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In order to reduce harmful transport emissions the London Assembly’s Environment Committee is urging the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to prioritise the promotion of cycling and walking in the capital. The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor and has the power to amend the Mayor’s annual budget and to reject the Mayor’s draft statutory strategies.
Leonie Cooper AM, Chair of the Environment Committee, said:
“We welcome the Mayor’s proposals to clean up London’s dirty air and the speed at which his action plan has been introduced. However, the Committee has heard evidence from a range of experts who believe even greater results for Londoners can be achieved within quicker timeframes, with the introduction of further measures."
These further measures include increasing support for cycling and walking and other sustainable transport modes.
In a letter to the Mayor, Cooper said priority should be given to "traffic reduction, with complementary measures to enable modal shifts to buses, trains, walking and cycling."
She added: "The experience of reducing car journeys between 1991 and 2011, and during the 2012 London Olympics, show how Londoners can adapt their travel behaviours. Less traffic on the roads can reduce congestion, improve journey time and reliability including for buses, and further encourage sustainable travel choices."
The letter forms part of a rsponse to the Mayor’s initial public consultation on his air pollution action plan.
