Cleaning up London’s toxic air

Several years worth of Play Streets and street parties, both where cars are excluded and both which have wide use in this locvation, has generated an immensely, very welcome and rather envied (apparantly) sense of community in my own street.

As well as the annual street party, last year was our first Car Free Day in acknowledgement of World Car Free Day in September. The enjoyment was immense and the relief from the daily grind of thousands of vehicles hammering up and down our residential street, our home, was so welcomed.

The benefits are much more to be found in getting to know who shares your part of London and building your own small community with knock on for crime awareness, neighbourliness, skill exchange, asset sharing and a whole lot more. We’ve seen them all and experience them all. Testimonials are many - people now know and are able to communicate with many, many others who live close to them, soemthing which didnt happen previosuly. There will be a high level of recommendation to give it a go in your own street from the vast majority of residents in this one.

Forget the inevitable beefs about cars fromsome; this one is a much bigger opportunity to experience.

What could the GLA do to assist:? Ensure fees are nil or nominal to residents; remove any Public Lability risk; have a FAQ / How-to available on a central web site; collect ideas on successful street event items, eg tug of war or perhaps the first “Wacky Race” we undertook in 2018, where anything goes, provided it goes.

Have some fun with it rather than a moan about it, just for once.

 I agree that it is a good idea in principle, but my daughter is one of the 1% who is a wheelchair user and lives and works in London. She works on Sundays and this will make her already very difficult commute even worse. It would be a wonderful idea, if public transport was made fully accessible, then we could perhaps all truly get behind it. As it is, it leaves disabled people who already struggle to get about in London, with an even bigger struggle, even if it is only for one day a year. Some people can’t just hop on a bike or walk up the stairs of the tube! Maybe we should have one day a year where everyone was forced to get around London in a wheelchair, without standing up when accessibility is impossible, we may find people more willing to look at the transport infrastructure then!

"every journey matters..." No it doesnt there is an imposed hierachy here of what the mayor condsiders acceptable.  At least now he has come clean as anti-car and not disguised it by pretending its about congestion or poullution.  I drive an electric car but that isnt good enough it seems.  

At last!!! It's been a long time coming. But only 12 miles out of the total 360 miles of TfL's road network isn't hugely ambitious is it? I think we should be doing a lot more considering the Mayor of London has declared a climate emergency (although you wouldn't know it with Silvertown Tunnel still going ahead!!!). A car free day is a great opportunity for people to see just how much nicer it is in London without cars and without having to rely on cars. It's a chance for people to seek alternatives to driving, such as cycling. Most car journeys are under 5 miles which is a distance easily cycled. However, without the adequate infrastructure in place I fear that a car free day will be just that - one day - and that those who drive will be back in their cars the day after. It is quality infrastructure that will ultimately give us the modal shift from car to bicycle which we so urgently require.

It would be great if public transports were free that day. You need to keep in mind that most people use their cars because it's the cheapest or the quickest way to travel in London. It's nice the idea just for a day, to rise the issue of cars and pollution, but if you want to solve the problem of cars in general you must think of practicle alternative solutions. Public transports are outrageously expensive, trains especially. The tube is fine only if you want to reach central London but it's unpractical if you want to move between zones 4/5/6. Living without a car is possible only in zones 1 and 2, but London is far bigger than that. 

Absolutely pointless unless you ban cycling too.

Have a day of bicycle registration, oblige them to have insurance and test to see that they are road worthy and the riders know the Highway Code.

The idea that you blame cars for the city’s increased pollution is madness. Cars have improved their emissions. So what has changed? Traffic calming, longer travelling times, greater time waiting at traffic lights, reduced number of lanes to welcome non existent bicycle traffic, ... I could go on.

If you are serious about reducing car pollution, introduce a scrap scheme for previously duped drivers to change to hybrid/electric cars.

Cars are here to stay. Stop attacking motorists who need their cars on a pretence of a green policy!

This is an idea I held for a long time, since, many years ago there was a street party in Upper Street, Islington and the whole Upper street from Angel to Highbury and Islington was taken over by pedestrians only. It was on Sunday I think. The atmosphere was like one of a big family eating at a long table that stretched from Angel to Highbury and Islington tube station. For one day I felt human again among humans and not a mechanical 9 to 5 robot.

lets have more streets closed to polluting traffic. Let’s plant more trees which absorb more carbon dioxide, keep down noise from traffic and keep the nearby buildings cooler in summer, so no need of using to much energy for air conditioners etc.

i would suggest having a regular shutdown to traffic every Sunday except for emergency services.

Really looking forward to this event, just wanted to add some positivity. interested to see how the city feels in certain areas without the slow moving traffic, noise and pollution. As many have said there needs to be consideration for people that rely on a car to get around, but I can't imagine this hasn't been thought of seeing as joe bloggs on the internet is flagging it up.

My first thought was how excited I was to cycle on car free roads. My boyfriend is a keen cyclist and when we have gone for short trips out around our local area in Walthamstow it's made me more nervous with drivers not indicating and pulling out in front of us. I know angry drivers always flag up bad cyclist jumping red lights ect, which I know some do, I've seen it, but cyclists are in the miniority on the roads so those types of cyclists are the miniorty. However a similar percentage of car drivers are also terrible road users, jsut becuase you pass a test to drive doesn't make everyone careful and competent. I always spot a least 2 or 3 people on mobiles a day despite the fact it's illegal.

Why can't people do like they do with motorcyclists and Think Bike, they are harder to spot and much smaller and more vunrable than car drivers so there needs to be some consideration which is not what I have experienced as a cyclist. Just taking a bit more care will not stop anyone getting from A to B. I am waiting for the vitriol to pour out regarding this as cyclists v drivers seems such a devisive topic, another way we are split and it seems neither party will ever compromise or agree. But my main point was I'm very excited to get out on the road and cycle as far as I can on car free roads!

Good idea but please stop demonising the car. I am a retired district nurse and I would have been unable to undertake my work without a car. Don't agree with all the road closures as those living on the main roads are suffering more polution. Many older folk are unable to cycle so we all need to be more tolerant.

This is a typical show-off gesture by someone who likes to be bossy.  Just leave it alone and get on with your actual job as Mayor of London.

And if street parties and play streets are your idea of a nightmare and a complete inconvenience - your opinions don’t count?  I walk, cycle, use public transport and drive when I need to. Why not live and let live?

I hope they are going to liase with rail and underground providers, as normaly sunday is the day they close or have a restricted service. A relative is often a patient in barts hospital near st pauls and the only way i have been able to visiit on a weekend is by car. 

I used to work and drive in lodon 20 years ago, but the only time i go now is to visit the hospital as it has become like a foreign city which i no longer recognise.

Brilliant! Yes please! I have been waiting for this for years. Great to raise conciousness about only using the car when really necessary and to give an impression of how beautiful London could be with less traffic and smelly cars but more space to cycle and walk safely.