street to determine the effect of the traffic accessing the city centre via the new link road from the Central Waterfront road network;
• Review the results of modelling studies being taken forward at Stannergate roundabout, Kingsway / Forfar Road, Kingsway / Myrekirk Road and Lochee Road and the city centre bus corridor;
• Seek advice from the LAQM helpdesk on how best to assess the impacts of the various sources on the possible PM₁₀ exceedences at Stannergate roundabout;
• Compare diurnal profiles of pollutant concentrations and traffic (where available), in particular for Lochee Road;
• Take forward the assessments of new developments identified in Section 3, as information becomes available;
• Investigate sources of biomass/solid fuel combustion in the local authority area to enable appropriate screening and report findings in subsequent LAQM reports as information becomes available;
• Take forward the planned actions highlighted in the Action Plan Progress Report; and
• Undertake the 2015 Updating and Screening Assessment.

This document is the 2013 Progress Report on air quality for the Dundee City Council area.  The report focuses on each of the pollutants listed in Air Quality Regulations that were monitored within the council area during 2012, these were; nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and fine particulate matter (PM10).
The review and assessments of air quality are carried out to determine if the pollutant levels that the public are exposed to will meet the health based National Air Quality Standards, or if additional local measures will need to be taken to address identified polluted areas.

Previous assessments of air quality established that there was no problem with the levels of some of the seven pollutants listed in the Regulations namely; benzene, carbon monoxide, 1,3-butadiene, sulphur dioxide and lead.  However, exceedences of the annual mean standard for nitrogen dioxide (40 µg/m3) have been identified and an Air Quality Management Area was declared for this pollutant in July 2006.  The AQMA was amended in October 2010 to include small particulates PM10 (annual mean) (18 µg/m3) and again in March 2013 as a result of exceedences of the hourly objective for NO2 (200 µg/m3 -18 allowed) on the north west arterial route.

The council produced an Action Plan in January 2011, which contains 32 measures designed to help improve air quality through efforts to tackle traffic emissions, education and raising awareness.

This Progress Report presents the 2012 NO2, PM10 and SO2 monitoring results.  Trends in pollutant concentrations and an update of local sources are also examined within the report.  It contains information provided from lead officers taking forward each of the action plan measures. Information provided in the report will assist in other policy areas, such as transport and land use planning within the council.  Each pollutant has been assessed in conjunction with the relevant guidance and the conclusions reached are:

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – analysis of the 2012 data for nitrogen dioxide reconfirms the need for the AQMA and the Action Plan.  There are 17 diffusion tube (and 3 associated continuous analyser) locations where the annual mean NO2 concentration at façade is estimated to exceed the objective. The concentration at the Whitehall Street continuous analyser is also estimated to breach the annual mean objective.  Potential exceedences were predicted at a further 14 locations where concentrations were close to (greater than 36 µg/m3) the objective.  A new potential exceedence area has been identified at South Road (Denbank) which is an access route for Ninewells Hospital and Dundee Technology Park.
Thirty-six exceedences of the NO2 hourly mean were recorded at the automatic monitoring station on Lochee Road; this breaches the hourly mean NAQS objective as only 18 are allowed.  Analysis has shown that the majority of exceedences occur at peak times on weekdays during the winter months.

NO2 annual mean concentrations throughout the city have generally increased since the AQMA was declared in 2006.  The greatest increases in pollutant concentrations have been recorded along the city centre bus corridor, the north west arterial route and associated access roads, major junctions on the Kingsway and at Stannergate roundabout on Broughty Ferry Road.  Large increases (greater than 6 µg/m3) between 2011 and 2012 were detected in Whitehall Street, Whitehall Crescent, Dock Street and on the Kingsway.  The annual mean concentration at the automatic monitor in Whitehall Street increased but decreased at all other NO2 monitors possibly, in part, owing to various traffic restrictions and management changes.

