City phase-out of conventional cars 'could boost health'

Date: 30/3/2011

A phase-out in cities of vehicles powered by conventional fuels could have benefits for public health levels, it has been suggested.

The European Commission recently detailed its plans to reduce by half the number of such cars on the roads in densely populated urban areas over the next 20 years.

By 2050, the group revealed it hoped conventional vehicles would no longer be in use in the continent's cities.

This is one of the steps that the body believes will bring it closer to meeting its target of a 60 per cent cut in transport emissions by the middle of the century.

Commenting on the proposals, Chris Church, Chairman of the Low Carbon Communities Network, says that should the phase-out go ahead, there will be an increase in the number of electric vehicles on city roads.

"Given the evidence from the British Medical Association and others about how car pollution causes thousands of early deaths every year this will have some very positive health impacts," he adds.

Mr Church notes that to succeed in these plans, a new urban roadmap will need to be designed to improve public transport networks and provide better access to services.

Posted by Nick Anderson