The GSD notes that the Government intends to conduct an air quality monitoring study at the frontier over the next two years. While all air quality monitoring is of value in order to help understand what pollution levels are being experienced in Gibraltar, the GSD has questioned why the frontier has been chosen for such monitoring ahead of the area of Waterport, one of our community’s most densely populated areas.
Trevor Hammond, GSD Environment spokesmen said “Any form of air quality study will always be welcome and I look forward to hearing the results of this study at the frontier. I do however have to question why the frontier has been chosen over the area of Waterport for such a study. Whereas the frontier sees people passing through relatively quickly, Waterport has a large number of residences and shops in close proximity as well as being the location of the Government’s new mega school. Almost all children between the ages of eleven and eighteen will spend a significant proportion of their day in this area, it would seem sensible for such a study to have been conducted there as a matter of urgency.
“Pollution at the frontier is caused by traffic in frontier queues, which is very much transient. Pollution at Waterport is caused not only by traffic, the Waterport roundabout is a significant pinch point, but the area is also subject to pollution from the cruise terminal, port, bus terminal and power generation. Combine this cocktail of sources of pollution with the high density of the population in the area, as well as the mega school, shops and Main Street it is surely more important to conduct a study in this area, where pollution affects so many people in our community. I call on Government, as I have done previously, to commission an independent study in this area as a matter of urgency. It is a higher priority to our community than the frontier”.
1a College Lane Gibraltar GX11 1AA
