City’s failure to join in car-free day ‘missed opportunity’
NEWCASTLE’S failure to join in a global car-free movement has been labelled a “real missed opportunity” for city chiefs desperate to slash pollution levels.
Environmental campaigners have slammed Newcastle City Council for not acting on calls to take part in World Car-Free Day last Sunday.
Local authority bosses said earlier this year that the Green Party’s demand to completely ban cars from the city centre for a day was “bold suggestion” that merited the council’s attention.
But after the international awareness day passed without any action in Newcastle, activists have issued another call for more radical responses to tackle air pollution.
The council said it is focused on having recently announced final proposals to create a Clean Air Zone that will charge some vehicles up to £50 a day to drive into the city.
Green Party campaigner Tay Pitman, who suggested Newcastle take part in Car-Free Day at a council meeting in June, said: “While the council has declared a climate emergency, and recognises the serious threat of air pollution to public health, they just carry on with business as usual. We need our leaders to stop acting so carefree and start taking the benefits of car-free to health, communities and local business more seriously”.
London’s Tower Bridge was shut to traffic on Car-Free Day, as were roads in Leeds and Nottingham – plus 23 streets in North Tyneside, organised by mothers’ group PlayMeetStreet.
Ms Pitman added: “Other local authority leaders rightly see a carfree day as a chance to inspire people to use the bus, walk or cycle more as part of their daily routine. But Newcastle Council apparently fail to see this. Reducing traffic cuts air pollution – which currently kills around 200 people a year in Newcastle. Air pollution plummeted during the Great North Run road closures – imagine how trialling a monthly car-free day here in Newcastle could improve health for everyone.”
The Greens and other political opponents have called for the council to scrap its Alive After Five free city centre parking scheme and instead offer cheaper bus and Metro fares.
Coun Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council, said: “Poor air quality and climate change are huge concerns and we are already taking action to address these issues in order to protect our environment and people’s health.”
She added the council had closed Blackett Street over the summer and invited people to have car-free events through the Play Streets scheme.
“We support the principle of nocar day,” she said, “but we are focusing our resources on developing our long term measures, including plans for building better public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, so that in future people have the choice to leave the car at home every day, not just on one day.”