People's Question Time Online

According to the Centre for Low Emission Construction 34% of particle emission is due to construction compared to 27% from ALL road transport, and this does not include the emissions generated by the construction supply train (i.e. vehicles and plant).  

I am well aware of the fondness of the powers that be for infrastructure and property development, and can but assume that this is the reason there is very little mention of this type of pollution by any party.  

Will you, Mayor Khan, take the brave step of instigating that debate?

Can the Mayor point to a single example, anywhere in the world, where traffic volumes have decreased 3 years or more after the completion of a tolled or untolled tunnel or bridge?

Mr Mayor,

Can the GLA please help the plight of London's remaining house sparrows, by financially assisting the installation of nest boxes and hedge planting in new developments; and not ignore their specific needs in meaningless phrases like 'increasing biodiversity' in your London Plan?

Thank you.

When and how will the Mayor of London and the London Assembly ensure that mature trees, an essential and irreplaceable part of the London environment, local ecology and habitat for numerous species of wildlife, some of which are threatened with extinction, are given the status of stakeholder In cases of proposed development and where insurance companies are responding to claims so that we as humans learn to respect and co exist with nature and these beautiful trees rather than destroying them?

If the school run were banned, this would improve air quality, increase fitness of children, decrease traffic noise, decrease London's carbon footprint, make the environment safer for wildlife. All children are offerred a school place within walking distance. My child always walked, and now she travels by public transport to school and she has never complained. Medical reasons aside, what could be the objection?   

Thanks for your consideration.

1. I have observed a huge number of high rise flats going up in Wembley & and other places. In view of the housing shortage, are most of these being reserved for social housing?

2.  I am concerned about the pressure of new buildings on the old sewage system in London and the fact that sewage is still being pumped into the Thames untreated. I understand an enormous sewer is being built under the river.  How far is this from completion and how long before the dangerous outfall into the river can be stopped.

Is the mayor aware of the vast number of mature trees needlessly felled in London due to the demands of insurance companies? When homeowners make claims for subsidence or other damage to property, insurance companies immediately demand the removal of any nearby tree. Often the tree is not at fault and on other occasions  a little bit of tree-management is all that is needed. Trees and parks are the lungs of London. The carbon capture of mature trees totally dwarfs the contribution of newly-planted saplings and is vital in cleaning London's polluted air. The climate crisis is now; we need to protect every tree we have. Please make it compulsory for all Boroughs to have a tree protection officer to investigate any proposed felling of trees and sign up to the London Tree Officer Association's Joint Mitigation Protocol, which protects trees and puts a price-tag on their value to the community.

When will the Mayor take seriously the toxic environmental and health damage, as well as the social damage to communities and the security risks, caused by thousands of daily flights directly over Central London into Heathrow and London City airports? This is as significant an issue as vehicle pollution, but is never given prominence, and the quality of life of Londoners suffers as a result. London City Airport (suffering for hundreds of thousands for the profit of a few) should be closed down completely rather than expanding, and incoming flights to Heathrow re-routed to avoid the centre of London altogether.

Why did the Mayor approve a 30% icrease in flights from London City Airport when the centre of the runway is less than 200 metres from the middle of a Primary School playground

Will the mayor push lorries to only enter the city in the evenings / night times or pay ridiculously high fees. too many lorries travel through the congested areas all day causing traffic and pollution just to deliver to building sites or supermarkets etc. This would improve commuter safety.

Why does the Mayor still approve huge developments, rather than heeding the climate emergency and stop roads and concrete blocks of development.  Instead, why does the Mayor not mandate developers to install parks and ponds into developments for that the South-East, by 2040 (20 years), is predicted to be drought-ridden.  In 1990, London had 6million inhabitants.  In 2020, there are 10 million.  This is entirely unsustainable. A way must be found to stem the unsustainable growth.

To remove 50% of all traffic, ban Uber cabs
Install segregated cycle lanes with hedges between car and cycle lanes.
Dig up the middle lanes of the M25 and install trees and hedges

This question crosses over into housing as well as environment as too many houses are being built, removing even more precious resources.

Improving energy efficiency

It is said you can walk across London via its green spaces. I understand there was an initiative to install heat pumps in London parks to provide electricity through solar power.

Has this scheme now been abandoned?

Good afternoon Mayor,

I appreciate the effort being made to reduce London's air pollution.  One area that does not seem to have been addressed is the bad habit that some drivers have of sitting in stationary vehicles for prolonged periods with their engines idling.  I am not referring to those drivers inadvertently caught in traffic jams - many modern vehicles have an automatic 'stop-start' system which initiates on these occasions.  I am referring to those drivers that park, eat their lunch or even 'rest' for up to an hour with the engine running. Particularly commercial vehicle where I suspect the cost of the fuel is recharged as business expenses.   I live near fast food outlets and regularly witness this problem with both private and commercial vehicles.    I am sure that this is repeated across London (if not the country as a whole).  Stopping this bad habit will help reduce the level of pollution.  In your view can this bad practice be curtailed by regulation as part of tackling London's emissions?