What Rotherham Has Done So Far
The Council has already taken a number of steps to improve air quality through actions identified in its Air Quality Action Plan and Transport Strategy. These include:
- Government’s Early Measures Fund – installation of electric vehicle charging points across the Borough and a campaign to raise awareness of the Council's commitment to improve air quality and to promote the uptake of low emission vehicles Driving Clean Air (care4air.org)
- Department for Transport's Sustainable Transport Access Fund – A £7.5m South Yorkshire bid to promote and support a range of active travel initiatives, including bike loans, cycle training, Bike Doctor and maintenance, promotion of walking and cycling behaviour for the journey to and from school, independent travel planning and ‘EcoStars’ – an award based system for vehicle fleets to encourage more economical driving habits.
- Worked with Highways England to tackle air pollution from and around the M1. This included the introduction of the current 60mph speed limit between J35A and J31 during the morning
A number of transport infrastructure projects which have been delivered, or are being planned, will also contribute to improving air quality in Rotherham. These include improvements to Rotherham Interchange and the new Tram Train link.
The Council is also committed to working with the Sheffield City Region on the wider strategic transport ambitions for the area.
