The need to tackle London's toxic air | Letters

Jeremy Simons of the City of London Corporation wants to see existing diesel private hire vehicles removed from fleets as soon as possible, and Tompion Platt of Living Streets wants more children to be able to walk to schoolIt is of real concern to read that nearly 95% of London's population live in areas exceeding WHO limits for particulate matter (Report, 5 October). Inner London's location, its dense road network and high buildings mean that it suffers from poorer air quality than many parts of the country. We are assisting the mayor of London by developing a low emission neighbourhood, leading a London-wide clampdown on idling engines, and banning diesel from our own fleet. We have created a City Air App, which gives low pollution travel routes to over 20,000 Londoners and use our planning powers to ensure new buildings are energy efficient and low emission.This is having a positive effect and we welcome the mayor's decision that from 1 January 2018 all newly registered taxis are zero-emissions capable. But more needs to be done. We want to see existing diesel private hire vehicles removed from fleets as soon as possible to protect the public from exposure to toxic diesel emissions - with current licences phased out by 2020.Jeremy SimonsChairman of the environment committee, City of London Corporation Continue reading...