En route to clean air

The southern part of the Dutch coastal conurbation (in Dutch: Zuidvleugel)suffers from serious air pollution, with air quality in breach of European standards for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulates (PM10). Improving air quality is therefore a priority issue for both national government and local authorities. At the request of Zuid-Holland provincial executive CE has reviewed the options available for improving air quality, assessing their merits and estimating their cost. On the basis of this review a proposal was drawn up for an effective package of measures that can in principle be implemented in the short term. In assembling this package, we were guided by four main considerations:

• impact on air quality (i.e. pollutant concentrations);
• cost effectiveness;
• practicability (public support / ‘honey and vinegar’);
• scope for short-term implementation.