Fifty London streets to go car-free this week for World Car Free day
London motorists have been told to ditch their cars this Saturday as parts of London take part in World Car Free day.
Around 50 streets will be off limits to cars, including Greenwich Town Centre and Bermondsey Street, to allow communities to enjoy the traffic-free day.
Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) will be supporting London Play, a charity that enables children to play in streets closed off to traffic.
Khan has made air pollution a key issue to tackle during his mayoralty. Next year he will introduce the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) which will charge the most polluting vehicles in the city.
TfL and City Hall estimate that poor air quality contributes to more than 40,000 premature deaths across the UK each year, with emissions from cars and vans estimated to cost £6bn annually in heath bills.
Heidi Alexander, deputy mayor for Transport, said: “I’m delighted that Londoners will be able to enjoy more than 40 streets without traffic noise and exhaust fumes on World Car Free Day. Our support for London Play will transform neighbourhoods for families and offer a valuable opportunity to inspire long-term change, helping build on our work to reduce reliance on cars and clean up the capital’s dangerously polluted air.”
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