Call For Gas Guzzlers To Be Banned From Edinburgh City Centre
Environmentalists are calling for a ban on high polluting vehicles in Edinburgh city centre.
Friends of the Earth has been out protesting, donning gas masks in Newington, where they say air pollution is at unacceptable levels.
The corridor from South Bridge to Nicholson Street and Slateford Road were recently added to the city council's air pollution control zone.
It's claimed pollution leads to around 200 premature deaths in the city every year.
Doctor Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland told Forth News, "This is a really serious thing.
"It's much more serious than people getting knocked down and killed in the street because it's more people affected.
"We should be doing lots more about it, but sadly the problem is actually getting worse rather than better".
But Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said the council is working hard to improve the situation.
She said, “We recognise that improving air quality in Edinburgh can be a challenge and we are making every effort to address this.
"We monitor air quality continuously across the city and extending the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) enables us to direct actions more effectively at those locations. “We are already working closely with bus and road freight operators to reduce vehicle emissions on some of our busiest traffic routes.
"Recent monitoring suggests that air quality is improving in many places, including the South Bridge/Nicolson Street corridor.”