Greater Manchester City Region Launches BreatheLife Campaign:
Strategy will reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality

Greater Manchester City Region is home to 2.7 million people, and expected to reach a population of 3 million by 2040. Greater Manchester, which encompasses ten boroughs, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the UK. As the city region embraces a rising population and a growing economy, sustainable solutions are needed.

In Greater Manchester, road transport accounts for 65 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions and 79 percent of particulate emissions. These types of air pollutants are the most harmful to people’s health.

To tackle this challenge, Transport for Greater Manchester developed a Low-Emission Strategy and an Air Quality Action Plan. The plans outline ways to reduce emissions from road transport.

The city region aims to reduce emissions and improve air quality using four general approaches: changing travel behavior, managing emissions, greening the vehicle fleet, and raising awareness. These include concrete solutions such as:

Expanding the zero-emission (at street-level) Metrolink network, Greater Manchester’s tram system

Increasing bus usage and reducing vehicle emissions

Investing in cycling infrastructure

Introducing a roadworks permit system to ease traffic

Purchasing low-emission vehicles

Expanding and upgrading the electric vehicle charging network across Greater Manchester

Campaigning for cleaner vehicles

As Greater Manchester celebrates the new campaign, local officials are also looking ahead. Matthew O’Neill, Lead Air Quality Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester, says, “We are currently working on an awareness-raising campaign as part of National Clean Air Day, in which we will be working with schools and organisations to provide information and learning about air quality and health. There will be a series of events, workshops and competitions leading up to the day on the 15th June 2017.” 

Read the city region’s press release: Greater Manchester becomes UK’s first WHO and UN Environment BreatheLife region. 

See more about Greater Manchester’s Air Quality plan at www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/airquality.