Drivers across Cardiff are being urged to leave their cars at home and catch the bus in support of Clean Air Day on Thursday June 20th.
Clean Air Day Wales, part of a UK wide campaign, started in 2017 and is supported by the Welsh Government.
Its Wales’ largest air quality awareness campaign and is designed to educate people about the dangers of air pollution and how they can play their part in making the air cleaner and healthier.
Air pollution is a term for different types of pollution in the air which can be inhaled and absorbed into the body and potentially cause ill-health.
Exposure to air pollution can increase respiratory symptoms for adults and increase the risk of developing bacterial pneumonia.
Over the longer term, exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of lung cancer, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Children can be particularly vulnerable as their bodies are still developing. Their smaller stature means they are at higher risk of inhaling pollutants such as those from car exhausts which can lead to children developing asthma and worse symptoms if exposed for prolonged periods of time.
The campaign encourages people to take steps to improve air quality and look after theirs and other’s health.
The main sources of air pollution come from agriculture, open fires, industry, energy generation and cars.
Cars produce nearly 60 per cent of all CO2 emissions from road transport in the UK, compared with just 5 per cent from buses which is why Cardiff Bus are encouraging car users to consider using buses for the day. To help plan your bus journey, the operator has a handy journey planner on its website (https://www.cardiffbus.com/plan-a-journey) and you can pay for tickets on the bus by cash (exact fare) or contactless. Fares within the Cardiff area are only £2 for an adult single ticket; £1.30 for young people or a day-to-go ticket for multiple journeys within Cardiff are £4 for an adults and £2.60 for young people.
The operator is also reminding passengers that buses will start from different stops in the city centre after 16:00 on Thursday 20 June, due to the city centre road closures for the Pink concert. Full details of where to catch your bus after 16:00 can be found on the website: https://www.cardiffbus.com/principality-stadium
Gareth Stevens, Acting Operations and Commercial Director at Cardiff Bus, said that Clean Air Day Wales was a vital step towards encouraging the use of sustainable transport in Cardiff.
He said:
“We are delighted to be supporting this year’s Clean Air Day Wales, which we hope will see an increase in the number of people using public transport as an alternative method to cars.
“As ever, we are committed to help tackle issues surrounding air pollution, and as such we welcome this educational campaign.
“We feel it important to encourage members of the public to consider ditching their cars for the day and taking the bus to help reduce carbon emissions.
“Transport is seen as a huge contributing factor of air pollution so changing how the public travel could potentially reduce how much pollution is emitted into the air.
“For full information about bus routes please visit www.cardiffbus.com or contact us via our social media channels on Twitter and Facebook.”
For more information on Clean Air Day Wales visit https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/wales
