What can I do on the move?

The way we transport goods and ourselves is the cause of 26% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. It can cause negative impacts on human health by the generation of air pollution, noise pollution and the fragmentation of natural habitats.

Thinking about how we travel and reducing the use of fossil fuel vehicles (petrol and diesel cars) through active travel, public transport and electric vehicles can improve local air quality and reduce our exposure to harmful pollutants.

Cycling and Walking

Cycling and walking does not only help to reduce traffic-related air pollution and congestion but can also improve our physical and mental health through regular exercise and spending time outdoors.

Around 68% of UK trips undertaken are under 5 miles, with 19% of trips being less than 1 mile in length (source: sustrans.org.uk).

Many of these journeys could be walked or cycled, which would result in significant improvements in our health and local air quality.

Lincolnshire County Council are working to improve active travel through providing better quality and more accessible active travel infrastructure, including new shared use paths and a new, more expansive hire bike scheme in Lincoln.

A Local Transport Plan 5 is currently being developed for the future travel, transport and development plans for the county.

More information on cycling and walking in Lincolnshire.

Public Transport

Public transport, such as buses and trains, can improve local air quality and traffic congestion.

This is because it reduces the number of single occupancy vehicles on the road that emit harmful pollutants such as NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. You can plan your bus route using the Lincs Bus journey planner LincsBus - Homepage and plan your train journey using Trainline Journey Planner | UK Train Route Planner | Trainline (thetrainline.com).

Engine Idling

Idling means leaving a vehicle’s engine running while stationary, increasing the amount of exhaust fumes in the air containing CO2, NO2 and Carbon Monoxide.

Not only is this harmful to health and the environment, but it is also against the law and may result in a fine.

How to avoid engine idling:

  • Turn your engine off if you are likely to be stationary for more than 1 minute. Modern cars use virtually no extra fuel when they are restarted, and you will be wasting less fuel with your engine off

  • Consider switching off your engine when in traffic, at a level crossing, loading or waiting at the roadside

  • For modern vehicles with a stop/start system, make sure this is switched on

Electric Vehicles

Using electric vehicles (EVs) instead of conventional vehicles can reduce local air pollution, especially in urban areas.

This is because the generation of electricity emits far fewer harmful pollutants than the combustion of petrol or diesel. You can find out where you can charge your electric vehicle on the Zap Map - Map of electric charging points for electric cars UK: Zapmap (zap-map.com)

Frequently asked questions

Do you have a question about the Clean Air Lincolnshire project? Please check our frequently asked questions for more information. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, use the link below to contact us:
Get in touch

All eight councils in Lincolnshire are working together to measure air quality and support local action to improve the negative health effects of air pollution.

Air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic heart and lung conditions, leading to reduced life expectancy. It is estimated that man-made air pollution contributes to between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths in the UK each year. 

DEFRA awarded Lincolnshire funding to provide an evidence-based air quality monitoring and awareness campaign. The aims are to encourage local involvement and provide clear assistance and advice to help reduce local concentrations of air pollutants throughout Lincolnshire.

The DEFRA funding has enabled Lincolnshire to install air quality monitors outside eight schools for one year. All this data is mapped on the Clean Air Lincolnshire homepage. Unfortunately, we do not have any additional monitors available to hire.

Clean Air Lincolnshire have installed Clarity air quality monitors at eight locations outside schools. They are recording data on particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels continuously. In collaboration with DEFRA air quality monitoring stations all the data is building a picture of air pollution levels across the county. 

Clean Air Lincolnshire is a partnership between public health, sustainability, and environmental health departments at the eight local authorities in Lincolnshire. 

Everyone can act! Look through the pages on this website for more information and ideas. But if we all think about how well we ventilate our living spaces and how we travel, all the small differences will add up to improve the health of ourselves and others. 

The eight schools participating in Clean Air Lincolnshire will have first access to all the resources to help them understand their local air quality and to develop a behaviour change campaign to inform and influence the wider school community. The resources will be available on this website for other schools to make use of as their campaigns end.