At Asthma + Lung UK, we’re fighting for everyone’s right to breathe clean air. We’re campaigning for government to introduce a new funding pot – the Cleaner Travel Access Fund (CTAF) – to help people who need it most switch to cleaner modes of transport.
In the UK, car travel is king, and it’s driving toxic air
Millions of people across the UK are breathing in levels of toxic air that is not only dangerous, but illegal according to UK law. Air pollution causes and exacerbates a whole host of conditions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and it contributes to up to 43,000 early deaths every year in the UK.
Air quality matters to everyone, but for those with lung conditions – it is critical to life.
Given the rising cost of living, the challenge to clean up our air has become even more important as those who live on the lowest incomes could find it harder to switch to cleaner travel. Now more than ever, it’s critical for the UK government to step up and provide the targeted financial support needed.
The CTAF is a scrappage scheme targeted at people on low incomes and people whose mobility is affected by long-term health conditions, so they can use a grant to access less polluting ways of travelling. This could include buying a bike or a scooter; buying a travel card for use on public transport; or even buying an electric vehicle.
Less cars on the road will mean cleaner air and better lung health for everyone.
The damaging effects of air pollution are costing the UK millions every year
As of March 2023, it is estimated that the combined costs of air pollution from road transport currently amounts to £2.3bn. This could rise to £5.3bn by 2035. Modelling by environmental consultancy Ricardo has shown that the CTAF could deliver a health and economic benefit of £254m per year if it was delivered across England.
For every £1 invested by central government in the scheme, there is a payback of £2.50 for society.
Here’s what else the CTAF could to benefit society:
- reduce deaths by 260 per year in England that are currently being lost to air pollution and related consequences
- reduce the number of hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses by 174 per year
- avoid 172 new cases of asthma in children every year
- avoid 6620 school days being lost each year to sickness caused by air pollution.
Those least responsible for air pollution are often the most exposed.
Rolling the CTAF out across key cities like Liverpool, Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire would help it reach people living in the most deprived areas. We also found that the biggest reductions in nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas are predicted in areas where the highest numbers of children are living.
I’m a respiratory advanced nurse practitioner in primary care. I consult a rising number of patients with respiratory conditions, many of them are children. The pollution has extremely high impact on their symptoms and their quality of life.
Air pollution particles can travel deep into the lungs of children which has been shown to lead to stunted lung growth. In the most severe cases, air pollution can lead to fatal asthma attacks.
As well as causing new lung conditions and worsening existing ones, there is a growing body of evidence linking air pollution with more health conditions including cardiovascular disease, strokes, dementia, premature birth and poor mental health.
It can make you feel helpless because others pollute your air and there is nothing you can do about it.
We need politicians to commit to cleaning up our air now – to protect public health, to save the UK money, to reduce health inequality, and to stop the burden of toxic air impacting future generations. Tell your MP why air pollution needs to be a political priority.
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