Cleaning up London’s toxic air

Good idea to highlight the problems associated with cars. There should be appropriate provision for those disabled who depend on cars - free electric taxis? It's a bit short notice to get something organised for a car-free street but still possible. 

There should be a car free day more often so am pleased that this is happening. I gave up my car about 8 years ago when I was commuting by bike or public transport, now I have the time as retired so walk more which helps me feel better, as I choose the greenest routes if I can.

Potentially a good concept that we should develop into regular Sunday traffic free streets where there is community acceptance. Trial it and see what we learn and make adjustments. As a pedestrian, cyclist, public transport user and driver I share the many frustrations from each perpsective. However to help make London a better place to live, not least for the next generation, we do need to reduce traffic and its pollution as well as tackling other sources. The current situation is unsustainable and impacting on all our health deleteriously, so change is required. Inevitably it may cause inconvenience if not diffculties for some which we need to minimise. But unless we start to experiment and work towards making a step change, we - all of us - will have failed the next generation.    

When does car free day become car free week..., car free month..., car free London?   This is an attack on personal freedoms hidden behind smiley Green is good properganda.  What happens to the people who need to use a car, not just the disabled but those moving house or merely shopping etc.?  This is not what we voted for when we elected the Mayor and it can only be seen as unproductive and intrusive.

A special day when not only no motorised vehicles, but cyclists do not go on pavements which are only for pedestrians, and stop at red lights and at pedestrian crossings.

Plus the people who use hire bikes, actually put them inplaces wherethey are not obstacles on pavements, which already have enough street furniture on them already.

Of course this is wishful thinking and will never happen.

Just like seeing the possibility of seeing a cyclist remonstrate with another cyclist going through red lights, riding illegally on a pavment or not stopping at a crossing when pedestrians are corssing and have the right of way 

One of the biggest problem worldwide with air pollution is actually caused by ships.

While London doesn't have many ships, there are a large number of small powered boats working on the Thames every day, right through the heart of London. I'm not sure how these are regulated but their small engines are definitely less efficient then the large engines on cruise ships, which are regulated, but still cause enormous amounts of air pollution.

For example, in 2017 the Carnival Corporation fleet emitted TEN times the total sulphur dioxide pollution emitted by ALL the cars in Europe!!

So my suggestion is to have a powered boat free day on the Thames and let the rowers and sailors have a fresh air day.

I would love to see all cars banned for a day and even older taxis, delivery behicles and buses. Perhaps the appch that paris has taken with even numbered vehicles one day and odds on the next.

I would also like to see stronger action taken against cyclist who cross red lights, pedestrian crossings and ride on pavements. As a pedestrian I am fed up with cyclists.

Oops, what a lot of angry car-lovers responding to this suggestion.Presumably many are still of the belief that they"pay their road tax and so have a right to use the road - a) it isn't road tax and b) you don't).For those of you claiming to be worried about getting to business or doctor's appointments and so on please note this is a SUNDAY (don't know about your GP but mine usually has this day off...). As for suggesting a acr-free day is unfair to "people not able to make long journeys without a car" remember most car journeys in London are 1 kilometre or less. And let's just assume also that the Mayor's Office is bright enough at least not to prevent emergency services from getting round (and legitimate blue badge drivers). Then even if the emergency services have to go down somewhere with a street party going on it'll only be a matter of hauling a trestle table or two aside while someone holds the jelly - just as we had with the royal weddings and after those I didn't see reports of mass deaths resulting from blocked-in ambulances or droves of organisers jailed for manslaughter, as some people on this page seem to think will happen. If it was OK for the Queen's kids, then it's OK for all our kids.

Indeed, for me, biggest benefit of those royal wedding street parties was for the kids in the morning, when the parked cars had been cleared and before the tables were set out, discovering how a street with no traffic thundering down it and no reeking choking pollution made such an amazing playground. In places like Newham where I live, which are just filthy unwholesome car-ridden warrens,  one car-free day isn't enough. Let's have alternate  Sundays car-free  with extra public transport!

all vechicles excepting emergeny and blue badge transport shoud be barred from the entire city. Its only 24 hours and considering Bogata has done this since 2000, Jakata 2007 and many other cities have contributed to cutting air pollution annually I fail to see why London is taking so long to join the movement

I whole heartedly support it. Air and noise pollution has gone on for too long. it is time for people to experience what it is like not using cars, at least for one day. I am sure a lot of people who are against it will love it when they are actually experiencing it. Calm and relaxed can feel unusual for some.