Cleaning up London’s toxic air

I don’t drive.. but as such I’m reliant on the gas guzzling public transport. Make ALL london busses electric and stop these Road closures and stop the ULEZ which will only hit poorer families who need to work.. not everyone can afford a new car… 😡

1. I have run my heating system more efficiently by buying an efficient boiler when the last one needed to be replaced and then by keeping the thermostat switched two degrees below where it used to be all winter. As I suffer from poor circulation this is no easy feat.

2. We already walk almost everywhere. But LTNs have made our most common walking route really dirty and unpleasant now. Living on an LTN boundary road, we are all here very concerned that climate change is being used as an excuse for new draconian, non-climate change and / air pollution-sensitive traffic displacement.

When 81% of Londoners said in response to questionnaires air pollution was a problem, they didn’t mean it should be made into more of a problem for those who suffer most from it already. As air pollution was a problem before, it seems wrong to make it better in all the areas where it was OK before, and worse where it’s worst.

I'm a student in the US and for a project I had to research a world city and I picked London. One of the things we had to do was communicate with someone who knows about the topic we picked so if anyone could answer my questions that would be great. One of the ones that was more focused on the environment was, because London is such a big city how do you deal with the amount of fossil fuels that the city uses?

I have:
- reduced meat and dairy consumption
- switched to Bulb for gas/electricity
- continued to walk, cycle and use public transport. We very rarely use our car- less than once per month even before lockdown.
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products

My partner and I are trying/considering other things like:
- not flying- holidaying in the UK or going by train to Europe.
- sign up to a leftover fruit/veg box
- Buying only British produce
- continuing to reduce our consumption of fashion/clothing. Trying to buy better quality with less synthetic fibres.

Havering is a leafy borough, but the biggest deterrent and danger left unchallenged by Havering Council is excessive vehicle noise caused from illegally modified car exhausts.
As highly important it is to reduce carbon emissions, we need to consider the danger of severely loud cars that are driving through peoples neighbourhoods and town centres, and therefore these drivers need to be heavily fined. Some of these drivers enjoy the damage they are doing, and drive in and out over a dozen times to make sure the noise keeps getting worse.
Someone on this forum should question Havering Council for just constantly ignoring this ever-growing problem that is causing major problems to peoples quality of life.

In regard to emissions I
Share a ride
Plant lots of plants
Recycle, reuse, repurpose
Switched to Bulb (there's a good phrase)
Use ecotalk as a phone signal provider
Organised 2 festivals one for waste and recycling the other for environment

I'd like to see "communes" for residents/citizens who want to live in a collective, in low carbon homes (earthships) growing their own food .. Via application process

We need to totally and urgently reimagine our existence. Fossil fuel in houses needs to go Inc every house that already has it, should have been done 10 years ago, carbon emissions needs to be drastically cut, consumption needs to be drastically cut. We are pretty dumb as a race as many simply cannot cope with changing behaviour in order to "save ourselves". We know what's happening yet when you go out nothing is different, there's still thousands of people who "don't care", "can't be bothered", "don't believe"..it is these people who will be the undoing of mankind.

Vertical Forest

To improve air quality and seeing that in London most new homes are flats, I believe it would be a great fit when our city would build vertical forests.
https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/vertical-forest/
This would need help and guidance from the mayor, as all the companies who are building the new flats are only after maximising their profit so they will not be taking these projects on by themselves.

The school run is one massive pollution creator. Some years ago I asked a driver blocking the road outside a school in Stepney why she didnt walk to school. The reply was " I live in Romford, I drive to the Nursary in Romford for 07:30, I then HAVE to suffer the A13 jam to get here(Stepney) for 09:00, I then have to suffer the drive to Stoke Newington to drop off eldest child, I then drive to work at Ilford for 10:00 at 14:30 I leave on the reverse route back to Romford. She was not the only driver doing this type of Mad journey I spoke to outside the school. Most London drivers will quickly point out how much traffic is reduced when school holidays are in progress. Therefore as a result there is a reduction in pollution. Therefore a policy moving towards making a local school means local kids, however this will require schools to have investment in the schools standards. The removal of free bus fares for kids would also encourage children to walk if school was local and allow a reduction in buses on the roads.
Less buses less pollution, local school walk to school less school runs lower pollution, less traffic jams better flowing essential traffic less pollution. Improved schools from investment.
Less delays for business improves the economy.
Win Win Win Win Win
Just needs people and Government to bite the bullet and genuinely want to reduce pollution.

