The Mayor of London is consulting on his plans to improve air quality in London – with proposals that directly affect Brixton Hill.
From next year the Mayor is already introducing an Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) for central London, forcing drivers of the dirtiest vehicles to pay a surcharge that will hopefully deter them from driving in central London or, better still, incentivise them to replace their vehicles with cleaner ones. This is a year earlier than originally pledged.
Now the Mayor is proposing tougher standards for the whole of London to come in by 2020 – while not as tough as the ULEZ, it will mean all of London will see benefits by reducing the number of polluting vehicles coming into the city. The proposals are projected to lead to a 30% reduction in NOx levels in inner London including our area by 2021.
Sadiq Khan is also proposing to extend the ULEZ to the South Circular, meaning that it would cover the whole of Brixton Hill. Light vehicles which do not meet these standards would need to pay a daily charge of £12.50 in order to drive in the ULEZ. This is very welcome news and we urge residents to respond to the survey to signal support for these plans so that Brixton Hill air can improve.
The current proposal is for the extension to cover Brixton Hill to start in October 2021. In our response to the consultation, Brixton Hill’s Labour councillors have said that we want the extension to come in earlier and not wait over three years for these crucial measures that could be improving health and quality of life and reducing pollution around our schools and homes.
You can read the whole plans here. To have your say, you must do so by 28 February 2018 using the online survey.
As you may have spotted on Brixton Hill’s bus stops, Sadiq Khan’s Low Emission Bus zone between Brixton and Streatham has come into force. It means only the cleanest types of buses will be used by Transport for London down Brixton Hill.
Parents of children at Corpus Christi Primary school have joined Brixton Hill’s councillors and Labour’s London Assembly candidate to call on the Mayor of London to make a dangerous Brixton junction after another serious accident this week. Adrian, Florence and Martin met parents this afternoon to see the issue and plan next steps.
Cllr Jenny Brathwaite, Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability recently wrote to the Mayor of London to call for the extension of the TFL Cycle Hire Scheme to Brixton. This extension is long overdue and would greatly benefit residents in Brixton and throughout much of Lambeth. A copy of the letter can be seen below. 
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