London Environment Strategy consultation

Closed

1217 Londoners have responded | 26/07/2017 - 17/11/2017

London Environment Strategy consultation

Air quality monitoring technology

User Image for
Added by Talk London

Up vote 0
Care 0

Currently there are a limited number of air pollution monitors in London. Personal air pollution monitors can help improve accuracy by measuring more places and producing real-time data. It can also mean you as an individual can get better information and ensure that you avoid the most polluted places at the most polluted times.

Would you carry an air quality monitor when walking, cycling or driving? What concerns might you have about this?

The discussion ran from 10 August 2017 - 10 November 2017

Closed


Want to join our next discussion?

New here? Join Talk London, City Hall's online community where you can have your say on London's biggest issues.

Join Talk London

Already have an account?

Log into your account
Comments (97)

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Maybe I've missed something, but the responses to this question show the limitations of this so-called consultation process. Many people wish to express particular views, in my case here specifically on waste fires, but are constrained to...

Show full comment

Maybe I've missed something, but the responses to this question show the limitations of this so-called consultation process. Many people wish to express particular views, in my case here specifically on waste fires, but are constrained to the subjects chosen by the Mayor's office and commonly stray off-topic. So will I.

Yes, I'll help measure the pollution if you want but the problem is already known to be a serious one and there are more profitable ways of using resources.

Domestic "bonfires": Still legal in the UK apparently (though not in many other countries) but a significant source of particulates and toxins. If they were only limited to wood, which they aren't, they would still be causing similar problems to wood-burning stoves but with additional major hazards depending on treatments used. Eg, older timber may be coated in lead paint, or impregnated with the persistent pesticide lindane; later material may be pressure-treated wood(the green stuff) containing arsenic.

A few years ago, my borough reported that 4 or 5 letters A DAY were being sent to perpetrators by Environmental Health as a result of complaints from members of the public, presumably to satisfy the borough's minimum obligations under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. A lot of people are therefore upset by this activity and it has to contribute significantly to the overall pollution burden, especially as fires tend to be lit in good weather when atmospheric pressure is high and pollution is trapped. I was informed this year by another council in Kent that the incidence of rubbish fires had increased due to the increased cost of disposing of waste in that area - so no cuts to London bin collections please.

It is no good assuming, as the Draft Strategy seems to, that 1) the issue of waste burning in the open is not particularly important, and 2) as such it can be left to increasingly cash-strapped local councils to deal with. If lack of legislation precludes, try education.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Have just completed the survey and very disappointed with the focus of the questions. More needs to be done to discourage the use of cars and to encourage people to cycle! There is no continuous safe network of cycling lanes, which need to...

Show full comment

Have just completed the survey and very disappointed with the focus of the questions. More needs to be done to discourage the use of cars and to encourage people to cycle! There is no continuous safe network of cycling lanes, which need to be implemented in order to encourage people to cycle. Drastic changes to the roads need to be made in order to accommodate this. I believe whole lanes for cars should be replaced with cycling lanes to make space for cyclists. Having more cyclists using the roads will be a much better use of space. Maybe introduce some sort of incentive for households without cars, or to give up their cars? There is no point in knowing how bad the air pollution is, it is already at an illegal level, it is time for drastic changes to decrease the amount of cars on the road. I can imagine a lot of people not being happy with this but people need to realise the scale of the issues relating to air quality. I think a lot needs to be learnt from The Netherlands and their transport system.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Adelie penguin
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Could all new drivers learn to switch off engines whilst waiting in traffic please as part of their Driving Test?

The Black Cabs are the worst culprits. Could The Knowledge include no idling whilst cabs are waiting, no matter the...

Show full comment

Could all new drivers learn to switch off engines whilst waiting in traffic please as part of their Driving Test?

The Black Cabs are the worst culprits. Could The Knowledge include no idling whilst cabs are waiting, no matter the circumstances.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Pollution from boats on the Inland Waterways in London is a serious threat to the health of Londoners, especially for visitors and residents of nearby properties. The burning of solid fuel whether smoky or smokeless emits large quantities...

