During my time at the London Assembly, one of the major issues was Heathrow Airport and its environmental impact. While some would emphasis its CO2 emissions and air pollution impact the emission that the vast majority of local residents in the Heathrow villages and Hounslow would emphasis most was air craft noise, that is is noise pollution. And the residents of Westminster are no different at all, whether in Soho or Mayfair and along major red routes like the Edgware Rd & Maida Vale, its traffic noise coming from motorised vehicles like cars and motorcycles that causes residents the most grief.
So hearing about the new technology that has been developed in Paris, where it records the noise levels and also the vehicles involved in one instrument, is where l think we need to go in Central London via boroughs like the City of Westminster.
More so after TfL road safety efforts improvements in the City of Westminster, with 20 miles per hour speed limit now on red routes going through the borough. As we have many residents who are victims of the road noise like along the Edgware Rd & Maida Vale red route, joint collaboration should be possible between the City of Westminster and TfL to deal with the twin problems of speeding and noise.
It also helps that traffic noise is a function of speeding. That is the higher the speed, the noisier its gets with the car and motorcycles as well.
So let us see if there is any change of priorities on 5th of May local elections in the City of Westminster concerning its environmental priorities. l for one will continue to push for its adoption as a priority with the adoption of new technology along with the cameras TfL are already putting on their red routes through the City.