Cardiff plans for a cleaner, greener, healthier future

An expanded bus service with cheaper £1 fares, a new tram network, and enhanced regional links could soon be part of a cleaner, greener, and more modern transport system for Cardiff. Yet these changes may only become possible if a road user payment is introduced to help fund it, a new report reveals.

The report, which will be considered by Cardiff Council’s Cabinet on Thursday, April 27, explores ways in which a road user payment might be reinvested to help build a transport offer which could help the city reduce the harmful effects of air pollution for Cardiff residents, make a difference in the battle against climate change, and tackle congestion.

Currently, road transport is responsible for 40% of C02e (carbon) emissions in Cardiff. This is the joint highest C02e figure measured for road transport among the UK’s 11 core cities, which include Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield.

And it is estimated that air pollution reduces average life expectancy in the UK by 7-8 months. In towns and cities with air pollution levels above the UK average, including Cardiff, this figure is likely to be even higher.

Evidence indicates that air pollution affects us all and is associated with impacts on lung development in children, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and exacerbates asthma, among other ill-health effects.

Cardiff, in particular, is a victim of this with a higher prevalence of asthma than the European average. Seven per cent of adults in Cardiff have been diagnosed with asthma, and over 9,000 Cardiff residents are registered with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Six percent of children aged 10-14 have asthma in Wales.

Read more here.