The planned pedestrianisation of Oxford Street doesn’t go far enough according to a leading Green politician.
Westminster City Council recently unveiled plans for a vehicle-free piazza.
But it only involves closing a 150 metre stretch of the road which is one of the most polluted high streets in the world.
In 2018 levels of toxic air on Oxford Street broke EU limits 80% of the time.
Green assembly member Caroline Russell says the project should have been more ambitious. “The scheme needs to go further to address the serious links between air pollution and harm to our health.”
In London it’s estimated that around 9,400 people a year die prematurely from air pollution. Cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona and Helsinki have brought in radical measures to deal with dirty air. Next year Paris will ban through traffic from four central districts.
The Green Party has launched its own Breathing Cities campaign to create safe urban spaces and encourage walking and cycling. The petition can be found here –