Jenny Jones, deputy Mayor of London, and Green London Assembly Member will be visiting boroughs to take part in their ‘In Town, without my car’ events and celebrations.
As part of European Mobility Week, such ‘In Town, without my car!’ events aim to raise awareness on alternative forms of transport and the need to combat air pollution and noise pollution from busy roads, particularly in urban environments.
Jenny said, "Car free day gives us a small glimpse of how London’s future might look: a future with quiet, unhurried streets; a future where cyclists can breath without coughing; a future where children can walk to school or the shops without the fear of being run over. It challenges whether we’ve got the balance right between the differing needs of cars and other street users."
"We should be promoting traffic reduction the way they do in the rest of Europe. In Belgium a 160 square km area of Brussels is being closed off- the equivalent of closing off all the roads in London from Hammersmith to Deptford."
Other European countries are much more advanced and see traffic reduction as vital for health of their towns and cities. London is host to nearly a third of the national ‘In Town, without my car!’ events. However, with 32 such events nationally, comparisons with other European countries show that we have some catching up to do: in Spain there are 209 ‘In town, without my car!’ events taking place this year, 126 in Austria and 80 in France.
While nearly two thirds of London’s boroughs are taking part is some form, only eight are fully participating in a ‘In town, without my car!’ event, by closing some roads and arranging events on the Car Free Day, the 22nd September. Jenny will visit Camden, one of the boroughs that is leading the way. In Camden, Museum Street, Little Russell Street and Gilbert Place will be closed to traffic for the day, launching a six month trial closure of a section of museum street. The other boroughs leading the way in London, running ‘In town, without my car!’ events on Monday are Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington and Kingston Upon Thames. In all these areas the closed roads will provide a space for people to walk and cycle safely, and enjoy a street-party atmosphere with stalls and entertainment as well as cycle workshops and local environmental and transport information.
Jenny said, " It’s a great pity that a third of London boroughs will not be giving their residents this once a year chance to experience safer, cleaner, quieter spaces in their areas. It’s great to see areas that are taking part on Monday leading the way, and I really hope there are more, and much bigger events next year".
ENDS