Women-led eco-activist group Climate Rush staged a cycle ride from Soho Square to block traffic on the Euston Road with a 'die-in' protest over London having the worst air quality in Europe, killing more than 4,300 a year. London, UK. 13/07/2011
Climate Rush and other leading green activists gathered in Soho Square for 'Road-Block', a protest against the terrible air quality in London, which causes more than 4,300 premature deaths each year and costs the capital up to £2 billion a year. On average each of these people's lives was cut by more than 11.5 years by the effect of dangerous airborne particulates.
Further research suggests that these figures for deaths which came from London's Mayor severely underestimate the damage, as they only include those cases where air pollution can be assumed to be the sole cause of early deaths. Air pollution actually contributes significantly to the early deaths of a much greater number, perhaps as many as one in three of all deaths in the capital, cutting these lives by an average of around 3 years.
Additional recent research suggests that air pollution from busy roads is responsible for around 15-30% of all new cases of asthma in children as well as worsening the heart and lung conditions in adults. One major problem with children is that a high proportion of London schools are close to busy roads.
Before the cyclists and walkers set off, there were a few brief speeches, including one by Green party London Assembly member Jenny Jones. She pointed out the failures of London's Mayor Boris Johnson, who not only has made the problem worse by scrapping the Western Extension Zone for the Congestion Charge, but has ordered the cleaning up of atmospheric monitoring stations in an attempt to falsify air pollution readings.
The protesters called for the establishment of a Clean Air Zone across central London, similar to that imposed in some other cities. As well as banning older diesel vehicles from large areas of the capital, London also needs stronger traffic control measures, and a much faster program of encouraging cleaner forms of transport, including walking and cycling and public transport. Unless some urgent action is taken, London faces unlimited EU fines over its failure to improve air quality.
The poor air quality in London causes premature deaths from heart disease and lung complaints, and particularly affects cyclists and pedestrians. Some wear filters over their mouths and noses, which can cut down the amounts of dangerous small particles they inhale, but effective particle filters tend to be uncomfortable to wear and expensive. And filters have no effect on the nitrogen oxides, one of the more damaging materials in vehicle exhaust fumes, which cause significant lung damage.
A group of walkers set off first from Soho Square to an undisclosed location, with the cyclists following later. Many of the protesters were wearing Climate rush Red sashes with the messages 'Clean Air For London' or 'Deeds Not Words' and masks with 'Let London Breathe' and some held placards and posters demanding action over pollution. Unfortunately these were on the backs of posters calling for an end to university tuition fees, and some
The walkers had a couple of minutes to wait at the junction of Euston Road and Gordon St before the cyclists caught up with them, and together they swarmed on to the box junction at 7.22pm, blocking the Euston Road.
A minute and a half later Tamsin Omond called for the planned die-in to commence, and after a long and theatrical session of coughing laid down on the tarmac along with all the other protesters in the box junction. After a short time, the police officer in charge came and gave her a warning that they were committing an offence and could be arrested. Ms Omond ignored this for a minute or two but then when it appeared the police might act, started a count-down to end the die-in. The die-in hadn't quite lasted the full for 4.33 minutes, planned to mark the 4,327 early deaths from pollution last year, but the traffic on the Euston Road had been stopped for a little over 51/2 minutes in all.
After the protest had ended, people hung around on the pavement on Gordon St. Tamsin Omond thanked them all for coming and making a successful protest and suggested that people go to the pub. The officer in charge thanked her for ending the protest promptly, and everything looked like it was over.
There was then a small commotion when police decided to search one of the protesters, telling him they suspected he had come equipped to cause criminal damage, but as almost always they found nothing on him. I could see no reason why they had chosen this man rather than anyone else in the vicinity, or indeed anyone else in London, and was a slightly unpleasant end to the event, looking just as if they felt they had to pick on someone.