Good heavens, how on earth are we supposed to afford a zero carbon city, that means no using cars, replacing all gas boilers, who is going to pay, no doubt the consumers, I’m a pensioner, I cannot afford all this zero carbon nonsense, unless the rest of the world is doing the same, which is not going to happen we are wasting our time and money, anyone who thinks other countries look to us to set an example are deluding themselves

I have lived in South Camden,Central London for 33 years and have seen the green and natural environment become less and less.The London B.of Camden has poorly maintained the gardens within this part of the borough.I have shown to councillors the lack of permanent hedges surrounding these gardens.At present (MAY until Autumn) all these gardens are now surrounded by what seems perminant hedges, which we local people call "Tourist Hedges" as they are alive during "tourist time".If you, for example,you were to walk around the outside fence/wall of Russell Square Gardens you would notice the many gaps in Shrubs/Hedging this is not the way these gardens were ment to be.Hedges pevent noise,polution, allow wild live to thrive.There are in Camden many private Garden Squares that are surrounded by dense permanent hedges for example MECKLENBURGH Square Garden WC1N. Would the key holders who use this Garden like their dense hedge replaced with that which surrounds Russell Square.I doubt that these key holders would be very angry.That Garden is not surrounded by heavy polution from all types of motor vehicles.Please may something be done to make all the public gardens in South Camden become surrounded by proper dense hedges.

Speeding and Noise Pollution

I live on a street with heavy traffic. There are also children living in the street. For the physical and mental health of all people living on busy streets, we need the following:

1. Speeding regulations (20 mph) should be introduced on residential streets and where they currently exist (as they do on my street) they should be enforced. I have seen no evidence of enforcement.

2. Across the city, ban all cars which have adapted and noisy exhausts. They have become a nuisance.

3. Designate some streets “Quiet Streets” and put up sign posts to this effect. This would be aimed at creating quieter and more relaxing places to live. We should not have to sit in our homes listening to invasive music being played through car stereos and loud bass speakers. Likewise, we should not have to endure car horns being blasted by impatient drivers when there is traffic congestion.

4. Ban heavy goods vehicles from residential streets.

I have added this view as a reply to another comment below, and thought it worthy also as a main comment. I repeat ~ 'Electric' is a divisive, vicious bullying scheme riding on the back of profiting motor manufactures that, in the main, aren't British manufactures. The UK doesn't have any homegrown car makers to speak of anymore other than making other country's cars now. Also, what about electric production? Theresa May within two weeks of her premiership signed the new Hinckley Point nuclear power plant over to communist China to build with the prospect of more UK Chinese nuclear power stations in the offering to be built in the future, and with French finance overseeing that filthy nuclear waste producing infrastructure. What madness is this that Sadiq Khan by implication in 'pushing for electric' seeks to assist disgusting foreign nations whose human rights stink? As a motorist I will NEVER buy an electric car notwithstanding we already know their unreliability to travel very far on a charge.

What's the point of these 'discussion's. What proof is there anyone reads or listens? "ULEZ" for a start is such a disgraceful vindictive extension of cynical cash-cowing proposed for the whole of Greater London that'll hit less well-off Londoners and small businesses most who can ill afford finding expense to pay for new or replacement ULEZ compliant vehicles. I, just one private individual, albeit with a 2006 bought from new diesel motor, bought when diesel was recommended, and where my car has just clocked in 15 years 30,000 being an average of 'a travelling nothingness' of 2000 miles a year is faced with finding additional expense for a new 'Khan ULEZ car'. There are wider more subtle, motorist-friendly ways to tackle London's pollution than that motorists are clobbered so often by Sadiq Khan who let's remember has a minority mandate of his recent 1million+ mayoral vote count of a 9million+ populated London. It's characters like Khan and Starmer that has precipitated me away from my lifelong Labour membership. I 'Red Walled It' with my London mayoral vote. Sadly, Shaun Bailey and my local 'ethical communist candidate' didn't succeed in the mayoral and local elections. There's been a poster shown on several social media sites during the local elections showing a gloomy overcast stormy London with caption quote: "Sadiq Khan's London? Always gloomy whatever the weather." End quote. How true? And, looking like to be horribly gloomy for the next three years with Sadiq Khan as London mayor. Pass the anti-depressants please. Gonna need a lotta them for a while.

