‘Hackney’s roads among most polluted in London’

Green Party London Assembly Member Jenny Jones

Hackney’s roads will continue to be among the ‘dirtiest’ in London unless action is taken to bring them into line with legal limits, the Green Party claims.

A whopping 70 per cent of roads in the borough will exceed legal limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution by 2020 according to an analysis carried out by the Greens.

The study, based on an atmospheric emissions inventory published by the Greater London Authority, shows that less than 10 years from now there will be 37 Hackney schools near main roads over that are legal limits in terms of pollution.

Bus passengers will be left waiting at one of 341 bus stops next to roads over the legal limit.

NO2, which is associated with diesel vehicles, has been linked to dangerous lung and heart conditions, cancer and asthma.

Despite pledges by Mayor of London Boris Johnson to bring the whole of Greater London within legal limits for NO2, large swathes of central and inner London are still falling short, according to Green London Assembly Member Jenny Jones.

According to the figures compiled by Ms Jones, which are available via the website howpollutedismyroad, Hackney’s roads are dirtier than those in other inner London areas including Brent, Haringey and Wandsworth.

Ms Jones said: “Boris Johnson and the Government’s dithering on tackling air pollution meant we missed meeting legal limits on the harmful to human health emission Nitrogen Dioxide in 2010, and will still be over the limits a decade later.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “Since the Mayor took office emissions of oxides of nitrogen are down by an estimated 20 per cent.

“That is because of an ambitious package of measures including building Europe’s largest fleet of low emission hybrid buses, retiring the oldest taxis and introducing tighter emission standards for lorries and vans.

“Clearly there is still more to do, which is why the Mayor has announced ambitious plans for his second term including a new Ultra Low Emission Zone from 2020 – the first of its kind in any big city in the world. The Mayor is also working closely with London boroughs and businesses, committing £20m to a new Air Quality Fund to improve pollution hotspots across the capital.”