Community action London

News and comment

2013

Plans for 'cycle utopia' above London's rail lines, December 30 ^[1]

London cycle network map published, December 20 ^[2]

London trials first electric buses, December 13 ^[3]

Barely three years after plans for a third runway were scrapped, Heathrow has restated its case and returned with even bolder expansion plans, December 13 ^[4]

Is London ready for open and creative citizenship? Tessy Britton, December 4 ^[5]

Mayor’s Vision for Cycling, March 7 ^[6]

London’s quality of life improving, February 28 ^[7]

Transitioning in London, February 26 ^[8]

2011

No new Superhighways in 2012 or 2013 but the Cycle Hire Scheme continues to expand, December 7 ^[9]

Green wall unveiled at Edgware Road Tube station to deliver cleaner air, November 28 ^[10]

Communities across London transform neighbourhoods with over 12,000 free trees from the Woodland Trust, November 18 ^[11]

The battle to save London's green spaces, November 11 ^[12]

Westminster World Heritage Site and Parliament Square a national disgrace, Hansard Society, October 25 ^[13] New vision putting citizen and visitor at its heart needed.

UK’s first electronic local currency now live! September 30 ^[14]

Over 55,000 people, cyclists of all ages and abilities take to traffic-free streets for the chance to enjoy the sights of the capital on two wheels, September 4 ^[15]

£100m+ boost to green London’s public buildings, 2 September ^[16] In London, the environmental goods and services sector is worth £23 billion. The carbon finance sector is worth £5.8 billion and employs 22,500 people. Growth between 2008-2010 in this sector has been 8 per cent, comparatively strong in comparison to growth in other sectors. This will deliver an estimated 18,000 new jobs by the end of 2012 to add to the estimated 158,000 already working in this sector. London aims to be a world leading low carbon capital by 2025 attracting an estimated £40 billion of investment and creating an estimated 200,000 jobs over coming decades.

London can’t afford to ignore inequality any longer, August 9 ^[17]

More green space at Stratford’s Olympic Park, August 2 ^[18]

Royal Parks Cycling, July 5 ^[19]

UK given three months to tackle air polluton - or face prosecuton, March 11 ^[20]

Team London launched, based on the successful ‘Cities of Service’ model instigated in New York, and will focus on three key areas- crime, improving quality of life and increasing youth opportunities. March 4 ^[21]

2010

London cycle hire scheme open to casual users, December 3 ^[22]

115 companies have now committed to pay the London Living Wage of £7.85 an hour. November 16 ^[23]

Mayor’s electric vehicle charging network, Source London, to go live spring 2011. November 6 ^[24]

London’s Cycle Hire scheme opens, July 30 ^[25] 315 docking stations and 5000 bikes available.

Mayor launches London's first two cycle superhighway routes, July 19 ^[26] The two pilot cycle superhighway routes are from Merton to the City (CS7) and Barking to Tower Gateway (CS3). Both routes are around 12.5km in length. maps via www.tfl.gov.uk

London to create a ‘Hydrogen network’ by 2012, 26 March ^[27]

London's 10 Low Carbon Zones now officially 'live', 19 March ^[28]

London secures £17 million funding for UK’s largest electric vehicle charge point network, 25 February ^[29] This will deliver a network of around 7,500 charging points by spring 2013 with 1,600 charge points to be installed over the next twelve months. At present there are over 250 charging points in London.

New London 'Datastore' to include carbon emissions dataset, 6 January ^[30]

2009

Why the last thing London needs is more Clouds, Rob Hopkins, November 11 ^[31]

A welcome pause for thought on the Western Extension, CBT, September 23 ^[32] News that Boris Johnson will not dismantle the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge Zone by next spring is good for congestion levels, air quality and TfL’s public transport budget.

Mayor must do more to green London, FoE, April 30 ^[33] "Abandoning the western extension to the congestion zone and the C-charge for gas-guzzlers, and pursuing a massive new airport in the Thames estuary have seriously undermined his green credentials. They have also overshadowed welcome policies, such as scrapping the six-lane Thames Gateway road bridge and pushing for electric vehicles and cycle hire schemes."

London "nine meals away from anarchy", March 30 ^[34]

2008

Campaign for Better Transport deplores decision to abolish the western extension of London congestion charge zone, November 27 ^[35]

Monthly mass cycle ride in London not unlawful, law lords rule, November 26 ^[36]

Campaign for Better Transport welcomes the Mayor of London's announcement that the Thames Gateway Bridge has finally been cancelled, November 6 ^[37]

Parking plans will mean London congestion chaos, Campaign for Better Transport, September 3 ^[38] According to CBT, "The Olympics site will be surrounded by vast new parking lots." Car travel to the Games themselves is to be discouraged (at least for spectators) but developments at Stratford and the Lower Lea Valley have planning permission for over 11,000 parking spaces. Thousands more have been built or approved at the Royal Docks just to the south.

Research by Campaign for Better Transport has revealed that car-dependent development will predominate in most if not all of the major development areas of outer London. This includes the Thames Gateway area of east London where the Government has said that it wants low-carbon, sustainable communities to be built. Campaign for Better Transport notes that developments with large car parks are being approved despite policies to reduce the need to travel by car, and to promote walking, cycling and public transport.

"Parking on this scale is more like Los Angeles in the 20th century than London should be in the 21st. If we want to tackle congestion and climate change we will need to be much more serious about controlling parking. These developments are being planned as though people had never heard of global warming. We need much more car-free development where it’s easy to walk and cycle and public transport is close." Richard Bourn, London Campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport.

Mayor launches London’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy to prepare London for climate change, August 28 ^[39] The strategy proposes ‘greening’ the city by improving and increasing London’s greenspaces to keep the city cool in summer, managing flood risk coming from the tributaries to the Thames and surface water flooding from heavy rainfall, encouraging Londoners to use less water and raising public awareness to flood risk. The Mayor’s intention is to publish the public consultation draft of the London Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in 2009.

New mayor must do more to tackle climate change, FoE, August 6 ^[40]

Recycling bin pilot in Hyde Park over the next three months, June 2 ^[41]

Campaign for Better Transport and FoE applaud London gas-guzzler congestion charge rise, February 12 ^[42]

2007

Cycling seems to have been forgotten in the redesign of St Pancras, say London Cycling Campaign, November 14 ^[43] Koy Thomson of LCC: “If Eurostar presents itself as the modern low-carbon alternative to air travel, it must think beyond its stations and help customers make sustainable choices.”

Diverse communities join London Sustainability Weeks 2007. For the second year running, London Sustainability Weeks, June 3 - 17, will include events from a range of ethnic and faith communities across Greater London, Love London

New tunnel to give London a 21st century river Thames, ^[44] March 22

London Congestion Charge extension welcomed by Friends of the Earth, February 19 ^[45]

News sources

Greater London Authoirty, Media - London Councils Media Centre

References