Islington Green Party is delighted to see that Richard Watts, the new council leader, recognises the harmful effects of air pollution on residents’ health, yet worried by his claim at the recent air pollution meeting that “Islington cannot go any further on its own”.
He was certainly right to say that the Mayor of London should do more to remove diesel vehicles from our roads, but there are plenty of actions that Islington Council can and should take, and his new administration should not shirk its own responsibilities.
Possible actions were outlined at the self-same meeting by public health expert Lucy Saunders, of the Greater London Authority, who described physical inactivity and air pollution as two of the top things the council could address to deliver the best health outcomes for residents on a range of issues from cancer and lung and heart diseases to obesity.
Summing up her workshop, she described Islington’s streets as “our biggest public health asset” and listed the following actions suggested by residents to increase physical activity levels by encouraging walking and cycling for local trips:
1. Managing the borough’s roads for the movement of people and not just traffic;
2. Reducing on-street parking year on year; and
3. Running a “streets for people” health check on all council policies
Caroline Russell, Highbury campaigner and Green Party national spokesperson for local travel, said: “The negative health impact from pollution and traffic danger is worse for those with underlying health conditions and people with low incomes, who often live on the most polluted roads.
“I’m glad that Islington Labour has at last woken up to the health implications of air pollution, and look forward to seeing action on this basic issue of fairness.”
