Cleaning up London’s toxic air
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672 Londoners have responded | 25/10/2021 - 19/07/2023
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Sunday 22 September 2019 was World Car Free Day. A large area of central London was closed off for free, outdoor activities and many boroughs were organising activities too. Londoners could request a Play Street from their local council, and close their streets for their own community events.
Did you take part in Car Free Day this year, why or why not? What was your experience? And did you apply for a Play Street?
Tell us more in the discussion below. Log in or sign up to take part.
The discussion ran from 20 June 2019 - 20 September 2019
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Log into your accountpfligman
Community Member 5 years agoTotally ban the most polluting vehicles if you’re serious about improving air quality rather than the current hypocracy of just happily taking extra tax charges from the heaviest polluters which must include TFL diesel buses!!
Andrewhinault
Community Member 5 years agoGreat idea
What about outer London boroughs who don’t appear to be doing anything in many cases eg Bromley or Croydon?
Careoline
Community Member 5 years agoAbsolutely. My impression is that rich people want the right to run their huge cars over the rest of us, and ignore the effects of their pollution on the upcoming generation.
DAllison
Community Member 5 years agoExcellent idea - we should be creating car-free areas more often - e.g. every Sunday in central London during the summer. Please make the car-free area large enough that is actually has an effect, and gives a useful space for people to walk...
Show full commentExcellent idea - we should be creating car-free areas more often - e.g. every Sunday in central London during the summer. Please make the car-free area large enough that is actually has an effect, and gives a useful space for people to walk and cycle in
Show less of commentgmg57
Community Member 5 years agoGive me patience. Every Sunday. Some of us have lives to,live including on Sundays.
Peter Brown
Community Member 5 years agoWill this mean that bus services through the area will be restricted? It is great that those who can walk or ride bikes are catered for but not every can do that and are dependent upon bus services to get around.
Nice idea but not...
Show full commentWill this mean that bus services through the area will be restricted? It is great that those who can walk or ride bikes are catered for but not every can do that and are dependent upon bus services to get around.
Nice idea but not necessarily properly though through.
Show less of commentdavidesmith
Community Member 5 years agoDo any of the people who come up these fantastical ideas give any thought to the real world....?
People don't sit in stuffy cars and vans for fun.... The vast majority of people who drive around in London do it because they need to... not...
Show full commentDo any of the people who come up these fantastical ideas give any thought to the real world....?
People don't sit in stuffy cars and vans for fun.... The vast majority of people who drive around in London do it because they need to... not becuase the want to !!!
I guess the theory is that if they put everyone in London out of business no one will need to use vehicles to deliver or move anything to anywhere... maybe they don't care - they probabaly work on the tax payers tab in govenrment or one of it's quangos...
Show less of commentMarieBel
Community Member 5 years agoWhile it might be beneficial for a lot of the population, disabled people will suffer from it. As usual. A minority often forgotten .
Careoline
Community Member 5 years agoDisabled people should not be forgotten, thought needs to be given to their mobility and access.
squeezieb
Community Member 5 years agoI think this is a dreadful idea. In a city where drivers are penalised at every turn and the entire joy of driving has largely been destroyed, I can’t think of anything worse than another day of impossible travel. Moreover this is no doubt...
Show full commentI think this is a dreadful idea. In a city where drivers are penalised at every turn and the entire joy of driving has largely been destroyed, I can’t think of anything worse than another day of impossible travel. Moreover this is no doubt costing us, the taxpayers, money which would be far better deployed in the NHS, police etc.
I think it’s another of the mayor’s vanity projects.
Show less of commentbeataboutthebush
Community Member 5 years agoThe joy of driving, what? Go to Silverstone if that’s what you are after.
Or would you rather that all those who are making the effort to walk,cycle and get the bus, get in cars instead and clog up our roads even more?
FlyingDutchman1
Community Member 5 years agoCan't wait!
I've been to these events before, in Greenwich and Regents Street, and they are always good fun.
Lots to see and do.
Microbe
Community Member 5 years agoDear London Mayor, Please can we also have other 'vehicle free days' too such as 'No Aeroplane Days'? That way London, being one
of the worse overflown cities on the planet with constant noise and plane fuel pollution, can have nice quiet...
Show full commentDear London Mayor, Please can we also have other 'vehicle free days' too such as 'No Aeroplane Days'? That way London, being one
of the worse overflown cities on the planet with constant noise and plane fuel pollution, can have nice quiet days where we can hear
urban birds sing and the whispering of the breeze theough the leaves of London's trees that are planted to soak up London's pollution.