Small Particulates (PM10) - The PM10 NAQS 2004 annual mean objective continues to be achieved at all locations within the city, however in 2012 Dundee City Council measured concentrations of PM10 above the stricter Scottish 2010 annual mean objective at Meadowside (BAM) and at Osiris monitors located in Stannergate and Seagate.  Concentrations at two other Osiris monitors in Lochee Road and Logie Street were close to exceeding the annual mean objective.  The Osiris units are indicative PM10 monitors and owing to their relocation and hence low data capture, the 2012 annual mean had to be estimated (“annualised”) for all except Logie Street Osiris.  The annual mean PM10 exceedence at Stannergate roundabout is newly identified and will be the subject of further study.

The Scottish 24-hour mean objective was exceeded at two locations, Seagate and Lochee Road in 2012 using Osiris monitors.  It is known that Osiris monitors tend to over-estimate the number of 24-hour mean exceedences, so these results should be treated with caution. However the gravimetric reference equivalent BAM at Meadowside measured four exceedences and had a 98.08th percentile value close to the objective.  The potential for an exceedence of the 24-hour mean objective will remain under review at this location.

Over the long term there has been a slight reduction in annual mean PM10 concentrations.  However since 2008, levels have remained relatively stable with some year to year fluctuations at roadside and kerbside sites.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) - The monitoring results for 2012 indicate that all the NAQS objectives for sulphur dioxide (SO2) were met at the monitoring location in Dundee.  A detailed assessment is not currently required for this pollutant.

Proposed Actions

Proposed actions arising from this Progress Report 2013 are as follows:

• Review the results of the new monitoring sites when a full year’s data becomes available, in particular: the Osiris units at Stannergate roundabout, the new NO2 diffusion tubes installed in 2013, and the façade equivalent NO2 diffusion tube installed at Carolina Court (A92T) where developer led monitoring had detected roadside NO2 concentrations above the annual mean;
• Review the results of modelling studies being taken forward at Stannergate roundabout, Kingsway / Forfar Road, Kingsway / Myrekirk Road and Lochee Road and the city centre bus corridor;
• Compare diurnal profiles of pollutant concentrations and traffic (where available), in particular for Lochee Road;
• Investigate sources of biomass/solid fuel combustion in the local authority area to enable appropriate screening and report findings in subsequent LAQM reports as information becomes available;
• Take forward the planned actions highlighted in the Action Plan Progress Report; and
• Undertake the 2014 Progress Report.

This Updating and Screening Assessment is the initial stage of the fifth round of the review and assessment process and provides an update with respect to air quality issues within the City.  It has included consideration of new monitoring data (2011) and emissions sources, in addition to any significant changes to existing emission sources identified in the previous rounds. The USA considers the seven priority health based air quality objectives as laid down in Regulations and assesses the likelihood that the air quality objectives will be met. If the air quality objectives are unlikely to be met, a Detailed Assessment (DA) will normally be required.

Each pollutant was assessed in conjunction with the relevant guidance and the following conclusions were reached:

• the air quality objectives for benzene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, lead, and sulphur dioxide will be met;
• the 2011 monitoring data confirm the continuing need for the need for the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and the subsequent Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). As concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) pollutants are above the annual mean objectives for these pollutants and have increased in many areas of the city since 2006;
• concentrations of NO2 above the 1-hour objective have been measured at one location (Lochee Road) for three consecutive years.  This is thought to have occurred as a result of traffic congestion caused by the impact of the severe winter weather on the road network in 2009 and 2010.  The winter weather was less severe in 2011 and the number of exceedences was still greater than the 18 allowed (43). In view of the ongoing exceedences of the hourly NO2 objective at Lochee Road, and the advice of the Scottish Government’s consultants , it is therefore considered necessary to amend the current AQMA order to include the hourly objective; and
• the need to amend the AQMA order in relation to the daily objective for PM10 requires to be reviewed as more data becomes available.

Taking account of the advice from the Scottish Government’s consultants, the Updating and Screening Assessment 2012 did not identify the need to proceed to a detailed assessment for any pollutant.

