This is the updated report from the Environmental Audit Committee website; they have published results from the Kings College London testing which the Committee members themselves participated.
5 members of the committee have submitted their own test results as evidence; a telling action in itself
The results show that the pollution is at its very worse in a vehicle and in the Underground
http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/shock-result-air-pollution-highest-in.html
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Shock Result: Air Pollution Highest In A Vehicle.
Ive been saying for some time that there will be a study which shows that taxi drivers are exposed to the highest levels of pollution in Central London.
Well here it is!
Dave Davies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xT2sS0urzw
The results
If asked to think about the problem of air pollution in cities, you might picture pedestrians and cyclists wearing masks to protect themselves from breathing in harmful fumes.
So you might be surprised that in our experiment the highest levels of air pollution were recorded by the person in the car, followed by the person travelling by bus.
In fact, the car driver was exposed to more than twice the amount of air pollution as the person walking the same busy route, and almost eight times more pollution than the cyclist.
The reason for this is that the vehicles were travelling in a queue of traffic that produced a stream of air pollution from the vehicles directly in front.
This air pollution was brought in through the ventilation systems and trapped within the vehicles, resulting in higher concentration levels.
Meanwhile, the pedestrian was walking to the side of the sources of air pollution and so was exposed to much lower concentration levels and, although taking longer, half the amount of air pollution as the person in the car.
The cyclist sharing the same road as the car was most likely able to avoid the higher concentration levels of pollution by not always being directly behind the vehicle in front and because the air was able to circulate freely around them.
The cyclist was 13 minutes quicker than the car, and was exposed to an eighth of the pollution.
The lowest pollution levels were experienced by the volunteers on the alternative quiet routes, away from busy road traffic. In particular, the person walking the quiet route was exposed to a third of the pollution as the person walking the busier route.
For the cyclists, the difference was most noticeable in the average levels of pollution that were 30% lower for the quieter route.
Editorial Comment…by Peter Conneely.
We need No Emissions Taxis, Buses and goods vehicles in next 10 years to be mandatory. London’s buses currently recieve £150m a year. This type of investment from TfL would give each Taxi a £6,000 zero emission LPG engine conversion and would be a one off payment, unlike buses who get this money annually.
“Zero Emission” taxi engines already exist and should be subsidised, the same way buses recieve a subsidy.
LPG engines are currently working in 2 models of LTC Taxis, TX1 and TX2, plus I believe there was also a MetroCab running around on LPG. These are custom built engines which have all been tested and passed by the PCO.
Conversions could also be financed partially by LPG company, with Ads on cabs. Perhaps there could be a new partnership – Boris Cabs- you never know!!!
Source: HealthyAir.com: with thanks to Dave Davies.
http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/taxi-drivers-at-greatest-risk-from.html
Friday, September 05, 2014
Taxi Drivers At Greatest Risk From London’s Airborne Pollution …by Jim Thomas
As a follow up to the post Dave Davies sent us on Tuesday, which pointed out the shock results from the test which showed us, Taxi drivers are exposed to greater levels of dangerous pollution, compared to bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Four different modes of transport (Car/Bus/Walking/Cycling) were measured over an identical rout with Taxi/car drivers having to breath in eight times more pollution than the cyclist.
When you factor in the hours Taxi drivers spend driving round London’s polluted streets, it puts them way above other groups in the risk to health category
They say a picture paints a thousand words:
Below is an image of a face mask particulate filter, worn for just 3 hours on the tube (Middle), 3 hours cycling (right).
Now imagine a Taxi driver working an 8 hour shift!
The test showed he/she would be breathing in up to 8 times the level of pollution that the cyclist is exposed to.
Below is a simple test I carried out last year, on the outside surface of my Taxi.
Having washed the cab in the afternoon, I went to work for a 5 hour stint in Central London aroud 10pm till 3am. Traffic is less congested at night and pollution is considered to be at a lower level.
Next morning, I had a quick trip down to Paddington to drop off some keys. When I got home, I wiped a clean tea towel over the body panels of the taxi.
Air quality: Committee seeks your views on Mayor’s submission
The Mayor’s office has sent the Committee a written submission in advance of the evidence session with Boris Johnson, on Wednesday 10 September.
Click on these links:
- Written submission from Borris Johnson, Mayor of London
- Inquiry: Air quality
- Environmental Audit Committee
The Committee invites comments on the Mayor’s submission, in particular on the following areas:
- How effective have GLA policies on air quality been so far?
- What are the pros and cons of the proposed Ultra low emission zone?
- What questions should we be asking the Mayor?
If you would like to get involved, please e-mail your views to the Environmental Audit Committee at;
with ‘Air quality comments’ in the subject heading.
Posted by Editorial at 2:49 PM
http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/boris-still-lying-about-the-effect-of.html
Friday, September 05, 2014
Boris Still Lying About The Effect Of The Unlawful Age Limit On Taxis
Boris will have to face the Air Quality Commission next Wednesday, 10th September.
But in a written submission to the committee, he has continued to lie about the affect on pollution of his unlawful Taxi Age Limit.
Even after two major reports have shown new Taxis have higher levels of dangerous NO2, NOx and PMs than the 3000 vehicles his policy has needlessly scrapped, Boris is still unrelenting in spreading the untrue myth that older Taxis are more polluting.
Below is one of the statements made in his written submission:
2.1 Measures implemented in the Mayor’s first term include:
• Tighter Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards for 150,000 vehicles and including vans and minibuses from January 2012. The LEZ is the largest citywide zone in the world with all HGVs, buses and coaches having to meet a minimum Euro IV PM standard and all vans and minibuses having to meet a minimum Euro III PM standard.
• Cleaner buses by building the largest hybrid bus fleet in Europe with over 267 already on the road and developing the New Routemaster, the cleanest and greenest of its type;
• Taxi and private hire vehicle (minicab) age limits – introducing a 15 year age limit retiring over 3,000 of the oldest, most polluting taxis and requiring all new taxis to be a minimum Euro V standard. Introducing a 10 year age limit for PHVs encouraging the uptake of newer cleaner vehicles – with a current average PHV age of 4.5 years.
• Air quality neutral development required in London Plan
• Buildings retrofit – over 400,000 homes and public buildings with energy efficiency measures which reduce their emissions.
How can Boris keep getting away with the lies he’s tells.
Posted by Editorial at 5:20 PM