Letter: Air quality - How do we get people out of cars?

With regard to last week's headline '˜Fears for residents over poor air quality', I'm interested to read that York Place, Knaresborough, has now been declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) by Harrogate Borough Council.
Traffic in Harrogate. (2312033j)Traffic in Harrogate. (2312033j)
Traffic in Harrogate. (2312033j)

So, in conjunction with Bond End, there are now two AQMAs in Knaresborough, one at either end of the High Street.

I understand that Bond End has seen a general increase in unacceptable levels of Nitrogen Dioxide emissions and according to Coun Rebecca Burnett of HBC, the only resolution is to persuade people not to use their cars.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This may be easier said than done, especially as even more vehicles will be generated by the current and projected house building programme for Knaresborough.

There is planning permission for 600 new homes at Manse Farm, 164 are currently being built at The Pastures on Boroughbridge Road, an appeal is pending for a further 74 dwellings off Orchard Close and an application is expected for 81 houses off Bar Lane.

These developments, together with various small ‘windfall’ builds throughout the town could add up to a further 1,000 new homes and, seeing that many households now have two cars, there is a possibility of another 2,000 cars passing through Knaresborough and a lot more people to be persuaded that “Getting people out of the car has got to be the only resolution” to quote Coun Burnett.

Malcolm Woodward

Beech Grove, Knaresborough