This is a good read, by @profdevisridhar.bsky.social.
Mindfulness is booming, even as the air we breathe is toxic. Very glad to see action on #WoodBurning & #Idling at the top of your list!
"No amount of calm awareness can offset air that is quietly damaging our #Health".
*Sighs once again*.
Consultations are not referendums. We have a system of representative democracy. Those elected enact policy and consult on *how* it is enacted, not if. There are many, many good reasons why this is the case.
Walking, wheeling and cycling to school gives children more time to chat and play with their friends 🤸
Combined with fresh air and exercise, this is shown to have massive benefits for physical and mental health 👩⚕️
#Solvetheschoolsrun #schoolrun #cyclelane #schoolstreet
An important thread unpacking the complete nonsense being promulgated by the anti-NetZero media.
🧵A political/media guide to the "truth" about net-zero
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
Hard agree we need a root and branch cultural reset on attitudes to road crime.
And if future driving permission was at risk, would that make people more aware of the immense responsibility that comes with driving a car?
(Sorry it’s the Daily Mail but they’ve got this right).
#Helsinki achieved zero road deaths in a year—without autonomous vehicles on its streets.
They did it through road diets, car-free zones, and 30 km/h speed limits.
Not by flooding the streets with robotaxis. (Waymo isn't allowed in #Finland.)
To really save lives...
🧵
“It's not my duty as Mayor to make sure you have a parking spot. For me it's the same as if you bought a cow, or a refrigerator, and then asked me where you're going to put them.” — Mayor of Pontevedra, Spain (re-elected 6 times)
The further we reduce PM2.5, the better it is for our #Health.
New research from UCL shows that exercising in areas of raised PM2.5 pollution reduces the health benefits of being active. More evidence that we need to be heading towards World Health Organization #AirPollution guideline levels.
Potentially good news for the nation's health: woodburning stoves are a huge source of air pollution. They damage the lungs of people inside the house as well, especially those who sleep in upstairs bedrooms who are exposed at high levels overnight.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.
There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.
Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
Burning of wood & coal releases PM2.5 - the most worrying form of #AirPollution for our #Health & has been associated with causing damage to every organ in our body, it can cause illnesses ranging from #Asthma, lung #Cancer to heart attacks & strokes.
#WoodBurning #Solidfuel
🌍 We took over Southwark station last week, urging city leaders to lead on climate as the C40 World Mayors’ Summit got underway.
We now need to keep up the pressure.
✍️ Write to Mayor Sadiq Khan to stop promoting pollution on London public transport: actionnetwork.org/letters/ba2d...
It was great to see @rezinachowdhury.bsky.social , Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council and @willnorman.co.uk, London’s Walking & Cycling Commissioner
today on an epic bike bus organised by @solverosendale.bsky.social.
It was to celebrate one year of their amazing and transformational school street!
Our air quality data collection study shows impacts of burning on indoor and outdoor pollution levels.
tinyurl.com/3rxu8f8w
Tax cars by weight …
Hats off to @deathcardiff.bsky.social & Cardiff cllrs for their new parking policy to charge more for the heaviest SUVs 👏
A <10 child 3x more likely to be killed by an SUV and they don't even fit in urban parking spaces - affecting us all! #carspreading
NEWS: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Update: The mains have been isolated and there is no flooding to the carriageway now. However, Gallery Road is to remain closed until repairs have been completed. The repair team are on site but have not started to excavate so we do not know how long it will take to complete the repairs.
Cities around the world are calming their streets, making them safer and cleaner. This road in East Dulwich used to be a congested rat run. Great example of improving London for its residents and due for planting next month 🌳🌿⚘️
New episode up! We talked with researcher Tim Gill about how we need to make our cities safe for children, not cars. "Children are basically living very captive and kind of contained lives, and that's just not healthy."
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
This is fantastic news and a strong testament to @london.gov.uk’s leadership and vision for cleaner air in #London. It demonstrates that effective policy truly makes a difference! Thank you, Sir Sadiq. Other cities and countries should look to London as a global leader in reducing #AirPollution.
The Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) for London putting out a strong position statement which
"affirms commitment to promoting and supporting active travel as a key strategy for improving public health"
www.adph.org.uk/networks/lon...
Looking at the distribution of schools in London I don’t see how you can provide “safe routes to school” for all pupils to walk/wheel/cycle without 100% LTN coverage and main road cycleways/crossings
Oxford Street has an appalling road casualty and air pollution record. Banning cars from central London is the answer, says Living Streets
It’s Saturday! Ride with us, your kids and @ibikelondon.bsky.social to show the demand for safe streets to cycle on in London! #CarFreeDay
We need routes that are actually safe for kids to cycle on all around this city, every day.
www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/sou...
Achieving World Health Organisation guidelines for air quality could help many get a better night’s sleep.
“Across dozens of studies, long-term exposure to outdoor pollutants such as particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide and even carbon dioxide was linked to shorter or lower-quality sleep.”
Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated 6 million tonnes of tire fragments. These tiny flakes of plastic, generated by normal driving, account for 28% of microplastics entering the environment globally.
Heavy vehicles eg SUVs/EVs especially.
Via @us.theconversation.com
North Wales, which saw 94 percent of its 30mph roads switch to 20mph, also recorded the biggest decrease in total casualties.
road.cc/content/news...
“Helsinki has not recorded a single traffic fatality in the past 12 months, city and police officials confirmed this week.”
City engineer credits lower speed limits and smart design.
I agree. #Helsinki #VisionZero
“In London alone, SUVs now take up as much space as an entire inner-city borough – that’s tarmac we could be using for homes, parks, or safer streets. These oversized vehicles are … also far more dangerous, especially for children.”
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
