It's time to close the A4
The A4/M4 corridor is officially one of the worst polluted areas not just in London, but in the whole world; an illegal toxic sewer of lethal pollution that is quite literally killing hundreds of Hounslow residents every year.The above statement is not conjecture or playing up the issue, but a simple statement of fact: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/research/divisions/aes/research/ERG/research-projects/HIAinLondonKingsReport14072015final.pdfCommissioned by the Greater London Authority and Transport for London, this report puts the air pollution death toll in Hounslow at 275 people per year.Pollution is highest where the A4 and M4 merge together into ten lanes of dense traffic and where we have a concentration of high rise flats and apartments. The building spree is actively encouraged by Hounslow Council and as we all know, tall and densely packed large buildings inhibit wind flow and further concentrate pollution. It's a building trend that is being forced through the whole of Brentford and is causing a significant reduction in air quality.The pollution in Brentford is so bad that I read somewhere it’s directly equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. That’s a pack a day, children included, and 275 deaths a year.There are three possible courses of action; 1 ignore the problem, 2 move everyone away, 3 reduce the pollution.It appears Hounslow council is firmly following 1, even to the point that Environmental issues are tacked onto the department that is responsible for Regeneration and Economic Development, presumably so they can be swept under the carpet. The department that supports Heathrow expansion, goes to property development fairs and encourages as much building in Brentford as possible is also the department we’re supposed to trust with protecting our health and the health of our children.Option 1 is killing hundreds of residents each year, Option 2 is unfeasible, so Option 3 is now the only way forward.The M4 is a major motorway so closing it would take umpteen years of public enquiries and probably be overruled by politicians, but the A4 below it is just an A-road and Hounslow has a good track record in closing A-roads, making them one-way or doing other things that prevent their use as through roads.It’s time to close the A4.
Lorne Gifford ● 3113d6 Comments