Improving Air Quality Together
Like most parts of central London, Westminster suffers from poor air quality, and consequently the Northbank does too. Improving local air quality is vital to ensuring the whole of our community has a healthy and vibrant place to live, work and visit.
Working with local businesses we have been undertaking a series of activities: re-planning deliveries and services into buildings; awareness-raising campaigns; promoting walking and cycling cleaner air route and more. But we need you help to increase the overall impact.
Poor air quality in The Northbank BID area is complex but broadly the result of emissions from:
The Pollutants of most concern are particulate matter (often referred to as ‘PM’) and Nitrogen Dioxide(NO2).
Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health, here are just a few statistics to provide some background on the threat we’re trying to mitigate here in the Northbank:
Northbank has been working with the active travel charity Sustrans to create a brand new cycling map for the area. Designed to help inspire both seasoned and new riders to explore central London using pedal power.
The map shows how long it takes to cycle or walk into the Northbank area from several tourist attractions across the city as well as some of the main commuter hubs. It also showcases cycle parking in the area along with where you can hire a bike.
So, if you’re planning to explore London this summer or hoping to make the last mile of your commute to the office a bit healthier, we hope this map will be a useful tool. We would love you to help spread the word, so do share with friends & colleagues and loop in #NorthbankCleanerAir’
Every area has a unique set of challenges that contribute to poor air quality, but often these can be tackled on a local scale.
To show your support for improving Air Quality through out the Northbank you can take the Air Quality Pledge.
Join other local businesses by showing your support and by signing up the Air Quality Pledge.
Submit your pledgeWhat can you do to reduce your exposure to air pollution?
The Northbank BID have worked in partnership with Kings College London to research levels of personal exposure to pollution during the commutes of workers in the Northbank area.
Instead of using the busy main streets, when walking around the Northbank, taking a quieter route can reduce personal exposure to pollution by up to 47%. This can have significant positive effects on long
term health and wellbeing.
Find a clean air walking route for your journey at: www.cleanairroutes.london
You can read a full article about the research carried out by King’s College and Northbank BID here.
Reducing the number of deliveries to the Northbank is a crucial step in reducing the levels of harmful emissions. Personal deliveries make up a significant proportion of the total deliveries to businesses day in day out.
We all hate missing a delivery at home and convenience is key to managing busy work schedules. Click & Collect is a convenient, easy, and affordable way to help make a difference to air quality throughout the Northbank.
Many online retailers offer a click & collect service for free or at a reduced delivery cost.
Whether on your lunchbreak or commute, find the best spot for you, save money and breathe easier.
Find out more
Business needs to play a key role in helping to try and tackle the air quality problem across the whole of London. These actions come in the forms of large-scale policy change and campaigns, but also through small easy to make changes, such as collating deliveries.
Below are a few suggestions for what businesses can do to help:
At the Northbank BID we have created a set of 5 postcards which outline the steps that everyone can take to reduce the levels of emissions across the area. They are available to everyone so if your businesses would like to hand them out to staff members or display them internally contact info@thenorthbank.london to get a set for your business.
Idling traffic is one of the biggest polluters in the Northbank area. Exhaust emissions are exacerbated when an engine is kept idly running when a vehicle is stationary, producing up to 150 balloons worth of pollution per minute.
By ensuring that engines are turned off when any vehicle is stationary for an extended period of time, we can reduce the levels of some of the most harmful emissions in our air and protect everyone’s health.
Here at the Northbank BID we are supporting Westminster City Councils #DontBeIdle campaign.
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