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Happy International Day of Clean Air for blue skies!

Image Source: “Clearsky1” https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clear_Sky_1.jpg

7 September is the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. In 2021, the theme of this day is “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet”. Why not take 2 minutes today to raise your concerns with your elected representatives in central and local government? 

Here are some ideas and resources for how you could do this:

Contact your elected representatives

The website WriteToThem will give you contact details for your MP, Councillors, and GLA representatives.  

If writing to your MP, encourage them to engage with the Environment Bill – perhaps using this resource from British Lung Foundation: https://www.blf.org.uk/take-action/campaign/clean-air/environment-bill or, alternatively, the set of demands set out by Mums for Lungs here. (Here’s ClientEarth on why the Environment Bill matters.)

If writing to your councillors, you might want to ask them questions relating to the report we published in July this year (“Air pollution and safety around Bromley schools”). You may also want to ask them what progress Bromley Council has made on the actions set out in Appendix A of Bromley Council’s Air Quality Action Plan, which can be downloaded here (Appendix A starts on page 25). Bromley Council’s consultation on its Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2020-2025 received 869 responses from the public over 6 weeks in June-August 2020 – according to the Council, this is three times the average response for such consultations. You can read Bromley Living Streets’ response to that consultation here, and you can use the map on page 8 of the AQAP to see whether your local area is part of Bromley’s Air Quality Management Area. You can find out more about Air Quality Management Areas here.

What else could you do today?

You could nominate your local school for free resources, workshops and interventions on idling – https://idlingaction.london/schools/; or you could sign them up for Airly’s #LetSchoolsBreathe campaign.

You could join Breathe London’s Network as an individual, or the Breathe London Node as a community organisation or local government.

You could print, photocopy and distribute these amazing anti-idling flyers produced by Mums for Lungs, or ask Mums for Lungs to send you some of their wood burning flyers by completing this form.

Have a great day!

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Bromley Living Streets launch – June 2019

Bromley Living Streets is a group of residents campaigning for safer, quieter, low-traffic neighbourhoods which encourage healthier walking, cycling and cleaner air. It is affiliated to “Living Streets”, the UK charity for everyday walking.

Bromley Living Streets’ inaugural event drew over 70 people to Bromley Central Library on Monday 3rd June, 2019. 

Catherine Maguire from the Clean Air Parents’ Network spoke about how poor air quality can lead to health problems – particularly the impact on children.  Councillor Will Harmer and Alexander Baldwin-Smith (senior transport planner in Bromley) updated the meeting on Bromley Council’s policy, Jeremy Leach from London Living Streets spoke on the positive impact of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (groups of residential streets where ‘cut-through’ traffic is discouraged), and Annie Miller from Sustrans stressed the importance of community engagement.   The wide range of questions and issues raised showed the importance of holding such events to engage residents with a sense of ownership of such improvement projects.  A number of innovative ideas were raised, showing the appetite for improvement.

Bromley Living Streets chair, Dr Brendan Donegan, said of the event “I was hugely excited to see so many people turn up for the event.   In recent years, Bromley has taken great strides in making streets safer and more attractive for those on foot.  The successful Shortlands Liveable Neighbourhood bid and the town centre scheme in Beckenham shows that people and not just cars are valued in Bromley. I believe this event will be the start of so much more”

Bromley Living Streets will be looking for interested residents to work on the next part of the campaign.

Any reader interested in setting up a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in their ward,  contact Bromley Living Streets on Bromleygroup@livingstreets.org.uk, or via the contact form on this website.