Air pollution in Kingsthorpe
Traffic in Kingsthorpe is polluting the air above acceptable levels set by the government.
The Borough Council have declared the Harborough Rd, from the Cock Hotel to past the Frog & Fiddler, and Kingsthorpe Grove on the Primary School to the Cock Hotel as an ‘air quality management area’.
The Council have been measuring levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in this area, and they have been higher then the recommended levels. The Council will now have to prepare within 18 months an Air Qulaity Action plan and any decisions, such as new developments, will have to take into account their impact upon the air quality in the area.
This is not the first Air Quality Management Area in Northamnpton, there are others on the M1, Victoria Promenade and St. James, but traffic levels are growing fast in Northampton, and we all have to do something to reduce traffic congestion if the air in the middle of Kingsthorpe is going to be safe to breathe. It isn’t just about new developments, it’s about all our lifestyles. Do you need the car for your next journey?
2 Comments
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I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you.
- Sue.
I wonder if it has occurred to anyone that these pollution levels could be associated with the number of traffic lights in the town in general and Kingsthope in particular. Traffic stands here with engines turning over, and because of the lack of Northern By-pass this can only get worse. Although there is now a 20mph limit through the village, which hardly anyone seems to take any notice of, the already overcrowded lanes(people need somewhere to park) and it is frequently used as a rat-run to avoid the lights on the main roads. Perhaps it is time for these pollution levels to support a strategy to remove unnecessary traffic from the arterial roads.