Business. Scoop » Diesel Buses Drive Up Golden Mile Air Pollution
Article – Justin Wong – Local Democracy ReporterNitrogen dioxide levels recorded on Manners Street have dropped 35% over nine years, while black carbon ultrafine soot has fallen 43% since monitoring began in. . .
Article – Justin Wong – Local Democracy ReporterNitrogen dioxide levels recorded on Manners Street have dropped 35% over nine years, while black carbon ultrafine soot has fallen 43% since monitoring began in mid2020. June 19, 2026Wellington, WairarapaNew bus lanes on Wellington’s harbour quays could improve air quality on the capital’s Golden Mile, where pollution levels have slightly worsened over the past two years because of more diesel buses on the road. However, air quality has still improved dramatically since monitoring began in 2016, according to a Greater Wellington Regional Council report submitted to its environment and climate committee on Thursday. The council’s senior environmental scientist, Tamsin Mitchell, expected proposed bus spines along the harbour quays would further improve air quality on the Golden Mile because it was more exposed. Nitrogen dioxide levels recorded on Manners Street have dropped 35% over nine years, while black carbon — ultrafine soot — has fallen 43% since monitoring began in mid2020. The report attributed the improvements to 2018 bus route changes, a newer fleet, and the replacement of a quarter of diesel buses on the Golden Mile with electric buses in September 2021. But in 2022, rising passenger numbers meant Metlink had to increase the number of diesel buses on the roads. Nitrogen dioxide and black carbon levels in 2024 were 15% higher than the previous year, although they remained below pre-electrification levels. The committee’s chairperson, Quentin Duthie, said the air quality report gave the council license for more government help to increase its electric bus fleet. “We would hope that the new government policy statement on transport, which a draft is due soon, will be much more favourable to supporting public transport authorities around the country, not just Wellington,” he said. “The air we breathe has a direct impact on our health and wellbeing, and this report shows we cannot take clean air for granted – even in a region known for its wind. “Cleaner air delivers benefits well beyond the environment – it supports public health, strengthens liveability, and contributes to a more resilient low-emissions future for our region. ”The monitoring programme has already installed a probe on the harbour quays to track progress on air quality. Elsewhere, the regional council report said Wairarapa towns had the poorest winter air quality in the region, because of both high emissions and poor dispersion. A Masterton monitoring station recorded more than 50 high-pollution days each year since 2021, when the daily average of PM2. 5 small air pollutant particles exceeded 15 micrograms per cubic metre. World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines suggested there should not be more than three high-pollution days a year. It blamed wood burners as a major culprit for the pollution, aggravated by “topographic conditions that limited the dispersion of wood smoke”. – Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On AirContent Sourced fromscoop. co. nzOriginal url