How you can help and protect yourself

Here are some simple steps you can take to help improve air quality in Bradford and reduce your exposure to air pollution:

Reduce your vehicle emissions

If you are able, reduce your vehicle use by walking and cycling for shorter journeys. When you are walking or cycling try and pick quieter routes which are not as heavily trafficked (e.g. through parks and lesser used streets). This will reduce the amount of pollution you are exposed to.

• Consider using public transport for some journeys. Some of the highest exposure to air pollutants takes place in private cars.
• If you don’t use a car very often consider joining a car club rather than running your own car or buying a second car. Car club vehicles tend to be newer lower emission vehicles and it may work out cheaper than car ownership once you factor in the cost of buying a car, insuring a car, maintaining a car and fuelling it. You can find out where your nearest car club is here
• If you have children who travel to school, try to make this journey more sustainable and improve their health. Further advice on school travel is available here
• When the time comes to replace your current vehicle think carefully about whether you really need a car and/or what other lower emission alternatives are available. The initial purchase price of electric and hybrid vehicles may seem high but in the longer term they may prove more cost effective especially if you make lots of journeys.
• If you are a taxi driver or fleet vehicle operator registered in Bradford, you may be able to access local grants to assist with reduced fuel costs and tax costs. These are open to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), Sole Traders/self-employed, education establishments and charities registered within the Bradford Metropolitan District.  
• Some central government grants are also available to assist with the cost of purchasing lower emission vehicles 

If you need to own a vehicle and cannot replace it just yet you can still reduce your impact on the environment by following these ECO-driving tips:

• Switch off your engine when parked, especially outside schools and homes where children and residents are present.
• Check your tyres - Under-inflated tyres mean an engine has to work harder and will produce more emissions.
• Clear the clutter - remove unnecessary clutter from your boot and reduce engine workload.
• Stick to the speed limit - high speeds produce more emissions. At 70mph a driver could be using up to 15 per cent more fuel than at 50mph.
• Slow down as you approach traffic jams - Stop-start traffic jams use more fuel. Slow down early and take your foot off the accelerator. Use the stop start technology on your vehicle if it has it.
• Close windows and cut down on the use of air conditioning to reduce emissions
• Share your journeys

Reduce your domestic emissions

• If you have a solid fuel appliance, such as a wood burning stove, ensure you use it correctly with approved dry fuels to minimise smoke emissions. You should only purchase fuels which have the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo on them.  Read more information about reducing emissions from wood burning stoves.
• If you are currently considering purchasing a solid fuel appliance consider if you really need one and what the impacts may be on the environment and the health of you and your neighbours. Find out more about the health impacts of solid fuel appliances
• If you live in a Smoke Control Area (SCA) you must comply with the legal requirements for smokeless zones. More information on wood burning is on our website.
• You can check if your home is in a smoke control area here.
• Even if you don’t live in a SCA you must avoid creating a smoke nuisance and could be issued with an Abatement Notice if you are causing a nuisance to your neighbours. Read more about burning wood on our webpage.
• If you are considering having a garden bonfire think about alternate methods of disposal first such as composting or taking to a waste disposal site. If you do decide to have a bonfire only burn dry garden waste and keep the fire as small and short as possible.  Do not burn when the wind is likely to blow smoke towards homes or other sensitive locations such as schools. More advice on garden bonfires is available here
• Think about other activities you undertake in your home such as cooking which can give rise to lots of different air pollutants. Try and ventilate your kitchen during cooking activities by using a cooker hood that extracts to the outside or if you haven’t got an extraction unit open a window. You should try and open a window that doesn’t open directly onto a busy road if possible.
• Think about what products you use in your home. Products such as candles, incense, perfumes, cleaning products, paints and personal grooming products (such as deodorants and hairsprays) all add to the levels of pollutants in your home. Find our more about indoor air pollution on our webpage.
• When buying new carpets and furniture for your home consider the materials they are made from and any treatments that may have been applied that could add to pollution levels in your home. When you introduce new furnishings into your home try and ventilate rooms more often than normal for at least the first few weeks after they arrival and continue to ventilate your home regularly going forward.