Environment, traffic increase and 5G rollout

Will Podmore, Clavering Road, Wanstead, writes:

For the sake of the environment we should back public transport over road journeys. HS2 will increase the capacity of public transport, reducing the need for lorries and cars, yet some oppose it.

HS2 will create space for 144 extra freight trains per day, which could carry over 2.5 million lorries’ worth of cargo each year. Transporting freight by rail rather than on our roads produces 76 per cent less CO2, and reduces road congestion, noise, damage to buildings, and pollution.

But the eco-worriers of Extinction Rebellion oppose HS2. They also oppose the decision to open a new coal mine in Cumbria, despite the fact that this high quality coal will save emissions by replacing imported coal; will not be burned but used to make steel; and the mining company involved have complied with the over 200 environmental stipulations demanded.

Large majorities of us want to protect our countryside, cut pollution, and lead on climate change. But Extinction Rebellion presume that only they know the problems, that only they care about the environment, so they have to “raise our consciousness”. This is patronising, arrogant and misanthropic. And their judgements on particular issues are hopelessly wrong.

Developments will increase pollution

Andy Walker, Blythswood Road, Ilford, writes:

Cllr Howard’s announcement of pollution reduction measures around schools is welcome but skewed in marginal seats which are most value to the Labour party at elections.

In contrast in Seven Kings and Goodmayes, which are very safe Labour wards, a huge increase in pollution is planned by building high-rise flats at the Tesco, Homebase and Seven Kings car park sites.

Perhaps Cllr Howard will inform readers next week as to why not even no idling signs are up at schools near busy roads such as Chadwell Primary and Barley Lane?

Huge rise in cars in South Ilford

People living and working on busy streets are more vulnerable to respiratory disease and premature death from traffic pollution (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

An Ilford South resident, full name and address supplied, writes:

Last week a letter expressed concern about the level of pollution in the streets, mostly dues to traffic.

The number of private cars has gone up considerably since the 80s. In my area of South Ilford, now mostly occupied by new migrants, the number of cars is so much there is a definite shortage of parking space. Most of the people near me have at least three or even more cars.

I was on a bus coming back from Stratford on Saturday and the traffic was literally at a standstill on Romford Road (it took about an hour for the bus to get from Manor Park to Ilford Hill, normally a journey of five minutes). Even then a lot of the drivers were obviously very comfortable in the static traffic rather than choose an alternative route.

Almost all the drivers were single occupant cars. It is obvious that to these drivers, driving is probably affordable and they could not care about the environment as their comfort comes first; it must be pointed out each car occupies much more space than a pedestrian walking.

Nine years left to save the world

Cllr Paul Donovan, Dangan Road, Wanstead, writes:

One of the few pluses to come out of the Covid pandemic has been a worldwide reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Due to the reduction in emitting activities, there was a 6.4 per cent reduction (2.3 billion tonnes) in emissions worldwide. Emissions caused by aviation dropped by 48pc on the preceding year.

The US saw the greatest drop of 13pc.

The UN Environment Programme estimates that a cut of 7.6pc will be needed each year for the next decade if global warming is to stay below the 1.5 degrees level required to stop devastating effects.

In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned there were 12 years left to effectively save the world and stop run away damage.

Time is of the essence, with the world making very slow progress. The reduction of the past year provides a temporary respite, the problem being that when the world economy gets back to normal, the emissions level will return to the previous damaging levels.

Indeed, it could even be worse as things go into overdrive to make up for lost time as it were over the period of the pandemic.

What is required is fundamental change in the way that the world economy operates, so the processes will see those CO2 reductions occur on an everyday basis, not as part of, what we hope is, a one off crisis.

Certainly, much more needs to be done. What is needed is to really invest in the green economy to get things going. The UK economy is incredibly service sector based, which means it will be one of the slowest to recover. Why not really back the green/renewable sector, making it a bedrock of our economy going forward?

There also needs to be action taken to stop the mass extinction of so many species. Millions of people have reconnected with nature over the past year.

Rewilding and the promotion of biodiversity must be the watchwords across all of society.
What, though, we all need to remember is that 12 year deadline to save the world – we are already a quarter way through the timescale, yet the work has hardly started.

Rollout of 5G will not be easy ride

Keith Stanbury, chair, Goodmayes Residents’ Association (GRASS), writes:

The response by local residents to the planning application for a 5G telecoms mast adjoining Goodmayes Park was substantial, with more than 70 local residents objecting. And I thank them for this response.

The decision by Planning last week to refuse the application on siting, visual impact and lack of technical data was emphatic and is clear indication that the rollout of 5G will not be the easy ride that the licence holders hoped for, particularly in the high density residential areas they are targeting.

If any local residents wish to keep abreast of proposals such as this in their ward they should contact the Planning Dept. Anyone with an email address can obtain a weekly list of all applications in the borough, in ward alphabetical order, from the council - merely phone 020 8708 2175 as an interested party.

If you feel strongly that the proposal for a new mast in your area is wrong, please feel free to contact me. I can provide an extensive library of documents giving outlines of what and how to go about an objection.