The Labour-led Islington council is putting out increasingly confused messages about car travel in the borough – in the very week that it adopted Islington’s new Transport Strategy.
At the full council meeting on the 29th of March, Councillor Janet Burgess responded to a question about asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by highlighting the good work done on smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation. It was alarming to note, however, that air quality and pollution – big issues repeatedly highlighted in local papers in recent weeks – did not get a mention in Cllr Burgess’ response, until she was prompted.
The council has repeatedly dismissed calls from the Green Party, and elsewhere, to take steps to tackle pollution, claiming it is caused by traffic passing through the borough which it can do nothing about. Its latest plan for new, free car parking spaces, however, rolls out the red carpet to visiting motorists – ostensibly to boost the local economy, though the evidence shows that shoppers who arrive on foot or by public transport actually spend more!
Councillor Janet Burgess accepted at last week’s meeting the link between pollution and health issues such as asthma and COPD. While a certain amount of passing traffic is, indeed, beyond Islington Council’s control, Islington Green Party suggest the Council has a duty to join the fight for cleaner air where it can. This latest move to expand parking and make driving in Islington easier and more attractive, is a step in precisely the opposite direction.