| Topic: | Re:Cycle Race Road Closure 4th August 2013 | |
| Posted by: | Jonathan Callaway | |
| Date/Time: | 07/08/13 19:41:00 |
| Picking up on one of Roland's earlier comments, that air pollution might have been lower on Putney High Street and Putney Hill but that much worse where the traffic had backed up, I think this just illustrates the wider point about the effects of traffic congestion on all of us - it pollutes the air, and does so badly. Personally I think there are only two ways to address air pollution: 1) keep cleaning up diesel and petrol engines and 2) reduce traffic volumes. A lot has been done to clean up engines and reduce CO2 emissions, but in the case of diesels only at the cost of higher Nitrogen Dioxide emissions (this is a toxic gas by the way, even if invisible). More still needs to be done of course. And the traffic? Basically, more of us have to get out of our cars (that's where cycling might come in). We also have to shift more freight traffic from road to rail. I'm sure people will have lots of other good ideas about how we achieve this but until people are ready to leave their cars at home we will not achieve much. Days like last Sunday should be an encouragement for people not only to try cycling – which I do around Putney and Richmond Park, and never in lycra(!) – but also to see what traffic-free roads are like. Maybe radical steps will be needed to reduce car use but is any politician ready to take on the absurdly loud car lobby? We have made ourselves so dependent on cars that nobody seems to be able to think of an alternative. Is it now time for the stick rather than the carrot? I honestly feel we cannot indefinitely sustain the current situation where everybody feels they have an unfettered right to drive where they want when they want. A couple of other points - cyclists often get attacked for not paying Road Tax. But “Road Tax” was abolished in 1937. Vehicle Excise Duty is now totally emissions-linked and more and more cars are not paying it. Is there some objection to these cars also using the highway?? Neither do emergency vehicles (incl. the police) or the disabled in general. There was never a link between paying the Tax/Duty and the maintenance of highways which has always come from direct taxation. And most cyclists are car owners anyway (me included) - only about 15% don’t own a car. Finally, what would be so wrong in closing off Richmond Park to cars? Some people obviously hate the idea but why? If the car parks remain open but through traffic is banned then all users can still get there, even in their cars, while walkers and cyclists can enjoy a car-free and pollution-free visit to one of London’s finest parks. Last word on the Sunday closures – I agree with all those who feel better organisation is required – train the stewards properly and it might alleviate some of the anger and congestion. |