ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners and residents are calling on Winchester's civic chiefs to reduce the amount of air pollution caused by traffic.

About 60 people turned up to a meeting of the town forum demanding urgent action to tackle the problem and bring an end to the stigma of being the first Hampshire city to declare an Air Quality Management Area. The designation was introduced in November 2003 because of pollution caused by traffic that can worsen health problems such as asthma.

Civic chiefs have pledged to reduce traffic in the city centre through increased use of park-and-ride, less congestion and more walking, cycling and public transport as part of their air quality action plan. But many people in the audience at the Guildhall said they had heard this all before and it did not go far enough.

Environmental campaigner Chris Gillham, of Upper High Street, said the council had talked about reducing car parking in the city centre since 1977.

He said: "We are told the council is going to remove central car parks. I've heard it so many times, I just don't believe it.

"Now there is going to be expanded parking in the Friarsgate development."

Simon Eden, the council's chief executive, said the business community was opposed to reducing parking in the centre.

Antony Skinner, the former chairman of the City of Winchester Trust, challenged the council to reduce central car parking and look at reintroducing two-way traffic in North Walls and Friarsgate.

Meanwhile Alan Weeks, chairman of the Winchester Residents' Association, said: "This action plan, however worthy, goes no way to solving traffic problems in Winchester."

He called for an "origin and destination" survey so the council knows where traffic is coming from and going to.

Keith Story, an anti-park-and-ride campaigner, of Edgar Road, said there was no evidence that the new Bar End scheme had reduced traffic and congestion.

Alan Jowsey, city council head of traffic and transport, insisted traffic levels had been static for a decade.

But there was criticism of the council for reversing the flow in Parchment Street and so forcing 3-4,000 cars a day to traverse the one-way system. Mr Jowsey said the impact of the reversal experiment was being considered.

Robert Heathcock, head of the council's health and environment, hoped for a large response to the air quality action plan before the February 28 deadline.