A new commission has been set up under the Chair of Barry Sheerman MP to reduce road air pollution and to influence Government policy to promote cleaner air.
The Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality (WCRAQ) aims to reduce air pollution created by road users and the effect of this on the human race.
The Commission advises the members of the House of Commons and the House of Lord’s on road air pollution, its effects and delivers potential solutions. The Commission brings together air quality professionals and legislators to identify research-based solutions to air quality problems.
Road Air Pollution has a massive effect on human health as it is generated close to people, including pedestrians, drivers and other road users.
The Commission was set up as a vehicle to look into air pollution from road transport and explore alternatives to lower emissions and improve air quality in the UK while bringing this crucial issue to the attention of members of Parliament and the Government. The Commission brings together academics, business representatives, experts on air pollution and other significant organisations in the health and environment sector, to help formulate Government Policy.
The Commission’s end goal is to influence policy to reduce road air pollution and to diminish its effects on the general public’s health.
‘The Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality will bring together the leading voices of several industries to look into the main challenges and opportunities around improving transport-related air pollution in the UK. Poor Air quality a crucial issue for the health of people and the environment, and it’s only by bringing the greatest minds together that we’ll be able to solve this problem,’ commented Barry Sheerman MP for Huddersfield and Chairman of the Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality.
Set up
The Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality is a Limited by Guarantee Social Enterprise. The Commission supports the All-Party Parliamentary Clean Air Group Vice-Chair Barry Sheerman MP.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution membership consists of MPs and peers who work together to promote measures to tackle poor air quality.
WCRAQ consists of working parties to discuss, debate and agree on policy recommendations. These parties provide quarterly reports for the All-Parliamentary Clean Air Group to help shape Government policies.
Barry Sheerman, Jason Airey, MD of CMS SupaTrak, Ash Sharma, Author and founder SKIPS Educational, and Sally Cumner, Sales and Marketing Director for CMS SupaTrak, set the Commission up in 2020. The idea originated from Barry at an Optimised Waste and Logistics (OWL) partnership AGM in Dublin in April 2018.
Jason and Sally then set off on a journey to carry out more research about air pollution created by road transport.
‘We created the Commission after almost two years of investigations as we realised our Government wasn’t addressing the issues of air quality,’ commented Sally.
‘According to the World Health Organisation air pollution kills an estimate of about seven million people per year around the world. This number is shocking but, more importantly, it’s also preventable. By taking a deep look into one of the biggest sources of air pollution – road transport – this Commission will take an important step in solving one of the biggest health and environmental issues of our time,’ explained Barry Sheerman.
The Commission consists of five working parties:
- Air Quality Monitoring – Chair: Professor Roland Leigh, Earthsense
- Air Health – Chair: Professor Stephen Holgate, Southampton University
- Planning – Chair: Louise Brooke Smith, Consilio Strategic Consultancy
- Alternative Fuels and Vehicles – Chair: Richard Wenham, Central Bedford Council
- Education – Chair: Trewin Ristoric, Hubbub
- Research – Associate Professor James Tate, University of Leeds
The Commission invites scientists, charities, air quality professionals, transport operations and consultancies and other qualified individuals to become part of this new initiative.
To join the Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality, please contact [email protected].
