"Deeply disappointing" - Mike Tuffrey;s full response to the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 6th Oct 2009

Commenting on the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy Mike Tuffrey, the leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group said:

"The Air Quality Strategy is deeply disappointing. The Mayor has clearly failed to grasp the seriousness of the health crisis facing London. Air pollution causes 3,000 premature deaths a year in the capital - with experts suggesting the real figure may be nearer 8,000.

"The strategy simply presents series of small steps, around road transport and energy efficiency, most of which have been proposed before. It fails to set a clear vision of the air quality levels we need to achieve and does not provide the full range of measures needed to clean up London's air.

"Notably it:

• fails to promote a new inner low emission zone, to help those worst affected at present

• fails to provide detail on when, where and how "special measures" to tackle days with the worst air quality will operate

• fails to clean up London's buses - even if new buses have hybrid engines from 2012, older diesels could still be operating in 2018

• fails even to provide the funding from TfL for the transport ideas

"The Mayor needs to show the leadership that Londoners - especially the young and older citizens who are worst affected - have a right to expect. There should be an inner clean air zone - to tackle areas where air quality is most dangerous to Londoners' health - and a real investment in pedestrianisation and cycling routes."

ENDS