Thank you
Show less of commentCareoline
Community Member 5 years agoWouldn't that be nice, Mic robe? Can you think of ways to achieve these?
Dog
Community Member 5 years agoI would like to see some serious funded improvements in good quality public transport that everyone can afford, and everyone can access. I have a car. I've cycled in London for 40 years and been knocked off several times. I walk in London a...
Show full commentI would like to see some serious funded improvements in good quality public transport that everyone can afford, and everyone can access. I have a car. I've cycled in London for 40 years and been knocked off several times. I walk in London a lot. I am tired of cheap gimmicks, often run in one Borough but not others and incoherent planning. I'd love to be able to get a bus that is clean, pleasant, smells nice, runs to time when I need to. Not to find that the bus routes locally are being reduced, as has just happened. What really iritates me is the GLA and my local Borough implementing small, meaningless gestures that make it seem they are acting but that make drivers lives more difficult, and chanting something about most people in my area not being car users. The reality is complex. Some people have cars because they have to. I've had to be able to reach my Mum who lives 70 miles away with dementia, needing emergency support at short notice at any time of day/night over 2 years). There's a man in my street who has a car, is not wealthy, because his wife is seriously disabled. Others have other good reasons too. I support a single central zone 1 car free day by the way, as I think it helps show what life could be like. To get to that as more regular reality for more areas there though needs some serious analysis, thought and genuine political will to generate support and lead change for how Londoners get about. And, lets have solutions that don't just, as usual, export our problems to other parts of the country (where the extra electricity is generated), or other parts of the world (where the extra materials to generate energy are mined
Show less of commentgmg57
Community Member 5 years agoDog - so you support it happening in zone 1 just not inconveniencing you. There are lots of residents in zone 1 too you know.
Dog
Community Member 5 years agoI'm happy to support things that seem right but that are not to my personal advantage and often do.
Bigfacthunt
Community Member 5 years agoHow about a Khan and c.dick free London? Not just a day but permanently
The mayor and head of the met collectively fail to get a grip on crime and yet the media basically give them a free pass.
Car free day- hmmm let me tell you how dumb...
Show full commentHow about a Khan and c.dick free London? Not just a day but permanently
The mayor and head of the met collectively fail to get a grip on crime and yet the media basically give them a free pass.
Car free day- hmmm let me tell you how dumb this mayor is, earlier this year he goes on TV saying his biggest priority was air quality ( I guess that is worse than being stabbed in his mind)
The same week the idiot announced the end of congestion charge subsidies for electric cars, the only incentive to own one! How's that hello air quality!
Show less of commentJasmineb
Community Member 5 years agoAlso, I forgot to say that there seems to be a worrying trend of motorbikes and cars being fitted with special exhausts that make an incredible noise around London.
At the very least this should be outlawed and fines imposed on anyone...
Show full commentAlso, I forgot to say that there seems to be a worrying trend of motorbikes and cars being fitted with special exhausts that make an incredible noise around London.
At the very least this should be outlawed and fines imposed on anyone seen causing this noise nuisance - not just on no car day, but any time of the year.
Really this is something that should be done at Government level but the Mayor could impose it earlier in the London area.
Show less of commentCareoline
Community Member 5 years agoThey are so noisy that they really disturb me, whether i'm trying to concentrate on something serious, hear myself think - or sleep!
Benya
Community Member 5 years agoThink of it it as an armistice day to remember the 131 people killed on London's roads in 2017 alone, and to ackowledge the life-changing impact of large heavy metal boxes hurtling around our public spaces on the 3,818 people (including 245...
Show full commentThink of it it as an armistice day to remember the 131 people killed on London's roads in 2017 alone, and to ackowledge the life-changing impact of large heavy metal boxes hurtling around our public spaces on the 3,818 people (including 245 children) who were seriously injured (figures from TfL). A car-free day also helps us all to reassess our transport choices.
Show less of commentRobert Munster
Community Member 5 years agoFar more people would die if we didn't have cars, as it would be impossible to keep essential services functioning. Not saying all car journeys are necessary, but we have to be realistic and London already has very low levels of car use by...
Show full commentFar more people would die if we didn't have cars, as it would be impossible to keep essential services functioning. Not saying all car journeys are necessary, but we have to be realistic and London already has very low levels of car use by global standards thanks to its very comprehensive public transport system. And I say that as a bus/train enthusiast.
