Tag: Air pollution

  • Have your say on govt. plan for tackling nitrogen dioxide – one week left to respond to consultation

    After successful legal challenges in the high court, the govt. has produced and published plans to address air pollution from nitrogen dioxide. There is widespread concern that the plans do not go far enough to tackle our toxic air crisis. Consultation on the proposed plans runs until 15th June.  Make sure you have your say and call on the govt. to take tougher measures to clean up our air:

    https://consult.defra.gov.uk/airquality/air-quality-plan-for-tackling-nitrogen-dioxide/ 

  • Letter to PM calling for action on diesel emissions scandal

    As concerns grow about the damaging impact of air pollution on our health, QPARA has been meeting with other residents’ associations and community groups, mostly in south Brent, to look at ways of improving local air quality. This follows air pollution monitoring by QPARA along Salusbury Road last August and October, which showed average levels of toxic NO2 along the main road in excess of the legal annual mean. Readings on side streets were slightly lower, highlighting the link between air pollution and diesel vehicle emissions.
     
    Clean Air for Brent, the group of local bodies, including QPARA, wrote to Brent MPs on 5th April asking them to endorse a letter to the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary.
     

    Clean Air for Brent are engaging with Brent Council on a revised Air Quality Action Plan and an anti-idling campaign involving schools. The Mayor of London is also implementing a package of measures to tackle air pollution, including new Low Emission Bus Zones. Queen’s Park is not one of them, but we will benefit from cleaner buses along Chamberlayne Road from 2018 as a result of the Edgware Road being designated a Low Emission Bus Zone.

     
    In the meantime, we can all do much more to reduce pollution by driving less, switching away from diesel to cleaner hybrid vehicles, and not leaving engines running when stationary.
     
     

  • Woeful response on Brent’s air quality consultation – have your say now!

    As of 20 March only 63 out of 350,000 people in Brent have responded to Brent’s consultation for its revised Air Quality Action Plan – apparently this is considered good!! We don’t think it is half good enough.
     
    Air pollution, mostly from diesel emissions, is killing an estimated 9,400 people in London annually while 800 schools are on seriously polluted traffic routes. This really is a matter of life and death.
     

    QPARA’s Air Pollution Sub-Group (now working with other local action groups) is asking everyone to complete the questionnaire for Brent’s revised Air Quality Action Plan asap. The current closing date is 30 March (though we have urged an extension).  

     
    The link is here:  Consultation on Brent Air Quality Action Plan.  To make sense of the questionnaire you need to read the supporting document first (not the summary) but it is mercifully short.
     
    Thank you