Will Noble

Could London Go Car-Free For A Day In September?

Could London go car-free? One Londoner is hoping it's possible for at least one single day in 2018.

Marco Picardi is petitioning the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to turn central London into a car free zone on 22 September. Says Picardi:

Everyday Londoners like me are breathing in toxic fumes that can seriously damage our health. This city is home for me and my family, and because of that I'm determined to do something about it.

Tackling the city's air pollution has been high on the agenda for the Labour Mayor of the city, but making an impact hasn't proved a breeze. Despite improvements in air quality since Khan took over as mayor, the city still hit the legal air pollution limit for the whole of 2018, in just one month.

In late April, Khan's plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street were tripped up, when Westminster Council threw a spanner in the works, rejecting the blueprints as "unacceptable".

But perhaps Picardi's idea for a car-free day isn't entirely wishful thinking: such events have already been successfully trialled in cities including Jakarta, Bogota and Paris.

