A DRAFT air quality action plan has been produced by East Lothian Council in a bid to tackle pollution in Musselburgh town centre.

Members of the public have until December 16 to give their views on the 58-page document, which has come under fire from local Green campaigner Jason Rose.

The council declared its first Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) covering the High Street area of Musselburgh in November 2013, after it breached the Scottish Government health-based objective.

A number of ongoing, short and medium-term measures that the local authority believes offer the best opportunity to improve air quality in the area are listed in the action plan, by Glasgow consultants Ricardo-AEA.

They include installing AQMA signage to alert drivers to the presence of air quality issues. The council’s new traffic wardens will enforce road traffic legislation in relation to vehicle idling by slapping fines on offenders.

The council also works in partnership with Midlothian, West Lothian and Falkirk Councils to provide a voluntary vehicle emissions testing programme.

Lothian Buses will begin to use hybrid single-decker buses in mid to late 2017 that switch to electric operation automatically in the Musselburgh zone. Initially, this will consist of 25 vehicles operating on the number 30 service. The council is planning to install an electric charging facility in the town.

In order to try and relieve congestion at High Street’s four bus stops, it is proposed that additional bus stops are added along the street, with bus services being split between the additional stops.

The council has secured funding from the Scottish Government and is in the process of establishing an Eco Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme in East Lothian.

This recognises the best operational practices and guidance for making improvements to fleet operators, both the council and commercial, with the ultimate aim of reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

Traffic lights will be phased to encourage a smooth flow of traffic to stop elevated concentrations of air pollution which create localised hot spots. A SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) will be implemented on High Street with synchronised fixed time signals to address peak hour congestion and queuing at key junctions.

The council is also proposing to improve public transport links by increasing the capacity of trains and platforms at the town’s railway station.

A travel plan promotes the introduction of a car share scheme, cycle parking and appointment of a school travel plan co-ordinator.

The council is hoping to increase cycling trips to employment, education and leisure facilities, as well as providing new footpaths and crossings for pedestrians.

Other radical measures, such as pedestrianisation of High Street and a local ban on freight, car or bus traffic, have been ruled out.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, cabinet member for environment, said: “Air pollution is a widespread problem, affecting many large towns and cities in the UK. Elevated levels of air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter can pose a risk to human health. In Musselburgh, as in other towns and cities across the UK, road traffic is the dominant source of air pollution, while industrial, commercial, agricultural and domestic sources also contribute to the problem.

"Air quality monitoring and modelling work undertaken by the council has confirmed that air quality on High Street, Musselburgh, has failed to meet the Scottish Government health-based annual mean air quality objective for NO2. As a consequence, the council has been working to reduce levels of NO2 to meet the objective, which is acknowledged in the draft action plan.

“The most recent air quality progress report for 2016 indicates that the NO2 annual mean objective wasn’t exceeded during 2015 and in fact there has been a downward trend in NO2 concentrations over the last five years.

“The action plan outlines the measures the council intend to take to reduce levels of NO2 to as low as possible and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving air quality throughout the county.”

But Mr Rose said: “Various measures are suggested to tackle queuing and volume of traffic but most of them are either intangible, such as improving links with other council strategies, long-term and costly, such as a longer platform and longer trains at Musselburgh station, or downright pointless, such as relocation of bus stops. As far as I can tell, the only measure likely to be implemented any time soon is signage.”

He described as “very sensible” enforcing idling legislation but doubted if Eco Stars would have “any real impact.”

Mr Rose said the council should be “randomly stopping” drivers in the High Street and fining them if their vehicles did not meet modern standards. He added: “Is there much point in promoting cycling on such a dangerous road that has no cycling infrastructure? And rather than nagging people to walk to High Street, why not make it easy by widening pavements, providing safer crossings at junctions such as Kilwinning Street and nicer access vennels?”

Mr Rose said: “The action plan should include clear timescales for implementation of the agreed measures. There are no such timescales in the draft plan. The situation is urgent and I simply won’t allow the council to continue kicking the can down the road.

“Other big gaps that need addressed are funding and health impacts. There’s no indication in the draft plan of the kind of funds that the council should be setting aside to tackle this problem, and although the plan will need the approval of the Scottish Government and the Environment Protection Agency, there’s no sign that the NHS or any other public health experts will be involved.”

He claimed: “Hardly a month goes by without some new piece of research showing a link between traffic pollution and health problems such as high blood pressure or heart attacks.”

Mr Rose added: “This isn’t just a pollution problem, it’s an opportunity to improve public health and the local economy. If we invest in measures that reduce traffic in Musselburgh High Street, and encourage walking and cycling, we can have a healthier community and thriving local businesses.”

People wishing to add their views on the draft can complete an online survey at eastlothianconsultations.co.uk/policy-partnerships/musselburghaqma. Alternatively, email comments to aqapconsultation@eastlothian.gov.uk or send written comments to Colin Clark, Environmental Health, East Lothian Council, John Muir House, Haddington, EH41 3HA.