Road users asked to stop idling and help make Manchester’s air clean again.

  • Wednesday 16 June 2021

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As part of the Clean Air Day, ( Thursday 17 June) Manchester City Council’s neighbourhood team have been looking to engage with car users and warn them of the dangers of leaving their engines idling whilst waiting outside schools.

Council staff will be engaging with vehicle drivers who are idling their engines and providing them with information on air quality and how idling affects health. The anticipation is that many will mainly be buses who use Lever St and Oldham Street as layovers in between their timetabled service.  

Therefore, road closures will take place on from Oak Street 11am to 2pm - outside the Craft Centre for a family friendly event to make hanging baskets. This will be accompanied by an event led by Manchester Carers who are setting up 3 intergenerational groups to meet and chat.  

The Northern Quarter Action Group will be launching a citizen science competition called Invent. The idea is that people can submit a prototype Air Quality sensor unit (costing under £200) which will be tested for efficacy by experts. The winning design will then be reproduced, and units will be located in various sites including participating schools.  

Similarly, there will be a meeting to look over the plans for the Yellow Brick Road and agree on setting up a Friends of Yellow Brick Road group. It is hoped that the impact on the day will be catalyst to encourage the community to take ownership of the pathway and thus deliver sustainability. The meeting is being held at Gorton Community Centre 1:00pm -3:30pm. 

These 3 activities are part of the City Centre Climate Change plan which has been produced through consultation with residents and members over the last 15 months. 

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said: “Cars idling, particularly outside schools are causing damage to a greater extent than many are aware.  

“Only by engaging those road users who are contributing to the poor air quality will we be able to see a shift in behaviors which will ultimately lead to better air quality outside schools for our children. 

“Such an innocuous and simple act such as turning your engine off for a few seconds can have a tremendous impact on not only the environment, but the health of the next generation.” 

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