London Air Quality - Pollution

Foreign nationals are generally the most polite, some look slightly shocked / embarrassed and turn it off quickly. Ocado Drivers and similar tell me sometimes that the engine is running they freezer. Well, guess what, fuck your freezer, and fuck everyone too lazy to go to the shop themselves. Perhaps these vans mean fewer car trips to the shops though. Still hate them.

Coaches from europe are fucking terrible. Three in a row told me the engine was running the electrics. But turned off when I insisted.

Only the English are rude / agressive. Ignorant entitled fuckers. I think smart phones are to blame for alot of idling. "I'm just leaving anyway" followed by another 5 minutes of zombie glazed over thumb swiping.

Dispatches on 4HD now:
Britain's Toxic Air Scandal

Just found this app which helps you find routes through london with cleaner air. I asked it to route me from Woolwich to Gipsy Hill, my commute and a route I know well. It made a couple of questionable decisions, but I'm always looking for quieter ways into work. Going to try the new route today.

https://www.cleanairroutes.london/

Idea for campaign: make up signs telling drivers to stop idling and put them up next to level crossings all around London over one day. Would get publicity which might pressure local authorities to put proper signs up and make drivers actually think of others for a change.

Cycling past a long queue of traffic waiting at North sheen level crossing 80% of which had their engines running. It's a residential street and there are young families walking along the pavement/ waiting at the level crossing.

Felt like much cleaner air following the storms these past two weekends. Probably won't last long, but is a glimpse of what London could be like.

Wet, cold, miserable. Nope, been glimpsing that for 15 years. :P

In early 2019 each London borough was compelled by the GLA to compile an Air Quality Action Plan.
LB Hillingdon has an Air Quality specialist so went beyond the bare minima.
Concerned residents were also invited to make submissions.
Accordingly, with the aid of some academics on LFGSS, I wrote the Ruislip Residents' Association submission. One of our suggestions, to plant a Yew hedge alongside a short +/-35 metre stretch of road where stationary traffic belches out emissions near our Duck Pond. Yew leaves, with their acicular shape are the best for adsorbing PM 10 and 2.5 diesel particulates.
This suggestion even received commendation from some of our councillors.

Then ... we heard nothing.
We were told that (sensible) suggestions would be sent to the relevant functional departments of the Council. LBH Green Spaces were mute.

Eventually one or our senior councillors brokered a meeting with the Head of Green Spaces.
We had the meeting on the 17th January, just after the Leader of the Council nominated himself to lead the Council's response to the Climate Emergency.
During the meeting I asked the Head of Green Spaces if he had read the RRA submission.
He stated he had and quickly changed the subject.

Last week, I walked past the Duck Pond and noticed some displaced soil.
A newly planted hedge of 31 Yew saplings!

Such a good idea the LBH Council intends to claim the kudos.

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Great result though well done

Thanks for reading my tract.
Yep, have to be happy with the result,
but,
the original plan was to have the Yew hedge planting as a community event,
and for these saplings to count towards the RRA celebrating its centenary
by planting 100 trees.

Such a good idea the LBH Council intends to claim the kudos.

Yew people, how you imagine yew have any power.

Good for yew, treemendous effort.

A yewnique solyewtion to a yewniversal issyew

The ‘leaves’ of conifers are of course their needles.

Yeah. I'm sure it's frustrating that they can't do what seems like and easy win without making it v difficult and somehow deceitful but ultimately the result is there and I'm grateful there are people like you pushing this

^^^, ^^^^, ^^^^^, aah, Yew guys!

Yep, you are totally, botanically correct.
I was happy to let everyone who read the submission learn the new word 'acicular'.

Yep,
almost certainly the 'Not Invented Here' syndrome.
Now we just need to get the LBH Green Spaces team to remove some overgrown leylandii from a Ruislip park and let us plant a Community Orchard.

Quite an important campaign here to stop an Ocado depot next to a primary school

https://www.change.org/p/islington-council-stop-ocado-building-a-diesel-delivery-depot-next-to-our-school

signed

An absolute conflict of interest in Islington.

Edit, I regret this sweeping statement as not everyone in Islington of the Islington stereo type, ill considered placement of delivery hub.

Signed.

@hippy @horsee1 Thank you both, spread the word! :)

Signed.

While I’m here, what the fuck can I do about the fuckwit parents that feel it’s ok to idle thier engines on yellow lines, in the middle of the road and anywhere else ‘convenient’ outside the primary school on the road I live on?? I’m a former travel plan project manager and am frustrated as hell by the lack of engagement by the school and council, whom I have emailed multiple times with my concerns. It’s endemic, it seems to be totally acceptable to this group to congest and pollute right where their progenies spend most of their time. What can I do? In Lewisham fwiw.

Molotov cocktails all round.

It’s fucking tempting. Have also considered shitonbonnet(tm) and prawnjuicedownvents(tm) but am actually seriously seeking a solution. Having previously affected behaviour change I know there are forces that can be put into play that actually work. However as a mere member of the public I’m finding myself short of leverage. Next sept my son will join and I plan on putting the pressure on the ptsa but what to do until then?