Proposed actions arising from the Updating and Screening Assessment 2012 are as follows:

• Take forward the amendment of the current AQMA order to include the hourly objective for nitrogen dioxide (NO2);
• Review the need to amend the AQMA order to include the daily mean objective for particulate matter (PM10) as more data becomes available;
• Review the results of additional monitoring installed at Kingsway–Myrekirk and Stannergate roundabouts as information becomes available;
• Review the nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube monitoring network in light of trends in monitoring results and new exposure;
• Further investigate sources of biomass/solid fuel combustion in the local authority area to enable appropriate screening, and report findings in subsequent LAQM reports as information becomes available; and
• Undertake the 2013 Progress Report.

This AQAP Progress Report has been prepared to fulfil the requirement on reporting on the implementation of the measures contained within the AQAP and to work towards achievement of the air quality objectives.  This report covers the period January to December 2011.

The progress made on implementing the measures contained within DCC’s AQAP 2011 is listed using the table recommended in the Local Air Quality Management Technical Guidance TG (09), Chapter 4 Table 4.3.  (As this is the first AQAP Progress Report, it is only the progress to date that has been reported – subsequent reports will differentiate progress to date and progress in the previous 12 months).

Some of the main action points are summarized below:

Traffic Measures

• Measure 1 – Existing Road Infrastructure Improvements – reconfiguration of Union Street.  The works were completed in December 2011.

A package of road measures to provide a multi-faceted approach to pollution sources in the North West Arterial corridor hotspot were identified and further road infrastructure improvements will be targeted in 2012.

• Measure 3 – Smarter Choices/ Smarter Places: Dundee Travel Active Programme

A well-received and innovative social marketing campaign was implemented to encourage drivers to choose less polluting modes of travel.

• Measures 4, 6 and 8 – Reduction of Emissions

There has been development of a scope for a Low Emission Charter, with the aim of providing a strong basis for gaining stakeholder support for tackling pollutant concentrations within the City.

Policy and Partnership Working Measures

• Measure 11 – to ensure effective co-ordination between climate change and air quality strategies and action plan measures.

It has been recognized that air quality and climate change are fundamentally inter-related and that DCC has a pivotal role in managing both air quality and the effects of climate change.  DCC’s Corporate Climate Change Board is committed to lead on the development of a Strategy to improve the co-ordination between air quality and climate change to ensure synergies are identified to bring forward win-win solutions to the benefit of the environment and demonstrate the financial and economic efficiencies of adopting mutually compatible outcomes.

Leading by Example

• Measures 14 and 15 – and Traffic Measure 7 - in respect of Council Fleet.

As part of DCC’s Corporate Improvement Programme, a move to a corporate fleet management system was introduced.  The new Corporate Fleet Manager was appointed in December 2011.  As a member of the Corporate Air Quality Steering Group he will lead on fleet management measures that will deliver improvements in emissions standards and fuel consumption for the corporate fleet.

• Measure 16 - Review of DCC Staff Travel Plan

The outcome of a Corporate review into the current arrangements for the movement of staff across the city for work purposes and proposals for reducing costs was endorsed on the 12th September 2011.  The measures within the Staff Travel Policy will lower costs and the environmental impacts, including pollutant concentrations from DCC staff travel.

Education and Community Initiatives

• Measure 21 – School and Workplace Travel Plans

Work during 2011 has focused on reducing the impacts of school traffic on the North West arterial corridor/Lochee Road

As this is the first year of the implementation of the measures within the AQAP, and with some measures being implemented in the last quarter of 2011, at this stage it is difficult to quantify the emission reductions achieved.  Future AQAP Progress Reports will address this.  However, all measures within the action plan, except Measure 9 – investigation of a Roadside Emission Testing scheme, have been progressed.

