Time to address asthma threats

Dear Editor, I, like many people, including my daughter, suffer from asthma.

Luckily neither of us has a lifethreatening condition but that is not to say it will always be like that. As warnings about the threat to health in our area increases it is imperative that action is taken both in the short and long term to improve air quality.

The obvious target, traffic fumes, must be reduced. A study of the flow of traffic on main streets should be carried out immediately

A recent TV documentary showed how pollution could be decreased by two measures. One was to sequence traffic lights so that traffic did not stop and start frequently. It is when traffic starts up that it gives off most pollution.

Two, planting any kind of greenery along the streets helps absorb toxic fumes, hedging is best as the fumes have to rise above the level of the street and are partially contained within the hedge but trees and shrubs are also important both for taking in carbon monoxide and giving off oxygen.

In the longer term, we have to reduce the amount of traffic passing through our Main Streets. Pedestrianised areas exist in all prospering towns and without them Rutherglen and Cambuslang will continue to decline. In Rutherglen we have a unique green space, namely the old graveyard in the middle of the town. Linking the peace garden, St Columbkille’s garden and the old graveyard would give the residents a wonderful space to enjoy.

Surely town planners can come up with progressive plans for the two towns. Wringing our hands and doing nothing will cost us dearly. Susan Martin, Rutherglen