Despite a slight improvement on the previous year, the level of nitrogen dioxide on busy roads such as London Road and St John's Road continues to put the city in line for EU fines.
The EU annual average objective for nitrogen dioxide – which is not a greenhouse gas – is 40 micrograms per cubic metre. However, a number of the city's busiest roads regularly exceed this, including St John's Road and Morrison Street, where levels often exceed 70 micrograms
The highest reading was taken on one part of St John's Road, where an annual mean concentration of 85 micrograms was recorded. Among the other worst offenders are West Port and West Maitland Street.
From Scotsman, 2009:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/city_air_quality_to_take_your_breath_away_1_1225038
The next time you see traffic stopped at lights and there are several cars emitting copious exhaust next to a lone cyclist, you can be cheered by the fact that those in the car are experiencing the highest air pollution exposure, and not the cyclist. The air pollution in cars moving slowly in traffic can be up to ten times more concentrated than the levels outside in the street.
From Scotsman, 2002: http://www.scotsman.com/news/time_to_clear_the_air_over_pollution_1_850038
Road transport is the main cause of local air quality problems. There is a lack of coordination between air quality and transport objectives at both a national and a local level.
and
The majority of air quality problems in Scotland are related to emissions from road transport, in particular buses and heavy goods vehicles. For example, the City of Edinburgh Council found that buses contributed over 50 per cent of all emissions of nitrogen oxides at four of five sites monitored in the city centre in 2001.
From 'Protecting and improving Scotland’s environment', Audit Scotland, prepared for the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission, January 2010:
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2010/nr_100114_environment_overview.pdf
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