Dr Jenifer Baxter, Head of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, commented on the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government which was released on 4 September:
“The Institution of Mechanical Engineers welcomes the move by the Scottish Government to install Europe’s most comprehensive network of cutting edge remote sensing air quality monitors on local and trunk roads as part of its Programme for Government.
We need to examine the evidence relating to emissions from transport in more detail in order to decide on the best solutions for our transport networks. This will provide us with a complete picture of our baseline pollutants, which would enable us to monitor peaks throughout the day. New monitoring systems will need to record all types of pollution including oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and ultra-fine particles (UFP). These data will provide a baseline for our emissions and enable prioritisation of investment schemes to reduce pollutants in an evidence-based way.
A further step that the Scottish Government could take is placing these monitoring systems in train stations and nearby train lines that pass through urban areas, where the trains run on diesel, this would make the monitoring of transport emissions truly comprehensive.
We would urge the UK government to follow the Scottish Government’s lead in installing these air quality monitors.”
