Sadiq Khan should look to the French and impose driving restrictions in the capital during periods of high ozone pollution, the leader of the Green Party on the London Assembly has said.
Ozone forms near the ground when other pollutants react together in strong sunlight with car and factory chemical emissions .
Although the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere benefits us by shielding us from harmful UV, ozone in the lower atmosphere is very harmful. Heatwaves can push up the levels of ozone pollution.
London has already seen three high ozone alerts this year, including two during June’s heatwave.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq told Londoners to avoid idling their engines, burning garden waste and consider using public transport over a private car if possible at the time.
Green Party Assembly Member Caroline Russell has now asked City Hall to take a leaf out of Paris’s book and deliver clear, firm restrictions during periods of dangerously high pollution.
Earlier this month, motorists across the Île-de-France were told that speed restrictions were now 20km/h lower than usual when ozone pollution crossed a certain threshold. Other measures available to authorities include banning older and more polluting cars from taking to the road.
Ms Russell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the harm caused by ozone pollution is still not “well understood” by the average Londoner but has a significant impact on people with lung and heart conditions.
She said City Hall also had work to do in ensuring Londoners both acknowledge and take action when ozone alerts are issued. One way to do this would be to use “amber” and “red” warnings – like with heat – rather than the current use of “moderate” and “high”.
“Because it’s quite complicated to inform residents about it in a digestible way and people can’t see it, not many people talk about it,” she said.
“We’re glad the Mayor warns people about high pollution – but a simpler way of categorising ozone pollution as ‘amber’ or ‘red’ instead of moderate or high means more people would understand.
“The Mayor’s alerts are welcome, but they must be clear enough that every Londoner understands the risks and knows how to protect themselves. Right now, too many people simply do not know what an ozone warning means or that everyday pollution sources, including traffic, can contribute to the problem.
“We need to be a bit more French – in Paris, they issue warnings for high ozone across a really wide area, the equivalent of Greater London, and reduce speed limits while advising people not to drive if possible because that will lower the scale of the ozone pollution and health impact.
“The Mayor could both implement this system and also think about reducing speed limits when the risk of ozone pollution is high, and advise people not to drive to reduce the likelihood of some Londoners having heart attacks or extreme asthma attacks. Ozone pollution is just another element of the pressure on our health when we have these heatwaves.
“For a big capital city like London with a complex transport network, it’s worth learning from other places and looking out at good practice from all around the world where they’ve thought about protecting people from extreme heat.
“We need to do everything possible to make sure people can trust the air they breathe.”
During an exchange with Ms Russell at Mayor’s Question Time earlier this month, Sir Sadiq acknowledged that increasingly hot and sunny summers means the “conditions that favour ozone formation are increasing”.
The Mayor said that he would consider whether the current alert system was “user-friendly” and would look into the benefits of a traffic light system with officials.
With regards to the Parisian system, Sir Sadiq said that he was “always happy to learn from other cities if they’re doing things in a more effective way”.