This Progress Report presented the 2010 NO2, PM10 and SO2 monitoring results. Trends in pollutant concentrations were also examined within the report.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – analysis of the 2010 data for nitrogen dioxide has reconfirmed the need for the AQMA and development of an Action Plan. One new area of potential exceedence of the annual mean has been identified at Strathmore Avenue. Sixty-seven exceedences of the NO2 hourly mean were recorded at the automatic monitoring station on Lochee Road; this breaches the NAQS objective as only 18 are allowed. Analysis suggests this may have occurred as a result of traffic congestion caused by severe winter weather at the end of 2010. The need for a detailed assessment / AQMA for the hourly NO2 will be kept under review. NO2 annual mean concentrations throughout the city have increased since the AQMA was declared in 2006. The greatest increases in pollutant concentrations have been recorded along the city centre bus corridor, the north-west arterial route and associated access roads, major junctions on the Kingsway and at Stannergate Junction, on Broughty Ferry Road.

Small Particulates (PM10) - PM10 objectives for 2004 are being met at all monitoring locations within the city. However, the 2010 PM10 annual mean and 24 hour objective are being exceeded at roadside and kerbside Osiris sites. Osiris monitoring units are indicative only and the results should be treated with caution. In Spring 2011 the council installed reference equivalent PM10 analysers in Lochee Road, Seagate and at the Victoria Rd/Meadowside junction, and the need for a detailed assessment or AQMA in relation to the daily mean will be kept under review. A detailed assessment undertaken in 2009 for PM10 also identified a risk of exceedence of the 2010 objectives at receptors adjacent to busy roads and junctions in the city centre. Generally PM10 concentrations between 2006 and 2009 levelled off or were decreasing slightly. However, monitoring locations on the north-west arterial route (Logie Street and Lochee Road) showed a significant increase in PM10 concentrations in 2010.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) -The monitoring results for 2010 indicate that all the NAQS objectives were met at the monitoring location in Dundee. A detailed assessment is not currently required for this pollutant. SO2 concentrations have declined at the Broughty Ferry Road monitoring station between 2002 and 2010; this is thought to be largely due to the introduction of low sulphur fuels at a nearby industrial process in the port. From 2002 to 2006 occasional exceedences of the 15min mean objective were recorded as a result of certain shipping activities/movements within the port.

2009 monitoring data and new local developments with the potential to affect air quality were assessed in accordance with statutory guidance and the conclusions reached were:

SO2 - New monitoring data for 2010 show the objectives for SO2 are being achieved. Sulphur dioxide concentrations measured at the Broughty Ferry Road monitoring location remained low and achieved the objectives during 2009.

PM10 - PM10 objectives for 2004 are being met at all monitoring locations within the city. However, there is a risk of exceedence of the 2010 PM10 annual mean objective being exceeded at roadside sites. The 2010 PM10 daily mean was also exceeded at the monitoring location in Seagate using the VCM corrected data, but not when the local gravimetric correction factor was applied to the data. Osiris monitoring units have a tendency to over-estimate the number of exceedences compared to TEOMs. The council intend to install a reference equivalent PM10 analyser in this area, and the need for a detailed assessment or AQMA in relation to the daily mean will be kept under review. A detailed assessment undertaken in 2009 for PM10, also identified a risk of exceedence of the 2010 objectives at receptors adjacent to busy roads and junctions in the city centre

NO2 - Exceedences of the nitrogen dioxide annual mean objective continued to occur within the existing AQMA in 2009 and, after façade projections were calculated, concentrations at fourteen sites failed to meet the annual mean standard. Uncertainties associated with the distance calculator tool used to estimate pollutant concentrations at façade suggest that Strathmore Avenue may be a new potential area of exceedence; this will be kept under review. With respect to the hourly NO2 objective, none of the diffusion tube monitoring sites in the city recorded annual mean concentrations above 60μg/m3 –The diffusion tube site at the junction of Victoria Road/Hilltown measured a NO2 concentration of 59.5μg/m3. Members of the public are not regularly present for more than 1-hour in these locations, however there are nearby ground floor residences on Meadowside. When projected to façade the concentrations calculated are below 60μg/m3. Keeping in view the uncertainties associated with façade projection methodology, the Council intend to monitor at sites of relevant exposure close to the identified locations to confirm if the hourly-mean of NO2 is being exceeded. There were 23 exceedences of the hourly NO2 objective recorded at the automatic monitoring station on Lochee Road during 2009, an examination of the distribution of these exceedences, concluded that they occurred mostly at peak times, on Mondays and Fridays, and during the winter months. Severe weather (snow and ice) during December 2009 may have contributed to some of the exceedences: the monitoring station is located on the main north-west arterial route into the city, which can become increasingly congested during adverse weather when alternative routes are difficult to for drivers to negotiate. The need for a detailed assessment of this location in relation to exceedences of the hourly NO2 objective is to be reassessed in the 2011 Progress Report.

The Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) 2009 marked the beginning of the fourth round of review and assessment and required the re-examination all of the seven LAQM pollutants. This was carried out in accordance with revised statutory guidance and examined 2008 data and any significant changes in pollutant sources and public exposure to pollutants. The conclusions reached were:

• that the NAQS for CO, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, lead and SO2 would be achieved and hence no detailed assessment would be needed.

NO2 - the report re-confirmed the need for the AQMA for NO2 (which was declared for the whole city in July 2006) and identified an additional potential annual mean exceedence area in Strathmore Avenue. Diffusion tube monitoring also indicated potential exceedences of the hourly mean NAQS in the vicinity of Victoria Road / Meadowside junction and informed the need for automatic monitoring to investigate whether an additional AQMA is required for hourly mean NAQS for NO2. Monitoring programmed to begin in 2011.

PM10 - the report noted that monitored PM10 concentrations at Lochee Road and Seagate breach the annual mean NAQS for 2010. Combined with the predicted exceedences of the 2010 PM10 annual mean in the FA/DA, it was concluded that an AQMA should be declared. Consequently, the 2006 AQMA order was amended in October 2010 to include PM10.

• the revised statutory guidance contained a new requirement to review and assess biomass combustion sources. The review did not identify any sources within the local authority area that met the criteria for assessment. However, it was considered there was insufficient information available to adequately assess these sources. This will be reported in subsequent review and assessment reports as information becomes available.

The FA/DA combined the detailed assessment of PM10 with a further assessment of both NO2 and PM10. It examined the 2007 monitoring data and established the main sources of pollution in the exceedence areas and the reduction in pollutant levels necessary to meet the NAQS. The report confirmed the need for the existing AQMA for NO2 and concluded that an AQMA should be declared for PM10. The report also estimated that 4,600 people were living in areas at risk of exceeding the NAQS for NO2 and PM10 and concluded that significant reductions in pollutant concentrations are required to meet the annual mean NAQS for both pollutants. The results of the source apportionment exercise are summarised below:

• Source apportionment of NOx, indicates road traffic emissions of NOx are the main contribution to total NOx concentrations, as they account for 74 - 91% of the total NOx concentrations at receptors. Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) contribute around 38 - 77% to the total NOx concentrations at receptors and exceed the LDV contributions. HDV contributions are disproportionately high given their proportion within the vehicle fleet in the AQMA.

• Source apportionment of PM10, indicates background sources of PM10 (e.g. sea salt) make a significant contribution to total PM10 concentrations, as they account for 28-59% of the total PM10 concentrations at receptors, with the majority of this being made up of secondary particulates, residual and salt contributions. Road traffic contributes 41% to 72% of the total PM10 concentration at receptors. Light duty vehicles (LDVs) contribute around 7 – 24 and heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) contribute around 11-36% to the total PM10 concentrations at receptors. Brake and tyre wear contribute around 13-29% to the total PM10 concentrations at receptors. HDV contributions are disproportionably high given their proportion within the vehicle fleet in the AQMA. On Commercial Street and Seagate, where there are significant bus movements, the HDV contribution exceeds the LDV contribution. (HDV - is a collective term for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) and buses).

