Friday, November 24, 2006

Air quality letter sent to Croydon Guardian

24.11.06

Dear Editor,

I have long been concerned about the levels of air pollution along Croydon’s arterial roads caused by volumes of traffic. Sadly, the situation is only going to get worse. According to DEFRA, the number of cars on the roads is set to increase by 50 per cent over the next 20 years. Therefore, I welcome Croydon Council’s new air quality text service (Air pollution warnings could save lives, November 15). This will undoubtedly help those that suffer from asthma, bronchitis and heart disease.
It’s a shame that the airTEXT service was not up and running in time for bonfire night. On that weekend, the London Air Quality Network recorded ‘very high’ level of air pollutants at its monitoring station in Thornton Heath. Only eight areas in the whole of London recorded a ‘very high’ reading. A combination of atmospheric conditions, common causes of air pollution and harmful materials being thrown on to a bonfire can trigger such a reading.
It is clear that reactive measures such as airTEXT are only part of the solution. Croydon Council needs to put in place proactive strategies to cut down the volumes of noisy, polluting and frustration causing levels of traffic in the borough.

Yours sincerely


Shasha Khan
Croydon Green Party

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