Show full comment

Pollution from boats on the Inland Waterways in London is a serious threat to the health of Londoners, especially for visitors and residents of nearby properties. The burning of solid fuel whether smoky or smokeless emits large quantities of pollutants which seep into homes and are difficult to eradicate especially in winter months. Boats are allowed to idle their diesel engines for as long as they like whilst vehicles on land are prohibited. This is equivalent to a line of lorries idling and emitting noxious fumes on a main road. It is difficult for Borough Councils to prevent this pollution as vehicles on water are exempt from the Clean Air Act.

London's canals could be a healthy green space for everyone if electricity points were provided for all boats and the Canal and Water Trust took measures to reduce the number of boats. This could be attained by bringing in a special London license for limited numbers of boats. Instead they continue to take funds from licenses allowing more and more boats onto the canals.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I would like to have a monitor - it would stop me looking at my phone so often. I would also like vehicles to be checked for their pollution levels and their speed. Installing more speed cameras and enforcing laws on idling would be great...

Show full comment

I would like to have a monitor - it would stop me looking at my phone so often. I would also like vehicles to be checked for their pollution levels and their speed. Installing more speed cameras and enforcing laws on idling would be great. I would like large commercial vehicles to be banned from built up areas. Goods can be delivered by bicycle.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Why do cars over 25 years old escape car tax? Surely they are likely to be the worst pollutants of all.

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Hi RAHadfield

Are you referring to the T-Charge? https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/transport/mayors-new-ps10-toxicity…

If so, the Euro standards are a set of limits for air quality emissions. These emissions are controlled by a variety of methods such as:

-catalytic convertors
-lean NOx traps
-particulate filters

Greenhouse gas emissions are directly influenced by fuel consumption.

This means that a heavier, larger vehicle which may have a higher fuel consumption, will still have lower levels of air quality emissions than an older, smaller car. They all have to meet the same limits for air quality.

Talk London

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

To Talk London Rep: Is your response relevant to this particular comment or one of my earlier ones.
In any case, you appear to be comparing different vehicles with one another, i.e. large commercial vehicles with small, older cars. If...

Show full comment

To Talk London Rep: Is your response relevant to this particular comment or one of my earlier ones.
In any case, you appear to be comparing different vehicles with one another, i.e. large commercial vehicles with small, older cars. If, while cycling, I find myself directly behind a vehicle from the 1970s spewing brown exhaust fumes from its exhaust, it doesn't matter that it (or the average smaller, older car) is deemed to emit lower levels of pollutants than a larger commercial diesel vehicle. I want that car banned from the roads or heavily penalised as I don't want to find myself breathing in its exhaust fumes again.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I gather from the DVLA that only commercial vehicles are subject to legislation regarding excessive exhaust fumes. Yet cars can often be pouring out clouds of exhaust, so let's make them subject to the same legislation.

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Why did the government not take VW to court for the fraudulent software? After all, it was not the buyers of VW cars with dodgy emissions software who should have been compensated as much as those who suffered from the pollution generated...

Show full comment

Why did the government not take VW to court for the fraudulent software? After all, it was not the buyers of VW cars with dodgy emissions software who should have been compensated as much as those who suffered from the pollution generated, i.e. the general public. VW should be footing a large part of our NHS bill for those needing treatment for e.g. lung problems as a result of pollution.

Far too many car drivers sit at the side of the road with their engines running while they use their mobile phones, or simply waiting for a passenger. Why? This should be made a traffic offence. Traffic wardens would have a field day!

Why can't there be a policy that vehicles are designed with their exhausts on the right-hand side of the vehicle, i.e. furthest from cyclists and pedestrians? Exhaust pipes of buses and cars are usually placed on the left-hand side of the rear, which is closest to pedestrians on the pavement and cyclists i the gutter. The measure won't reduce pollution, but it might reduce the concentration that is being breathed in at any moment.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I have just filled in the questionnaire but I nearly gave up as it was not well designed. it assumes that you do have a car and that you don't live in central London, for example.

Show full comment

I have just filled in the questionnaire but I nearly gave up as it was not well designed. it assumes that you do have a car and that you don't live in central London, for example.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I only visit London from time to time, but this makes the dreadful air quality in the centre all the more noticeable. I suspect taxis are one of the main offenders but a shift away from diesel buses is also long overdue, especially...

