Traffic fumes linked to
asthma
New evidence has emerged linking air
pollution to asthma attacks. A researcher at
Southampton General Hospital, Stephen Holgate, has
found that exposure to ozone, created at ground
level by reactions involving gases in car exhausts,
can cause the linings of the lungs= bronchial tubes
to shed cells.
This is "a characteristic
feature of asthma" and may allow asthma-causing
allergens to penetrate the walls of the tubes more
easily, according to Holgate.
SOURCES
INCLUDE: New Scientist 26 October
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Coventry electric-car
experiment
The largest-ever experiment with
electric cars in Britain has been launched in
Coventry.
The experiment, part of a ,500,000
project, is designed to test whether electric cars
and light vans can be used by a wide range of
organizations to reduce local pollution in towns
and cities.
The cars in question are modified
versions of the Peugeot 106. They will be used by
Royal Mail, East Midlands Electricity, PowerGen,
Coventry City Council and Peugeot itself. They will
be part of these organizations= normal fleets and
used for routine tasks such as delivering mail and
reading meters.
The vehicles have a range of
around 60 miles and a top speed of 60 mph. They run
on a nickel-cadmium battery, which takes four hours
to recharge, lasts for eight years and costs
12,000. (The latter is equivalent to twice the
petrol cost. Because commercial production and
sales of electric cars are still in its infancy,
the cost of parts is still very high.) A set of
recharging points will be set up around the city to
enable vehicles to be refuelled during the day.
The Coventry experiment follows a successful two-
year experiment in La Rochelle, southwestern
France, with around 40 cars from various
manufacturers and involving members of the public
as well as companies.
SOURCES
INCLUDE: Independent 16 October
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The Highways Agency and the
construction consortium Connect have been granted
leave to evict protesters based in camps along the
route of a road scheme in Devon, southwestern
England.
The anti-road protesters= campaign,
reminiscent of the campaign over the Newbury bypass
[see ED 95/7 etc], concerns a 13-mile scheme to
improve the A30 between Honiton and
Exeter.
SOURCES INCLUDE:
Independent 9, 11 October; Guardian 14
October
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Criticism of proposed
Hadrian's Wall canal
Friends of the Earth and
other environmental groups have strongly criticized
a proposal to build a canal in northern England
linking the North Sea and the Irish Sea.
The
brainchild of a retired engineer, Derek Russell,
the 53-mile "Western Water Highway" would broadly
run along the line of the ancient Roman
fortification known as Hadrian's Wall. Its aim is
to provide an alternative trade route between
northwestern England and Ireland at one end and
emerging markets in northern and eastern Europe at
the other. It should thus reduce traffic and
pollution pressures in the southeast of England.
Russell accepts there are some environmental
problems to be overcome, but argues that the
benefits will far outweigh the disadvantages.
However, Roger Higman, transport campaigner at FoE,
says that the impact of the scheme would be
devastating: "The Solway Firth, one of the most
important areas for birds, would have to be
dredged. There would be lots of new housing built
in rural areas. And in any case the whole thing is
totally unnecessary. We will be fighting it all the
way."
The North of England Councils Association
(NECA), representing the region's local
authorities, has given the proposal a cool
response. Its chairman, John McCormack, says the
organization is not for or against at this stage,
but believes that improving road and rail links is
more important.
SOURCES INCLUDE:
Independent 11 October
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Attempts by the British government
to portray its transport policies as
environmentally friendly are "misleading",
according to an analysis of public spending
patterns conducted by a group of seven
environmental organizations. The study shows that
75 per cent of the money allocated by the
Department of Transport to local authorities is
spent on road schemes, while only 4 per cent is
spent on measures benefiting cyclists and
pedestrians.
"Money is being thrown at
expensive road schemes when it is desperately
needed for alternatives", commented Lynne Sloman,
assistant director of Transport 2000, one of the
organizations which produced the
report.
SOURCES INCLUDE:
Independent 15 October
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The British government has postponed
a decision on the construction of a bypass for the
historic city of Salisbury, southern England, to
allow a further review of its need on transport
grounds and impact on the environment. The
Department of the Environment and Ministry of
Transport are "minded to approve" the bypass, but
decided on the postponement because of three major
developments since the conclusion of a public
inquiry in 1994. These are the designation of East
Harnham Meadows as a site of special scientific
interest, a reassessment of the likely traffic
levels, and a general review of the government's
road-building programme.
Environmental groups
welcomed the decision, but believe the government
should have dropped the scheme altogether.
According to the Salisbury Bypass Action Group:
"There is an increasing recognition that building
11 miles of new dual carriageway across virgin
countryside will not solve Salisbury's traffic
problems."
SOURCES INCLUDE:
Guardian 30 October; Financial Times 30
October
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