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The Oxfordshire Clean Air Charter

Oxford Friends of the Earth is a thriving and effective local group that has been active for over 40 years. Our purpose is to work together to promote a healthy and sustainable environment

Oxford FoE has been campaigning for cleaner air in Oxfordshire for several years.  County and City councils accept that there is a serious public health issue.  The challenge is now to take action to bring air pollution down to safe levels.

How we can do that is set out in the The Oxfordshire Clean Air Charter which we launched in June 2018.

Our ambition for change is to make Oxfordshire a clean-air county
• All areas should be at ‘safe’ levels (by World Health Organisation standards) by the end of 2020
• Air pollution-related mortality should fall by at least 50% by 2030

To do this the Charter calls upon the County, City and District Councils to agree and implement the following policies:

Control polluting vehicles
1. Restrict vehicle access in high pollution areas
2. Accelerate the development of Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone
3. Introduce workplace parking levies and parking charges to favour less
polluting vehicles
4. Enforce a ban on idling by taxis, buses, tour coaches and school
drop-offs

Promote a sustained shift from car use to more sustainable forms of transport
5. Develop infrastructure that promotes shift from private vehicle use
to cycling, walking and public transport
6. Introduce a freight consolidation centre to enable fewer and cleaner
delivery journeys

Create safer streets for walking and cycling
7. Develop a programme to make Oxford by 2025 the UK city where the
highest percentage of people use walking and cycling for local journeys
8. Make streets friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists and create ‘liveable streets’
Invest in improving public transport across the county*
9. Work with national agencies to invest in upgrading rail services across
the county
10. Ensure that local transport plans focus on improving urban and rural
bus services

The Charter also sets out targets for businesses, voluntary groups and individuals.