Show full comment

I only visit London from time to time, but this makes the dreadful air quality in the centre all the more noticeable. I suspect taxis are one of the main offenders but a shift away from diesel buses is also long overdue, especially considering how easily this could be achieved. London once had one of the world's largest fleets of trolleybuses and an updated form of this mode could be implemented quickly and relatively cheaply, without any reliance on expensive and still-not-really-viable battery technology (except to allow some extra range 'beyond the wires' and to traverse aesthetically sensitive locations). Just have a look at the new vehicles being purchased by Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco to see what is available off the shelf, right now. It would also be pretty easy to convert 'new routemasters' to fully electric operation from overhead wires, where provided.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Sadiq Kahn's support for the ban on Uber seems to undermine his drive to improve London's air quality. About 60% of Uber journeys are in hybrid or electric vehicles and by 2020 they have committed that all their cars will be electric or...

Show full comment

Sadiq Kahn's support for the ban on Uber seems to undermine his drive to improve London's air quality. About 60% of Uber journeys are in hybrid or electric vehicles and by 2020 they have committed that all their cars will be electric or hybrid. By contrast, he intends to exempt London diesel black cabs from the proposed Ultra Low Emissions Zone despite the fact they are responsible for about 18% of Nitrogen Oxide fumes in Central London and consequently threaten the health of Londoners far more than Uber does.

Also excluding recently purchased diesels from the new charges means that those people who buy diesels fully in the knowledge of the damage that their emissions do are not penalised, while those with older diesels cars that they were encouraged to buy (and who are properly poorer) are penalised. All diesels should be included, especially as their 'official emissions' are far below their actual emissions. For example see the figures on the diesel Nissan Qashqai. Its is wrong that drivers with these huge new diesel range rovers or land rovers delivering their offspring to the private schools are not affected at all.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Tiger
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Time to stop pussyfooting about, London is overcrowded and we do not have the infrastructure to cope with all these people. They do nothing but build more houses and cram more people in without the services that are required to support...

Show full comment

Time to stop pussyfooting about, London is overcrowded and we do not have the infrastructure to cope with all these people. They do nothing but build more houses and cram more people in without the services that are required to support them properly. Time to start building new towns with companies and shops close by providing jobs to stop all the travelling and reduce the necessity of cars. Monitoring the air won’t help whilst we have all this traffic pollution and building sites and buses that constantly run their engines whilst stopped. And why do I have to wait so many years until the air is cleaner, I will probably be dead by then.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

The greatest increase in pollution and reduction in air quality in Enfield has been caused by the local council - in conjunction with the Mayor - installing £43m of cycle lanes which are unused by cyclists yet snarl up traffic so that the...

Show full comment

The greatest increase in pollution and reduction in air quality in Enfield has been caused by the local council - in conjunction with the Mayor - installing £43m of cycle lanes which are unused by cyclists yet snarl up traffic so that the congestion is unworkable. So the main roads have major pollution issues - but people are now diverting away from the main roads in order to get to their destinations without sitting in queues behind buses at stops - and are using side roads - which are now becoming polluted because of this massive increase in traffic!! A no-brainer and one which was pointed out at the (flawed) consultation stage. The council is now trying to introduce 'Quieter neighbourhoods' and restricting traffic on these roads - and also parking for residents. The council has realised that the ill conceived cycle scheme has caused this problem and is trying yet another problem-causing policy in order to dig themselves out of the first expensive mistake! So what will the motorists do...? Yes, use yet more side and back roads just moving the pollution problem around. The only way to cure this is dig up the cycle lanes! You and i can see this but the Council - especially the 'Cabinet Member for the Environment' must be wearing dark glasses!!! There seems to be some 'denial' going on!!!!!

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Not a very helpful survey as it limits the options to relatively innocuous and ineffective actions, leaving no possibility of saying what we really think should happen. For example: option to "update taxi fleet" but no option to reduce...

