Official emissions figures released today show the poorest parts of London suffer with the highest levels of pollution. London Assembly Labour Group Environment spokesperson Murad Qureshi has called on the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to take urgent action to tackle poor air quality in London’s poorest areas. 

London has failed to meet the legal requirements for lowering emissions along with Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham. The Supreme Court ruled last month that Britain was in breach of EU law on NO2 emissions from exhausts. London continues to have the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) of any capital city in Europe and the government could be subject to fines if it does not act.

The worst roads for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) tonnes per kilometre in 2012 include:

• Oxford Street (7^th)
• Grosvenor Place (12^th)
• Knightsbridge, Piccadilly (13^th)
• Victoria Street (19^th)

The worst roads for dangerous airborne particles (PM2.5) tonnes per kilometre in 2012 include:

• Park Lane (5^th)
• Buckingham Palace Road (7^th)
• Bridge Street (11^th)

Labour Group Environment spokesperson Murad Qureshi said:

“When it comes to air pollution Boris has his head stuck firmly in the sand. 

Poor air quality is London’s silent killer, causing over 4,000 premature deaths each year, with as much as eight per cent of deaths in some London boroughs due to poor air quality. In the face of this crisis, the Mayor has consistently dithered and kicked action into the future for the next Mayor to deliver. 

“Earlier this year he announced a policy for introducing an Ultra Low Emissions Zone in central London in 2020. Not only would this be too little too late, in reality he has been unable to provide any details of this policy because he had not undertaken a feasibility study of his own announcement. This is grandiose – yet hollow – rhetoric. 

“The Mayor’s new buses will be on the capital’s roads soon, however there will only be 600 of these new buses out of a fleet of over 8,000 and they won’t actually be any cleaner than the current generation of hybrid buses. Boris needs to prioritise putting greener buses on the routes with the highest pollution levels and bring forward the Ultra Low Emission Zone.” 

Ends 

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi is a London Assembly Member and Labour Group spokesperson on the environment.
2. Top 20 worst roads for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) tonnes per kilometre in 2012 can be found here: http://cleanairinlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/CAL-242-Top-20-worst-NO2-tonnes-per-km-in-2012_Final-draft-230613.pdf
3. Top 20 worst roads for dangerous airborne particles (PM2.5) tonnes per kilometre in 2012 can be found here: http://cleanairinlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/CAL-242-Top-20-worst-PM2.5-tonnes-per-km-in-2012_Final-draft-230613.pdf