National health charity Asthma + Lung UK Scotland has welcomed reports of improved air quality in Glasgow following the introduction of a Low Emission Zone (LEZ).

The charity says it hopes to see other cities make the change after the initial rollout in Glasgow brought marked improvements to the city’s air quality.

LEZs are designated zones where only less polluting vehicles can drive.

They are designed to help cities meet climate targets while lowering the health risks from air pollution.

Air pollution from cars has been linked to poorer lung health outcomes, including increases in asthma symptoms and attacks that can result in hospitalisation, as well as type 2 diabetes and dementia.

Glasgow’s latest air quality report showed that nitrogen dioxide levels in the LEZ area had dropped by 20% compared to monitoring from the previous year.

Glasgow City Council said, while air quality is ‘much improved’, it is striving for better for the benefit all who live in or visit Glasgow.

The improvements come a year after Asthma + Lung UK Scotland reported growing public support for LEZs in Scotland, with 6 in 10 Glaswegians supporting the policy.

The charity’s Policy and Public Affairs Officer and Chair of Healthy Air Scotland, Gareth Brown, said:

“We are delighted that air pollution levels have fallen in Glasgow since the enforcement of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) over a year ago.

“This, we hope, will be replicated in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, with our major cities becoming far healthier and cleaner places to live and work, where people can walk and cycle and not be forced to breathe in dirty air.”

Glasgow City Council says it will take further action over the next four years to reduce emissions from road traffic in the city centre where pollution is at its highest.

It will support the development and implementation of initiatives that benefit air quality, particularly in relation to peak-hour private car traffic in the city centre.

This will include encouraging the public to reduce short car journeys and increasing and promoting the use of low emission public transport alternatives

It also sets out plans to support the expansion of the city’s active travel network, to encourage the public to walk and cycle more often and reap the health benefits from physical activity.

After medics warned last year that air pollution is harming children’s health and called for air quality monitoring around schools, the council has also set out plans to review the way it monitors air quality.

The council says it recognises air pollution ‘disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations’, including children, the elderly, those living in deprived areas and those with existing health conditions, adding:

‘While Glasgow is meeting most of its air quality targets, we remain committed to delivering cleaner, more breathable air.’

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