2006 monitoring data and new local developments with the potential to affect air quality were assessed in accordance with statutory guidance and the conclusions reached were:

• NO2 - analysis of the 2006 data re-confirmed the need for the AQMA and the development of an Action Plan. Two new areas of potential exceedence of the annual mean NAQS were identified on the north-east arterial route. (Kingsway/Forfar Road and Albert Street/Arbroath Road).

• PM10 - Dundee City Council operate a local Partisol/TEOM colocation study which allows a local gravimetric correction factor to be calculated. This was used to correct TEOM and Osiris data in the monitoring network. Using this factor, exceedences of the 2010 PM10 NAQS were predicted at the following monitoring locations in the city centre and the north-west arterial route:

• Victoria Road / Hilltown Junction, Seagate, Logie Street, and Lochee Road.

• The Union Street site was also very close to exceeding the annual mean for 2010 and remains an area of concern due to increasing PM10 at this city centre location. There were also potential exceedences of the daily mean NAQS predicted at the Osiris monitoring locations. The 2006 PM10 monitoring results indicated that a detailed assessment would be required for PM10.

• SO2 - the monitoring results for 2006 indicate that all NAQS objectives were met at the monitoring locations in Dundee. Exceedences of the 15min mean NAQS occurred at the Broughty Ferry Road site, these were well below the 35 exceedences allowed and were thought to have been caused by certain shipping movements and activities. A detailed assessment of this pollutant was not required, but monitoring data would be kept under review.

The Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) 2006 marked the beginning of the third round of review and assessment and required the re-examination all of the seven LAQM pollutants. 2005 data and any significant changes in pollutant sources and public exposure to pollutants were examined in accordance with statutory guidance. The conclusions reached were:

• that the NAQS for CO, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, lead and SO2 would be achieved and hence no detailed assessment would be needed.

• NO2 - the report confirmed the need for the AQMA for NO2 (which was declared for the whole city in July 2006) and identified an additional exceedence area in the city centre, one of the main  bus corridors (Meadowside).

• PM10 - the report concluded that the only monitored PM10 concentrations predicted to breach the annual mean NAQS for 2010 was the monitoring location in Union Street this was investigated and it was determined that major construction projects in the vicinity might have had an influence on the levels recorded and these may not be truly represent ambient concentrations at this location.

2004 monitoring data and new local developments with the potential to affect air quality were assessed in accordance with statutory guidance and the conclusions reached were:

• Benzene - no AQMA required for Benzene, as a result monitoring was discontinued.

• NO2 - identified additional areas of exceedence of the NO2 annual mean at relevant receptors on the north west arterial route. 22 exceedences of the hourly mean NAQS for NO2 were recorded at the Lochee Road monitoring site. 18 of the 22 occurred during water main rehabilitation works which caused traffic congestion in the vicinity of the monitor. The results were not thought to be representative of the ambient conditions in the area and no AQMA was considered necessary at that time.

• PM10 - the results for 2004 indicated that the 2004 and 2010 NAQS for PM10 would be achieved at the Broughty Ferry Road and background monitoring sites. Exceedences of the 2010 annual mean and daily mean NAQS were recorded at the Union Street monitoring location. These were investigated and it was considered that low data capture, local demolition works and the temporary re-routing of buses along Union St during the construction of a bus-interchange in Whitehall St has contributed to these exceedences and the monitored concentrations did not represent the normal ambient concentrations.

• SO2 - monitoring indicated that no AQMA was required.

The detailed assessment of NO2 and PM10 from traffic sources identified exceedences of the NAQS annual mean standard for NO2 at relevant receptors in the city centre and along the north-west arterial route.

• NO2 - the detailed assessment established the need for Dundee City Council to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), carry out a further assessment of NO2 and develop an Action Plan to try and reduce pollution levels in exceedence areas.

• PM10 -there was insufficient confidence in the modelled results for 2010 and it was concluded that additional monitoring and modelling would be required to determine whether an AQMA was also required for PM10.

• SO2 -the detailed assessment concluded that the NAQS would be achieved at new residential developments introduced close to an industrial source and that an AQMA was not required for this pollutant.