Cleaning up London’s toxic air

Firstly, I won't be taking part as I'm not interested, and in any case it is a Sunday and I devote that to Christian activities.

I have a fair bit of experience of Play Streets as we had one in the road I live in for the first three years when they were first launched, however people lost interest after the first couple of years and haven't bothered organising one since. I have walked through or past a number of others on my way to/from church and there was never much happening. Maybe a bigger area will be more popular, although as others have pointed out, there are plenty of such areas (notably parks) already available 24/7, so it is hard to see what additional is on offer.

One thing that does concern me greatly is the promotion of the idea that the street is a suitable place to use as a playground. The danger is that children may come back out the next week when there is traffic about and get hit by a vehicle. Streets exist for travel and no other reason, and there are plenty of other more suitable spaces available for playing and other activities.

Love the idea in principle but I have a slight fear that traffic might be worse than ever and drivers more aggravated/aggressive for cyclists coming from outer London.  I've experienced dangerous driving (deliberate antagonism by cabs in particular) on previous London cycling events when traffic has been held up or expected to be patient.  

How about a weekly traffic free borough event - rotating the traffic free borough from week to week throughout the year instead?  Or as well...?

Great idea. I have enough time to plan ahead without using my car and there’s always the train if needs be. I live in Lewisham and the air there is pretty horrendous 

Although it is proposed on a Sunday I still think it is far too idealistic and not thought through. Are we saying that people who rely on a car should simply stay at home that day?  Surely it is more important to encourage the use of less or non poluting vehicles.  London is a 24/7 city and the economic cost of ideas like this are out of proportion to any benefit.

 only our great mayor would think of this,yet another way to waste our money, LONDON is a living city and the people just want to get 

about it , how many on the mayors pay roll are wasteing our money, o we could turn the clock back to good old days with all the poor confined

to the areas they live in, 

Great idea. Please close as many streets as possible to cars, but ensure that public trasnport is accessible to all.

London is a city not a funfare.  People need transport and plumbers and electricians and other people need to get their equipment to necessary jobs as well as those who are not registered disabled but are somewhat incapacitated to get about.  It's just a very silly gimmick.

What's the point in this when the corrupt politicians in "government" will push the Heathrow mega-expansion through regardless of opposition and we'll suffer HUGE and devastating, debilitating noise pollution as well as atmospheric? We first need to regain democracy in our now third world country, and stop the hidden agendas, greed and corruption. 

I love the idea. I would like to see some concerts or live music. 

Absolutely agree with Ben Beck and others here, car free days need to allow for essential road users and those with limited mobility. But why Sunday? Why not a weekday?  Civilised cities around the world with narrowish streets have been limiting traffic for years. London needs to be more ambitious. We need to see change, not just faff about the edges, talk talk talk and no action. I see no enforceable cycle lanes in LBHF, same old gas guzzlers polluting and clogging up our streets, drivers abusing ‘advisory’ cycle paths, parking whenever they fancy with impunity. Police with no powers. Councils with no resources to enforce the rules we do have. Some councils doing nothing for safe and clean streets (shame on RBKC, again). Parking permits £119 pa in LBHF for a piece of public space 2.5 x 5m (yes £119 pa!!)  for selfish lumps of metal on Our streets where instead children could play and all people could breath properly and be healthy. 

Great idea. Once a year though is not enough. We need to support people to move away from polluting car use more permanently 

great idea!

So how do I apply for a Play Street in Westminster?

The lunatics are finally taking over London. This whole concept is Bonkers. What if people have a heart attack in the middle of the road... ambulances allowed but not cars? What if people want to move office or house on that day? What if people need to deliver something.

This is utter madness and we are being driven to a Dickensian totalitarian state. I don’t want my parents dying in the back of an ambulance in traffic as the roads are shut nor do I want anyone else to.

Stop these symblic nonsense, people don't drive in central London for no good reason.                                       

Stop these symblic nonsense, people dont drive in central London for no good reason

I think it is a great idea! Only electric cars or hydrogen run cars would be allowed into central London, and the outskirts can close off roads where events are happening and leave vital roads open for whatever emergency may arise.

I am all for banning every HGV from the centre of London as they are too big, too polluting, and too dangerous to come into sometimes smaller streets of central London. If deliveries will have to be made they will have to be done at night time, and in smaller vans NOT large lorries.

Eventually it would be great to have no fossil fuel burning vehicle allowed in central London. The alternatives exist: electric, hydrogen, even trains can now run on hydrogen, bikes and walking.  We will have to learn to change our ways to make this happen.  An initiative like a car free day will help us get there.