Reducing emissions from transport

In the survey I have rather obliquely mentioned one possibly GOOD thing to come out of the obvious climate problems is an increased awareness particularly among young people for political action and a fairly fast move to some forms of action. e.g. LTN's, domestic solar panels, electric cars and buses, plastic waste reduction. Without this we won't be able to make any realistic changes

To me it’s obvious, the increase in cars being used is in direct response to COVID. Like me, I am nervous about sharing space with strangers when travelling. I don’t use my car that much as can walk (apart from heavy shopping) to get to where I want in my daily life.
But, to be clear Sadiq Khan keeps lumping Romford ( where Iive) is in Greater London!
It’s not, we are in Essex and always have been.
If by “charging” ULEZ to reduce harmful emissions, why not include Brentwood and Basildon, also Essex. They border Romford ( Havering) and are on the same journey corridor on A12, M25, M11, A13,!
Get you own house in order Mr Khan!!
I have been fighting with TFL & Go Ahead regarding the 100+ buses that idle engines just yards from my front door! The pollution from these monsters happens 365 days, 24 hours per day!
Penalise TFL for still continuing to use the buses.

I'd like to know how charging for congestion or the ULEZ cleans the air? If everyone who has to, pays, and the traffic levels are maintained, the pollution levels will also be up there as well. All this means it's a money making scheme for TFL. The only way to stop pollution is to stop allowing what causes it. This won't happen because our bus system would grind to a halt.

You talk about "London" and yet you include large swathes of SW Essex that happen to have been swept into "London" as part of a political construct of the 1960's; you talk about "London" as if it was one amorphous location; your questionnaire asks about travel in "London"...

I don't live in "London" - I may live within the M25 ring but it's not "London". Occasionally I do travel into London and, when I so do, I use public transport.

Locally, where I live, I cycle when it's convenient but clearly that's not viable if transporting anything heavy or bulky, or in example when visiting the local public recycling facility.

All of your actions to date and proposed future actions are rich people's rules - in example, it's wrong to take a private car into a congested city but apparently it's OK if you can afford to pay to exempt yourself; same applies to polluting vehicles - wrong unless you can afford to pay for an exemption. Or, if you're rich enough you can simply buy a new car. If it's wrong to take private cars into a congested city centre it's wrong, period; it's not wrong unless you are rich and can pay a bribe to make it right, but just for yourself (a bit like the UK's view of foreigners - not welcome unless filthy rich, in which case, welcomed unquestioning)

The scrappage scheme was of no help - I'm on a fixed income and could not afford to replace my car. More to the point, whilst I may live in a "London Borough" (a political construct, as already mentioned) I don't consider where I live as being in London and I don't drive into London - aside from local journeys that cannot be made absent a car, my main use is for journeys to other parts of the UK. So, the scrappage scheme was to me simply a way of giving a discount to people who could probably already afford a new car.

Of far greater concern is truly affordable housing that's properly constructed, properly insulated, that's within reach of not just the wealthy, including social housing.

The outer London Boroughs in south London are very disadvantaged - as we in Sutton have very poor public transport and the lowest level of funding by TFL of any Borough by a very long chalk. TFL prevented Sutton from having the tram, it cancelled our Go Sutton on demand bus, and now it has stopped the Sutton Bus review from being introduced which would have meant £1 million of investment in bus services. We do NOT have the Underground, we do NOT have the Overground and we do NOT have the tram. We only have buses and very unreliable GTR trains. You need alternatives if you want to reduce car use - we do not have any of these alternatives and TFL have stopped us from getting any of them. The less you have, the less you get. If you are an inner London or North London Brough, you get loads of funding. The more you already have, the more you get. You also need a thriving 2nd hand electric car market - I bought a 2nd hand hybrid car 5 years ago as I could not afford the electric alternative - it was 50% more expensive. None of this is joined up - it is assumed that if you have poor public transport and no alternatives you can do the same as places that have good public transport and plenty of alternatives. This is just not true. Without proper public transport funding we are stuck and can never move forward. We need to be levelled up like the rest of London, and not treated as though we do not exist. That means being funded properly - it is always the same, whether we have a Tory or Labour mayor, neither care about us. And the scrappage scheme was useless - it just does not cover most people in our area.

