News Articles Archive - Page 76 of 152 - Cross River Partnership

London is leading the way with other global cities in learning to live with COVID-19. No stone is being left unturned in terms of keeping communities safe, supporting a #greenrecovery and innovating for growth.

CRP is working with its partners to get Londoners moving safely and actively through Transport for London’s Streetspace programme, to diversify small businesses sustainably (London’s 16 Defra-funded Clean Air Villages), and to embrace fully digitised, agile working that contributes to valuable emerging roles for central and peripheral city neighbourhoods, to name but a few.

CRP has always tried to take a holistic approach to things, and the pandemic has brought into sharper focus the trinity of Health, the Environment, and the
Economy. These three priorities can and should be balanced, with constant adjustments and refinements being made. Everyone can play their part – individuals, businesses, banks, BIDs, Local Authorities, the government. Of course we are all experiencing problems along the way, but let’s keep learning together!

For further information and to contribute ideas please contact CRP Director Susannah Wilks.

Join us at our next LiveShare session on 24th September, 2:15pm – ‘Better Prepared: Lessons Learnt from the COVID-19 Crisis’. We are extremely pleased to be joined by Professor Tony Travers, London School of Economics, who will be focusing on the economic and financial aspect of London’s COVID-19 recovery, in comparison to other urban areas.

Emerging from this Coronavirus crisis, improved air quality in cities has never been more important. Better air quality has huge benefits for communities, businesses and overall economic recovery. An opportunity presents itself to support a green recovery, essential for building back better. We look forward to seeing you there!

As Londoners get back to school, college, university, nursery, work after the summer break, we all have so many questions:
How can I keep my family safe?
What will office working look like?
Should the tube be for freight as well as passengers?
How am I going to socialise and have fun?
Will London’s local centres see a surge in fancy restaurants?
How can central London’s culture sector survive the winter?

Nobody has all of the answers. But we’re all trying everything we can and journeying on our new discovery voyage together. CRP is continuing to bring together partners from government, business and the community to share knowledge, develop ideas, trial solutions.

If you would like to find out more, get in touch with CRP’s Director Susannah Wilks.

As of 2020, the United Nations have designated 7th September as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies! The day came about after recognising the impact of clean air on our health and acknowledging the importance of raising public awareness on the topic. The UN recognise air pollution as a two-fold problem, impacting on both health and the environment. CRP is aligned with this effort and has developed actions and projects to reduce emissions and help to improve the air quality in London. If you are interested in knowing more, all of CRP’s Clean Air Villages case studies are available here. Please contact CRP Project Officer Carina Mesquita for further information.

The last few months have highlighted how important our parks and green spaces are, whilst shining a light on the need for inequalities to be addressed. Last week, CRP joined the London Green Spaces Commission workshop, for an opportunity to comment on the recent report, which recommends how boroughs can be helped to develop, strengthen and secure their parks services. Commissioners invited evidence and undertook research and workshops with borough officers for the report. The Commission was a commitment in the London Environment Strategy and supports London’s title as the world’s first National Park City. Read the full report here!

For more information, please contact CRP Project Officer Rachael Aldridge.

After delays caused by the national lockdown, the Clean Air Thames project is back on track, with monitoring now taking place on GPS Anglia, a 23 meter inland tug, owned and operated by GPS Marine Contractors Ltd, which works along the tidal Thames. Mechanical Engineering PhD students, Christopher Ogbunuzor and Zuhaib Ali Khan from University College London boarded the vessel on 3rd September to undertake exhaust emissions sampling, gathering data on the particulates that are currently being produced by the engine.

The measurements taken will form the baseline for comparisons to be made after GPS Anglia is retrofitted with post-exhaust equipment that will reduce hazardous emissions, including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. Port of London Authority vessel, Driftwood 2, is expected to begin monitoring in the coming weeks! Stay tuned for more updates which will be posted on CRP’s Twitter.

For more information, please contact CRP Project Manager Sefinat Otaru.

