Southwark Council's slogan for reporting on their public consultations is 'We asked, you said, we did'. In this case, we asked members of the public to send us their comments on the council's latest air quality strategy, so we could share them with you. Now we urge Southwark Council officers and councillors to read these heartfelt and thoughtful responses carefully (along with all the others, including the Southwark Green Party response) and DO.

R (Bermondsey) writes:

I cannot see anything about (a) reducing the total volume of motorised traffic in the borough or (b) about developing a network of free/low pollution footpaths and cycleways for those of us (eg the elderly with heart conditions), who need to move around the borough [...] there is insufficient detail about geographical priorities eg Borough High Street, Rye Lane, Camberwell, Rotherhithe Tunnel.

T (Camberwell) writes:

The council needs to outline the steps it intends to take – the current plan lacks any details of its targets or programme of action.

This is a public health emergency. High levels of pollution in the borough are particularly damaging to children's health, affecting lung development and potentially leading to serious health problems in later life. With obesity on the rise, it is unacceptable for the council to advise that children should be discouraged from physical activity.

On a personal level - as someone who has been diagnosed with mild persistent asthma since living in Southwark - I would like the council to act now to reduce vehicle emissions, by installing free charging points for electric vehicles, launching a public information campaign to promote the use of car clubs, creating more car-club parking, and ending any provision of additional parking for private, non-commercial use (except for disabled drivers).

Developers (for example, at Elephant Park) should not have been allowed to add new car-parking spaces in breach of the council's own planning policies - the council needs to learn from past mistakes.

L (Elephant and Castle) writes:

The plan is rather too general & timid, lacking details, timetable, imagination and commitment. 

I would like to see:

- wider provision of protected cycle lanes and quiet-way routes throughout Southwark,

- offering cycle training for all primary school children,

- phasing out diesel,

- increasing speed of eliminating diesel by converting council fleet to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and by providing full/partial grants to conversion to LPG for cars bought by qualifying borough users during last 3-5 years  

- enforcing no-idling,

- more street trees, shrubs, green walls and roofs,

- insulating all council properties including schools and estates and promoting the use of  renewable energy by installing renewable energy technologies

- insisting that all new buildings and constructions are carbon neutral and equipped with renewable energy technologies,

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.