In Greater Manchester, air quality is improving. But:
- We exceed legal annual average limits for harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in many areas.
- In towns and cities the main source of NO2 is road vehicles, in particular older, diesel vehicles.
- The largest and heaviest older diesel vehicles, such as HGVs, coaches and buses, have the highest emissions per vehicle.
Covid-19 has had significant impacts on travel patterns and behaviour which has led to some reductions on commuting trips as people work from home more than previously.
However, Covid-19 has also delayed the normal rate of upgrade with older vehicles being replaced by newer cleaner versions, because owners have purchased fewer new cars, vans and taxis since the start of the pandemic.
In 2018, 250 points on 152 stretches of road were identified as likely to have illegal levels of NO2 – more than 40 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) – in breach of legal limits in 2021 if no action was taken. This includes busy stretches of local roads in all 10 local authority areas. It doesn’t include motorways and some major trunk roads, although we know that these roads contribute to poor air quality too. These are being dealt with separately by National Highways, which manages the Strategic Road Network.
You can see which stretches of road are affected on the interactive map at cleanairgm.com/which-roads-are-affected