As some London offices begin to reopen, cycling can be a great choice for those returning to the workplace. Heart of London Business Alliance has produced a short guide for employees on cycling tips and support, including information on free Dr Bike maintenance sessions taking place throughout September, as well as a comprehensive outdoor cycle parking map for the West End. Take a look to boost your cycle confidence!

With World EV Day ahead of us, the plethora of benefits offered by an electric transport system is non-negligible. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on our air quality has been a successful public service announcement in bringing attention to the health of our lungs and environment alike. As the 2035 target is fast approaching, the case for zero carbon transport is at an all-time high with e-bike and EV sales soaring since March 2020. Among which, local bodies are implementing incentives to switch to EVs and are setting up the infrastructure such as charging points to facilitate this changeover.

Taking heed of the current climate, CRP’s Clean Air Villages (CAV) project is powering with local businesses to decarbonise their delivery and servicing trips as a way to support communities towards becoming climate resilient. An example is the installation of Evie, a shared EV in Brixton which has saved 1,562kg of CO2, equivalent to approximately 4,000 miles driven by a passenger car!

For more information on how to switch from diesel, please see here. EV Fleet-Centered Local Energy System (EFLES) is another CRP project, working alongside Moixa, UPS and UK Power Networks Services that aims to optimise the rate of fleet electrification. EFLES will promote EV take-up by providing access to rapid chargers to facilitate commercial fleets.

For more information, please contact CRP Project Manager Sefinat Otaru.

The Clean Air Villages team are now underway with virtual business engagement, to understand how we can support with business recovery from COVID-19. Across all 16 village areas, we are contacting businesses to work out how best to support new initiatives including changes to businesses having delivery services. If you are a business in Haringey, Wimbledon, Richmond, Tooting or Shepherds Bush – please get in contact with us!

CRP are also looking for businesses who own their own fleet and would like to transition to an electric vehicle. We have telematic dongles, for businesses can use for free to find out which EV would work for their fleet/vehicle. If you are a supplier or a business within our Clean Air Villages locations, please get in contact with CRP Senior Project Officer Laura Jacklin.

Some streets have cleaner air than others, and we can all reduce our exposure to air pollution by considering how we get from A to B. CRP’s Clean Air Route Finder is designed to help you find a healthier way to reach your destination.

To understand clean air routes in action, take a look at London’s original clean air walking route between King’s Cross and Euston Stations. This route reduces exposure to pollution by at least 50% compared with walking along Euston Road, offering a healthier and less stressful journey between these key stations.

CRP is excited to be working with Tranquil City to develop additional clean air walking and cycling routes as part of the Clean Air Villages 3 programme. We will be able to share further details as these routes are developed over the coming months.

Tranquil City is an environmental data and engagement company whose mission is to help people lead healthier lives in cities. They are a multidisciplinary team with experts in air quality, acoustics, environmental psychology, sustainability, urban planning and public engagement and have been campaigning since 2016 for healthier, cleaner and greener routes in London and beyond. Grant Waters and Ben Warren will be working with CRP on the clean air routes project, with Ben having over 14 years’ experience in Air Quality consultancy and monitoring projects, including for national, regional and local government.

Together, CRP and Tranquil City will be monitoring the air quality along selected walking and cycling routes, measuring key pollutants associated with vehicle emissions and adverse health impacts, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. Collecting real life data will help to accurately quantify the benefits that opting for a cleaner route can offer.

For more information, please get in touch with CRP Air Quality Analysis Officer Abby McDougall.

Archives: News Articles

Cities Responding to COVID-19

CRP’s next LiveShare session

What will happen?

International Day of Clean Air and Blue Skies

London Green Spaces Commission: Next Steps Workshop

Air Quality Monitoring Begins on GPS Anglia

Cycling to Work: Safety First

Charging Ahead: World EV Day

Clean Air Villages: September Update

New Clean Air Routes to be developed as part of CAV3