Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
"Air pollution killed my daughter..."
Further to my previous posting about air pollution being implicated in the death of a child in South London being, Ella's mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, writes in the Guardian about her fight for answers.
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Tags for Forum Posts: air pollution
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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I less want to see the council "win" than I want to see residents win.
This council's sclerosis has been going on for years and it's environment record compares poorly with neighbouring authorities.
A recent example of the lack of direction is a small advance on one front, alongside a small retreat on another front. This kind of tinkering has gone on, and likely will go on, indefinitely with a strong preference for endless handwringing.
The lack of leadership
One good example of the background to the current lack of leadership, was a brief visit to a meeting in the Green Room in 2019.
The meeting was hosted by Haringey Living Streets and chaired by then Cabinet Member Kirsten Hearn who, six months earlier, had co-sponsored the Climate Emergency Motion, that was adopted unanimously.
Picture credit: Haringey living Streets
Part way through the meeting, in strode another Cabinet Member who is now leader. She did not sit down but—before walking out—we learnt that her views on environment were largely dismissive, if not hostile; it was a niche issue; of little interest to her people and of appeal largely to a narrow demographic.
Those who attended will remember this. In the photo, I am on the extreme right. Green issues had nothing to do with (the preferred focus on) identity politics. The remarks were comparable to the current views of the Reform Party.
Tackling global pollution is not something that local authorities can do, but council can tackle it at the roadside level, where emissions are highest (and property values, lowest). The reason why other Boroughs are ahead is due to the presence of leadership. This is the political background. N.B. Jon Burke in Hackney
Indeed, people have to take action themselves. However years—if not decades—of cajoling, have shown that in large part, this is wishful thinking if not failed hope of voluntary behaviour. People were told for decades that smoking was harmful to health, but the rates of smoking only began to fall after there was compulsion, in terms of bans. In my view, the attachment to car-use and ownership is comparable to nicotine addiction.
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Permalink Reply by Max on
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There is a serious problem with east to west travel across the borough. Turnpike Lane is choked with westbound traffic in the morning. And eastbound traffic in the evening. The council needs to install a cycle lane going east to west across the borough, and take action to reduce the number of cars on the borough’s roads. A minority are making our borough unliveable.
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LIKE a few car owners, the council leadership sometimes wills the end (i.e. a better environment) but without willing the means to the end (addressing the problem directly).
The leadership is likely to view Highways as a toxic issue.
Therefore, the council does little to nothing that is meaningful. Due to the reluctance to take action, the sclerotic council embarks on more costly delaying strategies that appear to try to build support for taking action.
Their action-plans signify and telegraph better than anything else, that there will be no action for the foreseeable future.
One measure of the scale and history of their inertia, is the year of the publication of the Haringey Cycling Action Plan.
It was 2004 or 20 years ago. It has since been airbrushed from the municipal website.
The Guardian today:
UK air pollution killing more than 500 people a week, doctors say
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