Majority of Londoners would like more action to improve air quality, study reveals

Over two thirds of London residents want to see reductions in traffic emissions in order to breathe cleaner air, a new survey by the Clean Cities Campaign suggests.

The majority of Londoners want to see more action from the mayor to discourage car use to tackle traffic emissions, finds the Clean City Campaign, a new European movement that strives to facilitate switch towards zero-emission transport by 2030.

59 per cent of participants stated that they believe only emission-free cars should be permitted to drive within the Capital after 2030.

Alongside this, the respondents indicated that the London mayor should encourage greener ways of travel, including better walking, cycling facilities as well as more green space in urban areas.

Support for a ban of polluting vehicles outside schools in London reached 62 per cent, among the highest in Europe with an average of 57 per cent over all the 15 surveyed cities.

The survey’s outcomes are supported by a new modelled data analysis from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which reveals far-reaching impact of air pollution from London’s major road networks, called ‘Red Routes’.

The analysis on the resulting nitrogen dioxide vehicle pollution from Red Routes revealed that almost 1 in 10 of the city’s children may be living in an area where they are at a significantly higher risk of developing asthma. Moreover recent research has suggested that children exposed to air pollution may also develop adverse mental health in adulthood.

Barbara Stoll, Clean Cities Campaign Director, commented: ‘This survey makes it crustal clear that citizens are sick of breathing dirty air and are asking their mayors to put them, not cars, at the centre of new mobility in cities.

Public opinion should be a North Star for decision-makers to make cities more liveable and sustainable. The London mayoral elections are a golden opportunity to show citizens their voice is being heard.’

Oliver Lord, Head of Policy and Campaigns for Environmental Defense Fund Europe, added: ‘The pollution and health impacts from London’s busiest roads – the Red Routes – go far beyond the streets themselves, with an estimated 9 per cent of children having a significantly increased risk of developing asthma. We are calling on all mayoral candidates to commit to a green recovery that will transform these roads and protect future generations.’

Read more about the campaign around the death of nine-year-old schoolgirl Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death to lower air quality limits in line with World Health Organisation limits.