Aberdeen air quality

A project to assess ways of lessening the environmental impact of transport in Aberdeen city centre is set to get under way after clearing a key funding hurdle.

The joint initiative – featuring Aberdeen city council, the regional transport partnership Nestrans and Robert Gordon University – has been approved for European Union (EU) support.

The work will focus on investigating the benefits of a formally designated Low Emission Zone (LEZ) for Aberdeen city centre to help address air quality issues in the area.

Within a geographically-defined LEZ, access by specific polluting vehicles is restricted or deterred, with potentially only low- or zero-emissions vehicles allowed entry.

Nestrans chair and deputy city council leader, Cllr Kevin Stewart, said: 'The study will look at ways of addressing the issues by, for example, reducing emissions from freight and delivery traffic, enhancing the pedestrian environment, developing park-and-ride facilities and promoting travel awareness. Beyond that, one of the key aims is to reduce city congestion and minimise pollution.'