On 30 May 2022 a Greater Manchester-wide Clean Air Zone will launch to improve air quality across the city region, as required by the Environment Act 1995 (Greater Manchester) Air Quality Direction 2020.
GM must take action to improve air quality, now and for future generations. Pollution from road traffic is linked to a wide range of serious illnesses and conditions. It contributes to the equivalent of around 1,200 deaths a year in GM alone.
The core aim of the GM CAP is to reduce concentrations of NO2, which have been forecast to exceed the legal limits, “in the shortest possible time and by 2024 at the latest” in line with Government’s direction to GM.