how about removing bus only lanes and cycle lanes, put bus stops back to how they were with the cut out bits for busses to pull into( just make them bigger) so cars can get past busses instead of sitting behind them waiting for people to board the bus etc. oh and add more busses to routes instead of removign them and make the fares cheaper. have i made changes to way i travel, well no as i struggle to walk short distances so my car is a must for me. wouldnt it be best to let older cars be used untill they become non road compliant/ gradually phase them out over ten years?, rather than trying to force people on low incomes to buy brand new vehicles which is way above what they could afford ( even with discounts offered etc). what happens if they couldnt afford a new car and they rely on their car to get to work etc or need it for their type of job?. they would most probably end up not beign able to do their job so quit. you would end up with staffing problems worse than already is. oh and what happens when there is a bus or tube strike. staff can't get in n jobs don't get done. no i didnt use scrappage scheme as i couldnt n wont be able to afford a new vehicle.

I am concerned that the costs of moving around my local borough are going to increase, however my wages are not looking like they will rise to be able to cope with this. I am looking at changing my car and have not heard of the scrappage scheme, have no idea where to look.

Given that most journeys inside most London Zones could be completed by bike it is essential to make cycling a more approachable option for many. This will involve providing infastrucutre beyond simple painted white lines (that have never protected anyone). The relationship between bikes and buses will also need to be considered (see, for example, allowing buses back down Rye Lane, Peckham despite it previosuly being used as a shared predestrian / cycle lane) as often buses are more intimidating than cars. While both are preferable to single-occupant car journeys, this does not necessarily mean they co-exist.

The government aims to reduce traffic by pushing people to the kerb. It shouldn’t be the case in a democratic country, we love to get to places safely and securely with our friends & family and for that is a car. I do not like to use public transport as trains and especially busses often smell like piss or people smell and sit right next to you, I like my personal space. The fight the government is fighting against congestion and air pollution is not helping with the current road changes.

Bus lanes are 24/7 and often are empty for long periods of time yet we motorists can’t use it, make it like before 7-10 4-7?

All local roads are closed off apparently due to pollution & safety, concentrating major traffic on main roads which doesn’t help locals, people are stuck in traffic for 30 mins for a 10 min journey?

Khan wants to expand ULEZ further to Local authorities surround A406 which infringes on peoples right in residential areas to live a peaceful life without government interference where they’ve bought houses to live freely, why further expansion?

Businesses are affected by the lack of accessibility for large vehicles in London for delivery and receiving of good thats they trade on?

Permit holders only and for access only signs blocked off so many roads as though we tax payers have contributed nothing to this country? What if I needed a 5 min break and had to stop in an emergency, what if my car broke down, what if I had an emergency call to take, but the streets have been snatched away with signs like these & these school screwy signs too, nothing but to fine people. Who in their right mind would run over a kid? People always have given way to kids during school hours yet harsh measures to pocket money off motorists, every time the bill falls on us and I am frankly fed up of it. I can see strikes happening soon.

Make public transport more available, there are 0 wheelchair accessible stations near me, busses are stuck in traffic constantly because if cycle lanes that are barely used, cyclists seem to prefer to use the road or the pavement while the cycle lanes remain empty.

Cyclists should be made to have a number plate like cars so they can be traced for traffic violations, which they do frequently. Fined if they are not using the available cycle lanes. If you want to see a complete and utter waste of money for cycle lanes, visit king Street W6 and Chiswick High Road W4. I was on a bus a couple of days ago, it took almost 45 minutes for a 10 minute journey, I counted 9 cyclists using the cycle lane, 5 using the road and 2 the pavement (where a cycle lane was available). This is an every day occurrence.

I have COPD made worse by being forced to sit in traffic on public transport breathing in petrol fumes, especially in London. My daughter and myself have been adversely affected by this, with my daughter ending up in resus, having an anaphylactic episode on a bus due to the pollutants being churned around.

Most Londoners, especially those without access to a car, are already everything they can to reduce emissions. Now they need support from the govt and the Mayors office. There are a raft of measures the Mayor could bring in to reduce emissions - many at low cost and in the case of a progressive road pricing scheme could even generate income.

