News Archives - pollution

The case grows for school streets

School Streets deliver significant reductions in traffic not only at drop-off and pick-up times, but over the whole day according to a new report. Not-for-profit organisation Cross River Partnership (CRP) and the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy found improvements in several healthy streets indicators on the roads with School Streets. PhD Researcher at University of Westminster, Asa Thomas, said:…

The time has come for lower speed limits

We’ve known for decades that higher traffic speeds increases road danger. As a general rule for every 1 mph reduction in average speed, collision frequency reduces by around 5% (Taylor, Lynam and Baruya, 2000). It’s the reason the ETA helped found 20s Plenty to campaign for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town…

ULEZ will extend to include Greater London

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will expand to include the whole of Greater London under plans laid out by mayor Sadiq Khan. Currently, drivers of more polluting vehicles are charged £12.50 per day to enter London within its north and south-circular orbital roads. Failure to pay the charge lands drivers with a £160 fine. However, under new proposals the…

Britain’s ‘shameful’ air pollution scandal

Britain now has the dubious title of highest death rate for lung conditions in western Europe, according to research carried out by the charity Asthma and Lung UK. Over 100,000 people every year in Britain now die from asthma attacks, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia – across Europe only Turkey has a higher death rate. In France, the…

‘No viable alternative’ to road pricing

Pay-as-you-go motoring. Road pricing, pay-by the-mile driving. Call it what you will, it’s inevitable according to the cross-party Commons transport select committee which said this week it saw “no viable alternative” to a new model for charging drivers to use the roads given petrol and diesel will no longer be available to buy come 2030. Without reforms to the way…