ATMOSYS researcher assists in fact-checking the impact of LEZ Ghent

ATMOSYS researcher Stijn Vranckx was recently asked by the Flemish weekly news magazine Knack to help fact-check a statement made by Ghent city councillor Anneleen Van Bossuyt. The politician claimed that the introduction of a low emission zone (LEZ) in Ghent in 2020 had not led to a proportional improvement of air quality. Knack interviewed a number of air quality experts, including Stijn Vranckx.

Anneleen Van Bossuyt argued in 't Pallieterke that ‘a study on the LEZ in Ghent shows that the impact on air quality is rather limited: nitrogen dioxide concentrations will fall by an average of 1.34% and black soot concentrations by just under 1% by 2025 as a result of the LEZ’. “This does not outweigh the financial and social impact on citizens," she said.
 

Road traffic emmissions

Stijn Vranckx (image) nuances this, arguing that the local LEZ does have a significant impact on traffic emissions. "The figures quoted by Van Bossuyt refer to the overall air quality, which in the period until 2025 led to an average of 1.34% and 1% reduction in nitrogen dioxide and soot concentrations, respectively, which indeed are not very high.  However, many more factors influence these levels than just road traffic," he says. "The LEZ area in Ghent is also relatively small. If you consider emissions from road traffic, you will see that they are falling sharply: by 2025, the LEZ will lead to more than half the reduction in soot emissions, because older diesel cars are banned.”