We need:
More Low Traffic Neighborhoods
More School Streets
More traffic calming measures - including speed limits
More and better cycle lanes
Expansion of Santander cycle scheme s
Expansion of ULEZ
Expansion of congestion charge zone
Greater enforcement of fines etc against those who use bus lanes illegally
Make all bus lanes 24/7
Stop silvertown tunnel
Ban SUV advertising in the capital
Include more space for pedestrians in any new developments that involves a road, and less space for parking

I think the focus for carbon neutral is all wrong as Judith Curry who has a phd in climate science says this is just a small part the torch is shining on and the government is using to tax the majority because it is an easy focus point.
If we take air pollution as in ‘particulates’ by having an electric Veichle this won’t improve air quality because the wearable parts on the Veichle such as brake liners and tires will still release airborne particles that can affect vulnerable people such as asthmatics. Also the electric cars available usually have a large carbon footprint due to the mining of lithium from quarries and also the issue with battery disposal every 10 years or so and the processing plants involved with this. Plus the fact that a lot of the electricity used to charge the Veichle a currently is from non refundable sources such as gas turbine generators or nuclear power stations. Consumers have been misled and the climate change is inevitable since the ice caps thawed and created land mass……guess what they are still melting and yes a lot a greater rate than ever due to less reflection back due to less reflective ice being available etc etc but this categorically has nothing to do with co2 or a few cars in London. Look at the natural world this has been doing this for thousands of years and also look at cruise ships and industrial plants world wide. I don’t think a few cars will affect this in London! The only reason it is getting worse is because of more traffic jams due to pointless large cycle lanes that have been ill thought out as they cause more traffic jams and speed bumps for the same reason. Why is a 20yr old big engined petrol sports car classed as compliment when it could be burning 15mpg worth of petrol compared to an 8 year old small engine diesel that does 58mpg!?!
The government has really gone mad!

Tfl has waged war on cars and in doing so had actually made pollution much much worse. Be it through LTNs, restricting bus lane use at all times, getting rid of lanes for wider pavements or cycle lanes, etc, these measures have increased congestion and pollution. Trying to put people off driving by increasing congestion is counter productive. There need to be initiatives that tackle pollution without purposefully increasing congestion, such as incentives to use green transport as much as possible, not deterrents to private vehicles. I already only drive where walking or cycling or public transport not realistic, but cars play an important role in people's quality of life and shouldn't be shunned, and drivers shouldn't face a barrage of deterrents. I resent the fact that I use my car responsibly and have to face ridiculous congestion as a result of tfls war on cars. Some people absolutely should drive a lot less, but some of us are already driving as little as possible. Also the research shows private vehicles have gone down and it's taxis and deliveries that make up the increase in road traffic. Also Totally unfair that if you're rich and can afford taxis you can use bus lanes. Completely elitist. They should queue like the rest of us. Taxis pollute just as much as cars so why the special treatment!? To protect the "sacred" trade of taxi drivers. Also schemes that charge for use of road don't reduce traffic, it only filters the poor out and renders the road exclusive to the rich, as there are plenty who can pay without batting an eyelid. Totally elitist. Schemes should be indiscriminate and not disproportionately affect those who don't have money.

The ULEZ simply isn’t strict enough to achieve any meaningful emissions savings, and allows those who can afford it to continue ignoring it anyway. Much more ambitious targets for phasing out diesel and petrol vehicles should be set, using London and the UKs clout as an international power to pressure vehicle makers to focus more on electric vehicle manufacture. Combine that with public funding priority for public transport networks to ensure they’re attractive to commuters and you have the chance to please both camps.

Whatever happens the need for car travel by those with mobility issues should be protected. To get a bb the requirement is to not be able to walk more than 50m and most people who find walking a challenge park within range of mobility. Be careful the disabled are not disadvantaged by climate change improvements. Our private vehicle is electric. Our WAV is diesel - there is NO alternative for a WAV. Electric vehicles have batteries under the floor of the car. WAVs have lowered floors hence currently electric cars cannot be adapted. I have been fighting this battle with motability for 5 years. The move to pedestrianise areas discriminates against the disabled.

The most important thing to do is to make driving the least desirable option. Make it as safe as possible to cycle and walk and make public transport readily available and cheaper.

In order to tackle the dangerous emissions we need to accept that many local authorities have got things very badly wrong and have done what they have in order to raise revenue. 20 MPH roads actually increase air pollution as engines are not working at their peak, they also cause massive tailbacks which add to the toxic soup. Low traffic neighbourhoods are fine in principle and great if you live in one, but what about the displaced traffic? Life for those who now have to live with increased traffic is worse and dangerous - hardly fair?

I would love to buy an EV but I simply cannot afford it. I traded in my diesel (that I was encouraged & incentivised to buy) for a petrol only car. I had to take out a loan for this. I cannot get to my place of work in time for the start of my shifts by public transport, particularly at weekends. I cannot afford a taxi. It is too dangerous to cycle.