Cars should be banned from Dundee city centre when air pollution levels breach EU limits, a campaigner says.
Andrew Llanwarne, from Friends of the Earth Tayside, has called for an “aggressive” approach to tackling toxic emissions, which is blamed for 3,500 deaths in Scotland a year.
He said Dundee should follow those European cities where vehicles are banned on a rota basis when toxicity levels rise too high.
The city council should also set up park and ride sites, Mr Llanwarne said.
His call came as MSPs discussed air pollution-related deaths in a debate on Wednesday.
The proposed car ban forces motorists off the road on alternate days depending on whether their registration plate is odd or even.
Mr Llanwarne said: “I think it would solve a lot of problems. It would really drive home how severe the air pollution issue is.
“We are all contributing to this, even if we just take the bus.
“If we cut a half or even a third of cars on the road it would make a huge impact.”
He said the city council is making some progress by introducing cleaner buses, but added there “needs to be a more aggressive plan”.
Mr Llanwarne also warned the waterfront development will make things worse for Dundee by trapping pollution in the six lanes of traffic that will run between the new buildings.
Three Dundee streets Seagate, Lochee Road and Whitehall Street were among the 10 most polluted streets in the country for nitrous oxide in 2014.
Environment convener Craig Melville said measures brought in by the local authority are “starting to show real reductions in nitrogen dioxide and particulates”.
“We are not complacent and we are continuing to take action with a wide range of initiatives, as air quality is a hugely important issue in the city,” he said.
Labour MSP Sarah Boyack, who called Wednesday night’s Holyrood debate, said: “Air quality is not just an environmental priority, it is a moral and public health issue which the SNP Government is failing on.”
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said the Scottish Government’s Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy aims to make the country’s air the cleanest in Europe.
He added: “Scotland’s cities are already leading the way in terms of introducing electric vehicles and, by sharing learning from work already carried out in cities such as Dundee, we will ultimately enable Scotland to be globally recognised as a leader for innovative electric vehicle deployment.”