Car Free Day will return to London

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that a central London Car Free Day event will return on Sunday 20 September as part of his bold plans to tackle London’s toxic air. 

According to the Mayor's office, sixty five per cent of Londoners surveyed after last year's Car Free Day said the events inspired them to use their car less.

In 2019, activities were held across more than 27km of closed streets in central London including Tower Bridge (closed to all traffic), London Bridge (buses only) and much of the City of London. Local events took place across 27 boroughs in 2019, with 385 Play Streets - almost double the target of 200. 

A new analysis by us has shown that around 15 million people in the UK live in areas where average levels of tiny toxic particles in the air exceed guidelines set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). This equates to almost a quarter of the population likely being exposed to dangerous levels of these particles, known as fine particulate matter, or PM_2.5.

Currently, the UK subscribes to EU limits on PM_2.5. However, these are not as strict as those set out by the WHO, and progress towards reducing levels of major air pollutants has been mixed since the previous Government's Clean Air Strategy was published in January 2019. 

Susannah Kerr, our Head of Public Affairs, said: 

“Every year in the UK, up to 11,000 heart and circulatory deaths are attributable to air pollution. The EU guidelines that the UK currently subscribes to simply don’t go far enough to protect us against our toxic air.

“Cars are a significant contributor to the PM_2.5 in the air, which research has shown can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Initiatives such as Car Free Day are a great way to raise public awareness of the need to cut air pollution, especially in London. This is a great opportunity to try alternate, active modes of travel, such as cycling or walking to work where possible. These may seem like small steps, but every bit helps towards ensuring we all have cleaner air to breathe.

“We also need to see people being supported to make these changes, starting with the full implementation of Government plans to increase cycling and walking routes.” 

Public health crisis

Transport for London and the Mayor will work with borough councils to announce a full programme of events across the capital in the summer. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“Toxic air is a public health crisis and it is a scandal that thousands of Londoners are dying early every year as a result of exposure to air pollution.  I am proud that in London we are taking some of the boldest steps of any city in the world to tackle harmful car emissions – from introducing the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, which has already reduced harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution by almost a third in the central London zone, to transforming our bus fleets into one of the greenest in the world. 

"Last year’s Car Free Day was London’s biggest yet, enabling thousands of Londoners to explore the capital by bike or on foot and encouraging them to reduce their car use.  I’m am determined to make this year’s event even bigger and better and I look forward to revealing more plans in the summer.” 

The BHF is currently urging the public to write to their MPs to put pressure on the Government to adopt WHO guidelines on air pollution.