Show full comment

Not a very helpful survey as it limits the options to relatively innocuous and ineffective actions, leaving no possibility of saying what we really think should happen. For example: option to "update taxi fleet" but no option to reduce number of taxis altogether; option to charge certain vehicle users but no option to charge all vehicle users more or to ban certain vehicles, etc. Also in many cases options for motivations for taking or not taking individual action are insufficient: eg a good reason for not installing a water meter is because water use (as opposed to HOT water use) is a triflingly insignificant issue compared to energy use: actually we have enough water in this country.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I would like to see on-the-spot emissions tests for vehicles, with fines and bans from driving inside the ULEZ for the worst offenders.

My bugbear is how Black Cabs keep getting let off the hook. They are exempt from the T-Charge, will be...

Show full comment

I would like to see on-the-spot emissions tests for vehicles, with fines and bans from driving inside the ULEZ for the worst offenders.

My bugbear is how Black Cabs keep getting let off the hook. They are exempt from the T-Charge, will be exempt from the ULEZ and the only plan to get them off the roads is a voluntary only scrappage scheme plus new cabs to be electric from 2018. Considering there are around 22,000 on the streets, it's going to take years and years for the current fleet to be replaced. I understand up to 2032 until the current fleet is decommissioned. These are filthy diesel vehicles whose sole purpose is to drive non-stop around the central zones all day every day. Getting them off the streets would have a big positive impact on air quality in my opinion.

This is one thing Sadiq should have a lot of control over, but he is being weak.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I'm not sure you need to send people around with little air quality monitors. We can all see - literally see - that the air quality is poor. Instead of endless measuring and consulting, why not crack on with fixing the problem? LEADERSHIP...

Show full comment

I'm not sure you need to send people around with little air quality monitors. We can all see - literally see - that the air quality is poor. Instead of endless measuring and consulting, why not crack on with fixing the problem? LEADERSHIP is required on this issue, and that may mean making some people (like drivers) unhappy. Acknowledge it, and then move on to doing what's needed for the greater good.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

I completely agree. The Mayor of London already has huge powers. Why doesn't he get on and use them instead of blaming central government for inaction? (Not that central government couldn't do more as well, of course.) And get on now rather...

Show full comment

I completely agree. The Mayor of London already has huge powers. Why doesn't he get on and use them instead of blaming central government for inaction? (Not that central government couldn't do more as well, of course.) And get on now rather than making promises for the distant future.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Please take more action on engine idling, particularly around schools, taxi ranks and tourist hotspots. Simple driver education at these spots will greatly reduce exposure to harmful air pollution and contribute to changing attitudes.

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Hi Aidan2306

Through the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund the Mayor is funding an anti-idling campaign delivered by some of London boroughs. You can sign up to the volunteer with the campaign or find out more about what they're doing: http://idlingaction.london/

Talk London

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

You have omitted from your strategy and consultation any mention of cleaning up London's many rivers. This is essential to improving water quality and will also improve quality of life for all London residents. Let's see more ambition on...

Show full comment

You have omitted from your strategy and consultation any mention of cleaning up London's many rivers. This is essential to improving water quality and will also improve quality of life for all London residents. Let's see more ambition on:
Working with plumbers/developers/communities AND most importantly, water companies, to abolish plumbing misconnections that feed raw sewage into London's rivers
Working with Councils and community groups to improve London's waterways for enjoyment/recreational use as well as improving wildlife habitat whilst also enhancing flooding resilience, by re-wilding, planting reedbeds, creating wetlands/floodplains where there is space
Creating multiple sustainable drainage schemes to clean water from road run-off - make them a part of every neighbourhood!

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Also - seriously! - let's get some EV carshare schemes going! We don't all need to own a car in London! Then there would be less traffic, more available parking space, more space for walking, breathing, etc!

Show full comment

Also - seriously! - let's get some EV carshare schemes going! We don't all need to own a car in London! Then there would be less traffic, more available parking space, more space for walking, breathing, etc!

Show less of comment

Avatar for -
Up vote 0
Care 0
Report

Deliveries should be consolidated by area to limit the number of delivery vans/bikes. Higher fees should be paid by delivery companies (+ therefore customers) for single deliveries, de-incentivising traffic.