Congestion and air pollution are killing the world�s major cities. Among them: New York, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai and London to name a few. And if you believe the most skewed of environmentalist hype, it�s all down to personal transport. Only it�s not. The UK�s Health Effects Institute (HEI) recently released details of a study called the, �The Impact of the Congestion Charging Scheme on Air Quality in London,� that shows that things may not be as clear-cut as some of us thought.
Led by Professor Frank Kelly of King�s College London, the study (as the title suggests) investigated what affect London�s much-derided Congestion Charging Scheme has had on the city�s air quality. The result: not much. Through the use of emissions / exposure modeling, analysis of air monitoring data and the, �assay for the oxidative potential of particulate matter,� Professor Kelly and his colleagues found:
�From their comparison of actual air pollutant measurements within the CCZ with those at control sites in Outer London, the investigators reported little evidence of CCS-related changes in pollutant levels at roadside monitoring sites, where their modeling had suggested the most pronounced effects would be seen.�
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