Another decade, another Census! A reminder to complete yours on or shortly after Sunday 21st March 2021, or you could face a fine.
Your answers to the census questions will help organisations make decisions on planning and funding public services in your area, including transport, education and healthcare.
Saturady 27th March 2021 is WWF’s Earth Hour.
Join the movement and switch off your lights at 8.30pm for one hour. This show of solidarity for our planet reminds us that small actions can make a big difference.
Thinking about our own energy use and our own actions is important in all areas of our lives. Reducing our carbon footprint can be done in many ways. From an air quality perspective, CO2 from road transport accounts for one third of all CO2 emissions.
You can reduce yours in many ways, for example, by avoiding unnecessary journeys or using sustainable travel modes, reducing or consolidating your deliveries and using suppliers who use less polluting vehicles. These actions will also reduce levels of toxic pollutants which are bad for our lungs.
For further information, please contact CRP Project Manager Kate Fenton.
In light of the pandemic, the national lockdown for the first wave (March 2020 to June 2020) led to a behavioural change of Londoners that contributed to the temporary improvement in air quality and an increase in active travel whilst socially distancing.
The London Environment Directors’ Network (LEDNet) and the Association of Directors of Public Health London (ADPH London) published a joint position statement in September 2019 to set out how we should respond to the challenge of air pollution, based on our expertise and the available evidence. LEDNet and ADPH London have now revised the joint position statement, following the first wave of the pandemic. LEDNet and ADPH London have revised the joint position statement, following the first wave of the pandemic, to provide recommendations for cleaning up London’s air.
We are really pleased that Little A.R.K are using the Clean Air Villages 3 cargo bike scheme in London Borough of Merton. This community group, made up of over 70 local volunteers, support the community through Little Acts of Random Kindness (A.R.K) including the production and distribution hand sewn items for those in need.
Little A.R.K are using the scheme to deliver face coverings, hats and scrub bags for NHS workers, working with 7 NHS trusts. In just one month, 2,000 scrub hats and 27,000 face masks have been created over a year!
If you’re a community organisation looking to deliver goods via cargo bike, please contact CRP Senior Project Officer Laura Jacklin.
CRP’s Clean Air Villages 3 project has been supporting Deptford’s businesses and community through a zero-emission cargo bike scheme. After the London Borough of Lewisham selected Deptford as the focus area, we partnered with cargo bike courier service ecofleet, to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and the community.
In addition to improving local air quality by switching delivery modes from vans and cars to cargo bike, it has been a fantastic asset to the community. One of the users, Nhung at Lai Loi Oriental Stores, said:
“We were approached by CRP to participate in a trial eco friendly cargo bike delivery program partnered with ecofleet and Lewisham Council. This has helped us to advertise our oriental grocery free delivery service on our social media and also tell our customers, so they don’t need to leave the house. It has cut our driving delivery time in a car or van, so reduced our emissions. The feedback is they love the service by ourselves at Lai Loi family and the friendly couriers at ecofleet. They don’t want us to stop!”
Since September 2020, the free cargo bike hours (and accompanying rider) have been used regularly by 6 organisations, including two food banks delivering packages throughout the winter. Users of the scheme also include a pharmacy delivering medicines to vulnerable residents and businesses that have pivoted to deliver to customers.
As part of the Clean Air Villages 3 programme, we have recently refreshed the Clean Air Route Finder! You can now find 14 new Clean Air Routes for walking and cycling across 11 London boroughs, created in collaboration with Tranquil City.
Our research has revealed that people can reduce their exposure to harmful air pollution by almost a quarter by taking a Clean Air Route, instead of the default route suggested by popular journey planners. Clean Air Routes help individuals to avoid busy and polluted roads. These serve as simple alternatives to popular commuter routes, often between stations and key destinations. The Clean Air Routes Monitoring Report can be accessed here.
For more information about this project or the Clean Air Villages programme, please contact CRP’s Project Manager Kate Fenton.
We are delighted to hear that another shared electric van for businesses has launched in London, this time in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF)! CRP managed the initial collaboration between Zipcar, LBHF and Fulham Broadway BID in 2019 as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Villages 2
project.
The shared EV is FREE to use for qualifying businesses based in Fulham, including market traders on North End Road Market.
The Fulham EV joins the hugely successful Brixton shared EV for businesses which launched in December 2019. Since April 2020 the van has covered 6,670 miles, saving 2,398kg CO2, 5,712g NOx, and 301g PM10!
We have more exciting shared EV announcements just around the corner so be sure to follow CRP on Twitter and
LinkedIn to hear the latest.
CRP was very pleased to attend the virtual launch of Councillor Rachael
Robothan’s new City for All strategy on 4th March 2021, along with many other representatives from government, business, and communities.
The Leader inspired us all with her commitment to forging ahead in spite of the pandemic, and continuing to support a City for All, with vibrant communities and strong businesses.
Councillor Robothan highlighted Westminster City Council’s pioneering approach to Al Fresco Dining, and the economic benefits that it brings. She also trailed the Inside Out festival that will kick off in September, Oxford Street District plans, Marble Arch Mound and
Westminster Wheels.
CRP is delighted to have Westminster City Council as its lead Accountable Body, and looks forward to continuing to support the authority with its bold plans to lead London out of the pandemic in ways that are safer, greener, cleaner and fairer.
This week we have launched our Places For All social media campaign! Each day we will be communicating the benefits of Low Traffic Schemes, de-bunking popular myths, and giving people a platform to share their positive stories using #OurHealthyStreets.
Low Traffic Schemes, such as LTNs, have existed since the 1970’s, however the number have dramatically increased since March 2020 as part of TfL’s Streetspace for London’s temporary measures to create more space for walking and cycling to allow people to travel safely during the pandemic.
Have you benefitted from a Low Traffic Scheme in your community? Share your experiences using #OurHealthyStreets. It’s time to spread the word!
Due to the short time in which funding was available for Local Authorities to set up and implement these LTN schemes across London in 2020, their initial roll out has triggered mixed feedback from residents and businesses. However of a poll of 2,000 Londoners surveyed last year, 1/3 of respondents (33%) said they support the introduction of LTNs and a further 19% said they “strongly support” them.
Places For All will showcase the many benefits of Low Traffic Schemes, from improving air quality and promoting active travel to decreasing noise pollution and making streets safer and more accessible for all to enjoy.
This week, we are showcasing the work of CRP partner Kensington and Chelsea Council. CRP spoke to Environmental Protection Specialist Louise Grimes about the Council’s recent work on air quality.
Our priority at Kensington and Chelsea Council has been supporting residents and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic began, we were already offering zero-emissions deliveries on essential food and medicine to isolated people with the Defra-funded Clean Air Villages 2 cargo bike scheme. As the pandemic took hold, the scheme was a huge help in delivering food and medicines to people self-isolating or shielding in the area, offering deliveries from two pharmacies and community hub Bay20. We made 250 deliveries that would have otherwise been undertaken in a van or car in the first 10 weeks of the scheme! More pharmacies told us it would help them, so the Council funded the scheme directly for an extra 12 weeks, providing 1,300 zero emission deliveries to local residents.
We’ve now established a new Clean Air Village in the Cromwell Road area. Plans to engage businesses have been limited due lockdown but with the help of the CRP, the Council is working with nine businesses including the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum. We’ll be working with the museums to understand how they get their deliveries and services and see how we can help them to work together to consolidate, re-time or reduce the number of deliveries to help improve air quality.
