CHAPTER 10. IMPROVING AIR QUALITY: LESSONS FROM CALIFORNIA

During the last quarter of a century, air quality has improved substantially because of vehicle emission controls and the closure of many polluting factories, but much still needs to be done before pollution standards are attained. The air pollution problem is seen very much as a local problem with adverse health effects. Therefore, policy measures are addressed mainly to reducing ozone formation and other forms of local air pollution. This chapter reviews and draws lessons from four of the policy approaches used in California, including policies seen as experimental and innovative or as likely to reduce air pollution significantly. During the late 1980s, there was a move to encourage manufacturers to produce electric vehicles but California's electric vehicles programme had to abandon its stated objectives in the mid-1990s, due to political pressures. However, it did catalyse the development of battery and electric vehicle technology. Regulation XV, an attempt to increase average vehicle ridership in Los Angeles, was found too bureaucratic and ineffective, and was replaced by the more flexible and less costly Rule 2202 in 1995. Efforts were made to enforce the repair of highly polluting vehicles. The introduction of 'reformulated gasoline' should reduce air pollution further. For the covering abstract, see IRRD E101216.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0419231404
• Corporate Authors:

  E & FN SPON

  11 NEW FETTER LANE
  LONDON,   United Kingdom  EC4P 4EE
• Authors:
  • Grant, W
• Publication Date: 1998

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 204-18
• Serial:
  • TRANSPORT POLICY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
  • Publisher: E & FN SPON

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air; Air pollution; Control; Diseases and medical conditions; Electric batteries; Electric vehicles; Improvements; Legislation; Policy; Pollutants; Quality control; Standards; Technology; Urban areas; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Quality
• Geographic Terms: United States
• ITRD Terms: 6714: Air; 2452: Air pollution; 1315: Battery; 3874: Control; 1282: Electric vehicle; 2442: Emission; 2134: Illness; 9108: Improvement; 1556: Legislation; 173: Policy; 9063: Quality; 187: Specification (standard); 3855: Technology; 313: Urban area; 8122: USA; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Energy; Law; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00766847
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 0-419-23140-4
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Aug 2 1999 12:00AM