Cleaner Air for ScotlandScotland’s first air quality strategy

Dr Colin GillespieScottish Environment Protection Agency

Cleaner Air for Scotland

• Strategy Development

• National Modelling Framework

• Aberdeen Project

• Scottish Air Quality Dataset Project

Air quality hits the news…

• More local authorities declaring AQMAs

• Many local authorities have long established action plans with a wide range of measures, but progress in improving air quality is slow

• Measures with the biggest potential impacts tend to be expensive and/or presentationally difficult – Low Emission Zones, congestion charging, large scale modal shift from private vehicles to public transport or active transport

• Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow have all completed/are undertaken LEZ feasibility studies – but no LEZ yet in Scotland despite widespread adoption in Europe

Background

Cleaner Air For Scotland

Launched at theAnnual STEP Conference4th November, 2015

3 main components to the strategy…

Main components to the draft strategy

Policy alignment

Assessment process

Working framework

CAFS – Modelling & Monitoring Working Group

The Working Group was intended to:• Provide comment on the Strategy and guidance on how to progress the Strategy further towards publication• Help drive delivery of the Strategy actions beyond publication

Scope of the group – Covering the development of the National Modelling Framework, including the regional assessment process and the Modelling approach, whilst considering the wider monitoring requirements to support the Strategy. Develop the national Modelling Guidance, including the identification of data requirements for undertaking the modelling framework.

National Modelling Framework

Regional NMF· Identify cross-regional issues – based on land use focusing on

Strategic Planning AreasLocal NMF· Identify potential problem areas, causes and potential solutions

Regional NMF model

Looked at other approaches…

• Based on the Netherlands approach

• Regional model to assess contributions from planned development (size dependent)

• Model updated on a regular basis • LAs provide planning information • LAs and TS provide traffic data

Learning from National Flood Risk Assessment approach…

• Engagement – success is dependent on partners working together

• Sound Science – standard approach to gathering data, detailed modelling to support development of actions

• Prioritisation – developing a joint decision making process between responsible bodies that prioritises actions for maximum benefits

• Support – Scottish Government support for the proposed process (CAFS)

Local NMF Model Using Aberdeen as our pilot study

Translate Data Information Evidence Decision

process

The main focus is on data and not the AQ model…

Data, data and more data – gathering the appropriate data

Data gathering• National traffic data collection project - two-tiered approach to collecting traffic data • Identify existing and gathering additional traffic data

Collecting different forms of traffic data will help to build the right picture, improving street-based emissions and traffic composition

Developing the national approach

Analyses and Visualise• Developed live and interactive visualisation tools through Spotfire• Initial data can be visualised – build on-line traffic profiles identifying busy roads and junctions in relation to traffic groups• Air model outputs can be scrutinised• Pull together a range of databases

Developing the national approach

Addressing uncertainties• Analysis tools are used to identify uncertainties• CFD models used to identify unique air flow issues• Additional data requirements feed in to the information loop

Beyond a paper report

Transform data/information into evidence• Provide interactive tools rather than paper-based reports• Develop scenario testing tools for developing actions• Promotes collaborative approach to problem solving• Promotes ownership of the actions developed

NMF will support the NLEF – working as afeedback loop

Ensuring the NLEF assessment has a robust evidence base to be used in the appraisal of access controls, such as;

– Low Emission Zones– Clean Air Zones– Additional actions

Public Air Quality Tools

Local Authority Reporting Tool

LA Reporting Tool

What’s required…

Ensuring a national approach is fully adopted…

– Close link between NLEF and the NMF– Develop service that LA can easily utilise without

restrictions– Provide a national service for LAs– Link to existing legislation– Provide access for both frameworks on existing web-based

tools– Provide resource that can be utilised by all – promotes

partnership working

Thanks