A LOW Emission Zone (LEZ) is “improving air quality” in Glasgow, new research has found.
The study by Glasgow University, in collaboration with the University of Auckland and University College Dublin, found that while traffic flow in Glasgow has remained largely unchanged since the LEZ was enforced last year, air quality has improved.
The zone was first introduced to Glasgow in June 2023 as a way of reducing pollution in the city centre by restricting access to vehicles which do not meet certain emissions standards.
Glasgow City Council reported a net revenue of £747,511 in the first year since the LEZ was enforced, with more than 25,000 penalty charges paid.
The local democracy reporting service said that the money will be spent on the operational costs of running the zone, with the rest – around £500,000 – going towards planting new trees and a fund for community climate projects.
LEZs are also in place in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee.
Glasgow has high traffic volumes, with nearly 240,000 vehicles registered in the city in 2021, according to statistics from the Department for Transport.
The latest research found a significant reduction in traffic flow on Glasgow’s High Street during weekdays, resulting in notable decreases in nitrogen dioxide levels of between 25% and 27%, and 35% on weekends.
On Hope Street, traffic patterns remained the same, but researchers still observed a drop in nitrogen dioxide levels between 9% and 13% on weekdays.
Researchers said this suggested that the enforcement of the LEZ discouraged high emission vehicles in the city centre, in turn improving air quality.
Qunshan Zhao, professor in urban analytics at Glasgow University and co-author of the study, said that more research needed to be done to understand the relationship between traffic flow and air quality levels.
“These early results indicate that while traffic reductions and the decrease of the high emission vehicles in some parts of the city may be contributing to improved air quality, other factors may also play a role,” Zhao said.
“The findings highlight the need for continued monitoring to better understand the LEZ's long-term impact on both traffic and pollution levels across Glasgow.
“Paired traffic sensors and air quality sensors can be set up to help further understand the relationships between traffic flows and air quality variations.”
