Islington Greens are repeating their Citizen Science air pollution measuring, first carried out in Highbury in 2011, which revealed the pollution in Highbury was well over EU limits and in some places almost double the safe limit.
Up to 9500 deaths a year in London are linked to London’s appalling air pollution – which is still breaching agreed EU limits. Moreover research reveals people living in the most deprived areas of London are exposed to higher concentrations of harmful pollution.
Backed up by data gathered by Islington residents as part of the greens long-running citizen science campaign, greens are pushing the mayor to implement proposals to widen the boundary of the proposed Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ)
. They are also fiercely critical of the councils failure to take serious action to reduce residents’ exposure to pollution.
Cllr Caroline Russell said:
“It is really important that communities check how polluted their roads are. Pollution inside a car is more concentrated than the pollution breathed by people walking and cycling so there is a huge incentive to avoid driving especially in urban areas where the emissions from the car in front are directed straight in to the car behind.
Islington Greens called for Islington Labour to ask the former Mayor to extend his ULEZ to include Islington in 2012. They refused. I’m very glad that the new Mayor has seen sense and that there is now an opportunity for the health of Islington residents to be protected by removing the oldest and most polluting diesels from our roads.”
Olivia Brunning: “It’s worrying that invisible NO2 pollution from diesel vehicles has such a serious impact on our health. I was glad to help put up measuring tubes all over Highbury to find out how polluted our air is. As a life-long bronchial asthmatic, and since moving back to London 4 years ago from Cheshire, I have found myself much wheezier, and am concerned that traffic polution could be a contributory factor.”
Sue Mercer: “I was shocked when I discovered that air pollution in London is responsible for more deaths than smoking. As an Islington parent and grandparent, I am concerned that the air our children breathe is shortening their lives.”
Rod Gonggrijp said: “Air quality monitoring carried out by the Tufnell Park Parents in November 2013 already showed residents on Tufnell Park Road exposed to pollution levels well above legal limits. Since then the council has taken no measures of any kind to try to improve this. Air pollution is an invisible killer and the diversion of traffic from the Holloway Road though residential Tufnell Park will only worsen this crisis. Citizens coming together to evidence this is the only way to put pressure on the council.”
Notes:
1. The Mayor’s current consultation
3. Tribune – More from 2011