I used the Solar Together scheme to get solar panels and battery, and switched to Octopus to get their green tariff that pays for the electricity I now export.

I have done a lot more walking since lockdown, and often take a litterpicker and green sack to pick up recyclable litter. Sadly there is far more of this than me and my partner can deal with. Please can all of London's parks have sufficient recycling bins so that all the litter doesn't just get incinerated which is second only to coal in carbon emitted per unit of energy produced. Please invest in new separation, recycling and composting facilities instead of new incinerators. Please use licensing advice and conditions to reduce waste, for example encouraging reusable plastic cups rather than single use 'disposables'. Please promote markets as sources of cheap loose fruit and vegetables so just bring bags from home and there's zero waste, all with reduced Covid risk as outside.

My only vehicle is a bicycle, and I'm pleased to see increasing numbers of cyclists to give us the safety of other vehicles expecting and respecting our presence. I'm pleased that the experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are already showing reduced collisions and reduced volumes of traffic not only in the LTNs but overall. If we all walk, cycle or use public transport when possible then those journeys that need to be made by motor vehicle will be quicker. My local bus is now electric - please could it be a priority to have all buses electric, which would be great use of ULEZ charges.

Our road had Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems installed, whereby existing build outs were de-paved and filled with soil. Lockdown prevented the council doing any planting, so I encouraged neighbours to plant and tend the SUDS which are a great success - flowers, herbs, spinach, callaloo and pumpkins all grew last year and I'm hoping for apples this year from the dwarf rooting stock apple tree I planted. More planting please.

We bought an electric car but suffer from range anxiety as not enough charging points outside London. We have a solar panel and double glazing. Sadly a heat pump is not feasible without major changes in our Edwardian house.

We insulated our ground floor. I would like to insulate the outside of our house and tried fir the government scheme but there are not enough local contractors. I could only get one remote quote. More training needed!

I have switched to an Energy Provider (Octopus) which only use Green Energy. I also strive to reduce energy consumption but I have already done most things to reduce energy usage/loss. New Condensing Boiler, Thermostatic controls in each room controlled centrally via an App, LED lights in every room, all White Goods are A+/A++ rated, Insulation is above Industry Standard and new Double Glazing throughout. But being a 30's house the walls are single wall so insulating these would be prohibitively expensive and would ruin the appearance if installed on the exterior.

I have reduced my car usage and my next car will be a hybrid. Electric only cars are not practical at the moment for long distance. I would like to install Solar Panels but these are too expensive with a limited lifetime. I will wait for the new generation which use Silicon and other materials which will double the efficiency, longevity and durability whilst reducing the weight and thickness of the panel.

I did look into Group Pumps but I have no access to my rear garden for a deep well to be drilled and the garden is too small to lay pipework. Also the provision of a room for all the equipment would prove to be problematic space wise.

I live at a busy junction, a black spot in Barnet. I had to ask for two miserable trees to be planted at my door while people living in leafy side streets have benefited from more tree planting. Who is deciding these things?! I had to plant a hedge and pay for double glazing. People living on busy roads are not being supported at all. Noise is horrendous as well as pollution. Why aren't we on a list of emergency support as far as the environment is concerned? It's so disgusting and unfair depending on where you live in London.

I've travelled everywhere by public transport, including to my work assignments. Londoners need to know, as 27 months have passed since Sadiq Khan declared a climate emergency, when will he cut cars’ climate-toxic emissions? How much?