People's Question Time Online

Will the mayor act to stop The Doctors Laboratory, housed in the former Unison Building, from its use of hundreds of vehicles which emit toxic fumes in to the lungs of local residents in Flaxman Court, Flaxman Terrace, London WC1?

I would like to ask the mayor and assembly once the new ULEZ zone comes into force next October (2021) how he expects the resisidents of the poorer boroughs to pay the daily charge to use their cars, or is the charge for the new zone going to be less.

During Lockdown we heard about all the good we were doing for the environment with less cars on the roads, less trains, etc. What is the mayor going to do to ensure that when we come out of Covid-19 that it is in a green way with reduced waste and reduced pollution. As we returned to 'normal' there were more cars on the road than people walking, cycling or using public transit and our waste is increasing with supporting local restaurants by eating take-aways. So how can we ensure that we come out of this greener and protect all the good we did during lockdown and continue it.

I would echo the sentiments of many on this forum that tthe mayor's commitment to meaningfully tackling the severe and persisting issue of air pollution in London is apparently much less a priority than it is for many London residents.

I would like to ask the Mayor and assembly what plans they have to make London more resilient.  We have seen during the coronavirus pandemic how our present system, with it's long supply chains and complex financial arrangements, has been badly affected by the crisis. To deal with this problem we need to build resilience into the system by developing local communities based around Mosques, Churches and other social centres and even streets and sections of streets; which can become involved in the production and supply of food, fuel, energy, water and recreation  for their own communities and by doing so can give rise to local jobs. Roads could be closed to allow children to play as they once did.  These enterprises must be entirely independent and free of outside control but will need local and even national government efforts, through legislation and funding to kickstart them.

If what the climate scientists tell us has any truth then we are in for many more shocks and resiliance is essential for our wellbieng.

I would like to know what steps the London Assembly is taking to achieve this?

Parks and Green Spaces have played a major part for many people during COVID 19 for both physical and mental health yet funding and resources for them has been reduced over recent years. What steps is the Mayor taking to secure increased funding for parks and green spaces for London and what practical and financial support can he give to the growing number of Friends of Parks groups that can offer volunteer time, energy and personal  resources to improve London's green spaces?

When daily air pollution will be effectively tackled?  With the ever rapid growth of delivery vans and private hire vehicles in Central London the engine idling is endemic and despite measures available on paper only they are not enforced and implemented by Westminster in particular.Westminster's contractors are some of the worst culprits. No fines seem to be issued at all or issue addressed. What is the number of fines to date issued in Westminster alone? The air quality is rapidly decreasing while children walk and scoot/bike to school. Parents have to navigate through vans and taxis parked on pavements with engines idling putting them at risk and many near misses daily. Traffic wardens do not enforce even at school gates. Reports to Westminster do nothing. 

After a quiet 3 months in Spring, suburban London's roads seem busier than ever - particularly in the Clapham, Wandsworth, Wimbledon area. Despite local and central government promises to tackle pollution, reduce car emissions and make London's roads safer, the opposite is happening. What is the Mayor going to do to reduce car usage quickly and materially?

How do you justify the Silvertown Tunnel and the accompanying environmental and health damage that it will cause whilst simutaneously pledging to make London carbon neutral by 2030 and promising Better Health for All Londoners (published 2017)? 

The ULEZ and congestion charges have been very successful in reducing car journeys, car exhaust pollution and ultimately is making huge improvements to airquality where it is rolled out. Could you let me know when you plan to roll out these improvements to we outer boroughs like Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow.

Can the Mayor please address the pollution from the increasing number of cars and motorbikes with exhausts that emit sound that is over the legal limit. Apart from the antisocial way these vehicles are driven, in an attempt to create as much noise as possible, the level of polluting emissions from their exhausts is surely adding to London's air pollution. 

In addition, the excess number of tower blocks currently being built across London is a key factor in additional air pollution. Not only are these builds not environmentally friendly but the sheer height of them trap pollution in areas exacerbating the problem. London must find another way of increasing homes without resorting to tower blocks. You are storing serious problems for years to come on so many levels with each one you permit. The only ones benefiting from tower blocks are the developers who continue to rake in profits while the rest of us are left to contend with the problems they create. 

Cars are still more than a nuisance. There are too many of them. Speed limits are not kept to, parking on pavements is everywhere, drivers bully cyclists or, without knowing it, get too close or force cyclists to wait for them as they use both sides of the road. Car parks are provided where there is very poor or no provision for cyclists. Free car parks are provided by businesses and non car users have to pay for them. Banning free parking would be a good idea. It would give people an incentive to not drive. A lot of car drivers don't bother to indicate now. (When they do, car indicator lights are designed to look cool rather than warn people. It is harder to see if a car is indicating now compared with in the past because of the design changes. Nothing you can do about that , I suspect). As well as not bothering to indicate, drivers often leave engines running while parked for no reason at all.

London boroughs have amongst the worst recycling rates of local authorities across the country, and my borough, Newham, has the lowest nationally at only 17%.

As a proud and environmentally-conscious Londoner, I am frankly appalled and embarrassed by this. There is no excuse for why we are so poor at recycling food waste as well many types of plastic that are widely recyclable. I think London should be aiming to be a national leader in this area, but right now we are letting the rest of the country down. 

Why is London so far behind the rest of the country when it comes to recycling? What are London's plans to significantly improve our recycling performance and demonstrate the will needed to meaningfully get on top of this issue? 

Why does concern for environment and safety seem to kick in during mass regeneration? Even if long standing residents have raised these issues why have they fallen on deaf ears?

If you are concerned about environments, and are encouraging bike use, could you include more access to cycling road safety training?

Could you also consider how scooters and e-scooters can be safely used?

At the moment, bikes, mopeds, scooters of all kind will be found using pavements. It is not safe being a pedestrian in London.

Why have local authorities wasted finances on creating LTNs which then have to suspend because of the traffic chaos it creates. Did it not occur to them that if you stop traffic from flowing in one area it will simply build up in another? And if local authorities have tried this prior to 2020 and seen that it does not work why are they wasting more finances on repeating a failed exercise?

I am a leaseholder. The freehold is held by a London local authority. I have done and am doing my bit to make where I live energy efficient but the local authority is not. Which body or organisation will hold local authorities to account?  Local authorities ignore the housing ombudsman and continue on. Is there anything the London Assembly can do to add there weight towards holding local authorities accountable?