Physical environment: traffic

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Traffic volume has increased year on year in recent times, reflecting the rising levels of car ownership in Scotland. Chart 1 (projected traffic growth for Scotland between 2001 and 2021) shows that concern over these rising trends is well founded: by 2021, traffic volume in Scotland is predicted to rise 27% from 2001 levels. Furthermore, although not shown here, projections for some council areas are even higher e.g. 35% for Stirling, 34% for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, 33% for North Lanarkshire, and 30% for Edinburgh City.

This clearly raises a number of questions around the potential future impact on air pollution and, indeed, the environment and health generally, as well as questions about how sustainable such a rise in traffic growth can be.