List of Questions What Is the Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood?
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FAQS List of Questions What is the Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood? Where is the Low Emission Neighbourhood area? What is the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund How will the project be funded? How long will the programme run for? Why is air quality important? How clean is the air in Camden Town? What schemes are Camden Council considering for the Low Emission Neighbourhood? Why does the council want to trial a weekend pedestrianisation of Camden High Street? How does this project link to the Camden Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate Crisis? What section of Camden High Street are we proposing to trial a weekend pedestrianisation on? What is the rationale for this proposed weekend pedestrianisation trial? Where can I find out more about the weekend trial pedestrianisation? When will the trial pedestrianisation scheme happen? What will the impact on traffic be during the trial? Will the trial pedestrianisation scheme mean that bus passengers won’t be able to get to Camden High Street anymore? Will bus journey times increase in the area? Camden Low Emission Neighbourhood FAQs How will visitors by private car/taxi access Camden High Street? How will those with disabilities access Camden High Street? I own a business on Camden High Street. How will I get deliveries? Will the trial pedestrianisation cause more air pollution on the surrounding streets? Why is Camden only trialling a pedestrianisation scheme? Why not pedestrianise Camden High Street permanently? When will this programme be delivered? How can I request a bike hanger outside my house? How can I request an Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP)? I want to learn more about reducing my business emissions. How can I give my views? Drop-in event schedule Co-design event schedule What will happen after this stage of community engagement? Camden Low Emission Neighbourhood FAQs These frequently asked questions provide information on the proposed Low Emission Neighbourhood. It is a live document and will be reviewed and updated with questions and answers as we receive them from members of the public. This will be available online at https://camdentownlen.commonplace.is/schemes/proposals/frequently-asked- questions/details What is the Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood? The Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood is a comprehensive package of measures to address high air pollution in a busy area of the borough. It will include physical changes to the streets to support walking and cycling, the greening of public spaces, improved provision for electric vehicles, projects with schools and businesses, and the installation of on street secure cycle storage. In January 2019, we successfully bid to the Mayor of London’s Air Quality fund to implement ambitious plans to create a new Low Emission Neighbourhood in Camden Town (see press release here). The Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood is outlined in the map below. The area comprises of 3,892 properties. Where is the Low Emission Neighbourhood area? What is the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund The Mayor’s Air Quality Fund is a £22 million fund over 10 years to support projects led by London boroughs to improve air quality. Camden Low Emission Neighbourhood FAQs How will the project be funded? Camden Council have secured £500,000 of funding from the Greater London Authority via the Mayors Air Quality Fund. This funding will be used alongside funding from the Local Implementation Plan and “S106” funds (contributions from new developments in the area). How long will the programme run for? The Mayors Air Quality Fund funding is allocated to run until March 2022. The project engagement will run from January to May 2020. Why is air quality important? Research has shown that long-term exposure to elevated concentrations of air pollution can cause health impacts, including increased risk of asthma, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses. Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions are especially susceptible to the impact of breathing polluted air. There are four schools and educational establishments in the Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood area, which encompasses the area bordered by Kentish Town Road to the east, Prince of Wales Road to the north, and Chalk Farm Road and Camden High Street. Data from the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London’s (TfL) London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI) shows that air quality at each of these schools is likely to exceed the legal limits. How clean is the air in Camden Town? ‘Air quality’ refers to the amount of gases and particles in the air, which can be harmful to health. The main airborne pollutants of concern for health are nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NO, collectively known as NOx) and particulates (PM), of which PM2.5 is of particular concern; this means airborne particles that are 2.5 micrometres in diameter, 20 times smaller than the width of a human hair. NOx and PM is produced when fossil fuels are burned in boilers, engines and cooking facilities, and a small amount of PM is also produced by friction between surfaces (such as between car tyres and the road surface) and when materials are broken or crushed and dust is released (such as during demolition and construction activities). The UK has a legal limit for NO2, which relates to the safe level or this gas. This is measured as the annual mean concentration of NO2 in the air, and is set at 40 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre of air. Although there is also a legal limit for PM10, Camden is the first London local authority to have adopted the much stricter World Health Organization standards, which sets us more ambitious targets for air quality. Our monitoring data shows that several congested streets around Camden Town have NO2 concentrations above the legal limit. For example, the 2018 annual mean NO2 concentration on Camden Road was 56µg/m3. This is 40% higher than the legal limit and the fifth most polluted monitoring location in Camden that year. London air quality modelling indicates that road transport is responsible for 53% of NOx (NO2 and NO) emissions and 25% of PM10 and PM2.5 emissions in the Camden Town Low Emission Neighbourhood, while commercial premises contribute 31% of NOx, 30% of PM10, and 52% of PM2.5. Construction activities, residential properties and rail transportation all make contributions to total pollutant emissions in the area. Camden Low Emission Neighbourhood FAQs What schemes are Camden Council considering for the Low Emission Neighbourhood? A number of schemes are being considered for the project, we want to hear from residents, businesses, and visitors to the area to help us further develop solutions. By listening to local people and understanding what the issues are, we can deliver the best possible solutions for the area. Possible interventions in the Low Emission Neighbourhood may include, and is not limited to: A weekend trial pedestrianisation of Camden High Street from Camden Town underground station to Hawley Crescent. This would take place on a trial basis on weekends only, providing a more pleasant and safe environment for residents, visitors and businesses. Work with schools and community groups to launch ‘Healthy School Streets’ and ‘Play Streets’ in the Low Emission Neighbourhood area Improve and upgrade the walking and cycling connections into and through the Low Emission Neighbourhood Install a network of Electric Vehicle Charging Points across the Low Emission Neighbourhood Reduce vehicle emissions around residential roads by delivering anti-idling measures A network of bike hangers to provide a secure place for residents to lock their bikes. Support for local businesses to reduce emissions from freight deliveries, waste collections, whilst reducing overall emissions from Camden Market’s activities. Review a range of parking approaches that will reduce traffic levels. Target building emissions by using our environmental business network, the Camden Climate Change Alliance and work with Camden Town Unlimited, which is the local business improvement district. Why does the council want to trial a weekend pedestrianisation of Camden High Street? Camden High Street has a vibrant mix of markets, cosmopolitan independent retailers, tube station and world-famous music venues, with millions of pedestrian journeys being made to and along the street each year. Camden High Street experiences high levels of traffic with busy pavements meaning that visitors, residents and businesses are exposed to high levels of vehicle emission pollution. The Camden Transport Strategy adopted by the council in April 2019, commits to transforming our streets and places to enable active forms of travel – walking and cycling. These modes of travel are at the top of Camden’s ‘road user hierarchy’, recognising their benefits in terms of improving personal health, reducing motor vehicle traffic and congestion, improving air quality and reducing road traffic collisions. How does this project link to the Camden Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate Crisis? The Camden Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate Crisis brought together residents from Camden during 2019 to develop an approach for how Camden can best tackle the climate crisis. The assembly heard a range of evidence outlining the facts of the climate and ecological crisis and the ways in which it can be tackled, before developing and agreeing 17 actions that should be taken by residents, community groups, businesses and the council in Camden. Camden Low Emission Neighbourhood FAQs One of these actions was “to promote and trial car free zones and days”. The proposed weekend trial pedestrianisation of Camden High Street directly responds to this request for action. What section of Camden High Street are we proposing to trial a weekend pedestrianisation on? We are looking at various options, north of Britannia Junction (the junction where the HSBC and Camden Town underground station are located), for a potential weekend trial pedestrianisation scheme.