Works to help improve the air quality in Water Street, Port Talbot are set to get underway next month.
With high levels of traffic travelling through the area on a daily basis, air quality levels are being exceeded on a regular basis. Neath Port Talbot Council are now taking steps to reduce levels of Nitrogen Dioxide and are expected to start this on February 1st.
There are plans to install a vehicle activated roadblocker unit on the southern route of Water Street opposite the old Health Centre. This will mean that from 1st February the road from Blancos down to the roundabout by Afan Way will be closed to traffic except for buses which will still be able to drive over the device and cycles.
Motorists will have to take the alternative route from Heilbronn Way roundabout by Blancos over the stage 1C Peripheral Road which will take you through to Afan Way. There will be a review after three months to assess the effect on nitrogen dioxide in the area.
Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Ali Thomas, said, “This work is essential to ensure that the area is not designated as an air quality management area, as this would be detrimental to the areas future development opportunities. Cutting the flow of traffic through this area will hopefully reduce levels significantly and this will not only improve the air quality for our local residents, which is paramount, but also it will avoid the area being declared an air quality management area.”
Northbound traffic from Afan Way up to town will be unaffected.
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Nitrogen dioxide (‘NO2’) is one of a group of gases called nitrogen oxides (‘NOx’) formed in the combustion of fossil fuels. The majority of nitrogen oxides emitted from a vehicle exhaust are in the form of nitric oxide (‘NO’), which is not considered harmful to health. However, this gas can react with other gases present both in the exhaust and the atmosphere, to form nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is harmful to health and is also an important component in the formation of ozone. Road transport is estimated to be responsible for about 50% of total emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx).
