With a large number of commuters in St Albans, we do our best to liaise with our Liberal Democrat colleagues across London to make sure that our concerns there are heard.  From concerns about the failures of First Capital Connect through to the air quality.

Commenting on the new report from the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee on air quality London Liberal Democrat MEP for London Sarah Ludford said:

“I have been campaigning for many years with Liberal Democrats across London against the dirty air in our city, the worst in Europe. This report confirms the urgency: London may no longer have the peasoup fogs of the 1950s but invisible pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and lung-irritating diesel particles are lethally high.”

“The report rightly condemns the woeful lack of UK action to meet EU clean air targets. The deadline for the limit on small particles came and went in June, and now we have laughably inadequate stopgap measures like spraying roads with glue in hotspots ahead of the Olympics!”

“Successive Environment ministers and London Mayors have ducked and weaved on the issue, allowing old diesel engines to spew out deadly fumes. The 4,000 Londoners a year who die prematurely and many thousands of kids with asthma are paying the price.”

“Only the Liberal Democrats have a serious and credible plan. We propose banning the deadliest old vehicles and in particular promoting a ‘Big Switch’ to electric-powered buses, taxis and vans. Boris Johnson’s lack of urgency is shameful.”

Details of the LibDem ‘Big Switch’ can be found here:

http://libdems4london.org.uk/en/article/2011/504094/the-big-switch-london-assembly-lib-dems-call-for-london-s-buses-and-taxis-to-go-electric