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Tower Hamlets has been included among five ‘Low Emissions Neighbourhoods’ set up across eight London boroughs, by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
An £11million fund has been set up to help some of London’s most polluted boroughs implement new hard-hitting measures to tackle toxic air quality hot spots and emission fumes.
Measures include strict new penalties for the most polluting vehicles, car-free days, green taxi ranks for zero emission-capable cabs, and parking reserved for the cleanest vehicles.
Further proposals include an Emission Surcharge ‘T Charge’ from 2017 for the most polluting vehicles entering central London, and the extension of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone by 2020, or earlier.
Tower Hamlets along with Hackney and Islington; make up the ‘City Fringe Low Emission Neighbourhood’. Proposals for this new neighbourhood include tree planting, an emphasis on walking and cycling, with improved pavements and cycle routes, and parking spaces for the sole use of the cleanest vehicles.
The new Low Emissions Neighbourhoods will come into full effect by the start of 2019.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: “Sadiq Khan promised to put tackling poor air quality at the heart of his administration, and I am delighted that Tower Hamlets will be one of the first to benefit as a result of this announcement.
“Toxic air isn’t just a major factor in many serious health problems, it is a killer and something our city needs to take seriously. The City Fringe Low Emissions Neighbourhood is an important step towards reducing air pollution in East London and making the air we breathe far healthier.”
The other neighbourhoods are as follows:
Westminster – the Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood is a partnership between the council and local stakeholders including residents associations and business improvement districts. Proposals includes better management of taxi ranks, improving building emissions and an electric vehicle delivery scheme in conjunction with UPS consolidating freight delivery to cut down on vehicles on the road.
City of London – the Barbican Low Emission Neighbourhood proposal includes no-idling zones where stationary vehicles must turn off their engines, restricted access to certain streets for all but the cleanest vehicles and green taxi ranks.
Greenwich – the Town Centre and Trafalgar Road Low Emissions Neighbourhood proposal includes a series of car-free days in the town centre, an incentive scheme to encourage walking and cycling and an extensive series of mini parks throughout the area.
Redbridge and Newham – the Ilford Garden Junction Low Emission Neighbourhood proposal includes a green barrier between the road and pavement to reduce pedestrians’ exposure to fumes, plus other road restrictions.