Show less of commentJasmineb
Community Member 5 years agoIt would be great to have some fairs/markets on streets that are usually full of cars on that day.
Careoline
Community Member 5 years agoYes, they would be lovely to have, especially if they could include local small businesses. How about craft fairs?
pcollins
Community Member 5 years agoThis is a stupid idea. London is a working city. It's not some little country village you can shut for the annual fete. Stop messing around. Surely there are more pressing issues that could use the administrative efforts going into this...
Show full commentThis is a stupid idea. London is a working city. It's not some little country village you can shut for the annual fete. Stop messing around. Surely there are more pressing issues that could use the administrative efforts going into this futile project?
gmg57
Community Member 5 years agoWell said Pcollins!
rentcontrolsar…
Community Member 5 years agoGreat idea.
Can we also think about having car free days once a week, we can get rid of the congestion and ulez charge and help traders and the environment too.
petethepen
Community Member 5 years agook. So does this mean as a blue badge driver and quite mobility disabled living in central London that I am locked into my flat on September 22nd? Which brilliant able-bodied person came up with this idea? Does the EQUALITIES ACT mean...
Show full commentok. So does this mean as a blue badge driver and quite mobility disabled living in central London that I am locked into my flat on September 22nd? Which brilliant able-bodied person came up with this idea? Does the EQUALITIES ACT mean nothing to City Hall?
Show less of commentTalk London
Official Representative 5 years agoHi Petethepen
Thanks for your comment. We checked with our colleagues in the Transport Team. They told us that "Car Free Day is for everyone. Access for disabled people is at the heart of Transport for London’s event planning and we will share information on how everyone can enjoy the day well in advance of the event. Buses will run through the centre of the event area, taxi drop off zones will be available to access the event and there will be activities for people of all ages and abilities to participate and enjoy."
What kind of events would like you to see in the car free zone in central London?
Talk London
petethepen
Community Member 5 years agoThanks for your reply Talk London, but you miss the point. I have terminal cancer and do not have the energy or the stamina to join an event. All I want to do is do my shopping and get home without impediment. This seems to be something...
Show full commentThanks for your reply Talk London, but you miss the point. I have terminal cancer and do not have the energy or the stamina to join an event. All I want to do is do my shopping and get home without impediment. This seems to be something which you folks are dead set against (sorry for the irony). I am one of those people who should be protected by the Equalities Act, but it appears instead that I am being persecuted by TfL instead.
Show less of commentdataforensics
Community Member 5 years agoHow about forcing takaways to only have cyclists for deliveries or at least electric vehicles?
I have many near me and they all use multiple vehicles resulting in hundreds of short journeys from 11am until the early hours.
Far mor...
Show full commentHow about forcing takaways to only have cyclists for deliveries or at least electric vehicles?
I have many near me and they all use multiple vehicles resulting in hundreds of short journeys from 11am until the early hours.
Far mor journeys than the residents make.
Show less of commentCareoline
Community Member 5 years agoThat would help a bit - especially if we keep making roads safer or cyclists. :-)
MSwagers
Community Member 5 years agoIn essence it is an idea worth exploring - but what are we doing to reduce pollution going forward? Think idle Taxis at stands all burning diesel, private hires (yes, you drivers from Addison Lee) keeping their engines running to charge...
Show full commentIn essence it is an idea worth exploring - but what are we doing to reduce pollution going forward? Think idle Taxis at stands all burning diesel, private hires (yes, you drivers from Addison Lee) keeping their engines running to charge their phones or ipads so they can watch movies whilst waiting, buses crawling through central London, white vans etc. I pay congestion charging and T-charge when I drive.
And we think that air pollution is an issue, what about the litter and dumping in central London? It is becoming endemic...
One thing, if this car free day goes ahead please don't organise some loud music concerts or parades leaving the streets 3 feet deep in garbage....
Show less of commenttimcato
Community Member 5 years agowhat a silly idea coming from an equally silly department , transport for london . The City is purposely bought to a standstill by roadworks that never get finished so it causes maximum grief to people traveling by car or van or lorry...
Show full commentwhat a silly idea coming from an equally silly department , transport for london . The City is purposely bought to a standstill by roadworks that never get finished so it causes maximum grief to people traveling by car or van or lorry . These university graduates working at tfl should be removed from policy and planning because they are brainwashed by anty car mindset.
London is a shambles led by a deranged mayor who should be focusing on the carnage of stabbings going on . Oh lets focus on making driving even more impossible than it already is .
BRAIN GAMAGE .
Show less of comment