• I HOPE the issue of air quality is finally being taken seriously by Camden Council.

But it has seemed for many years that little more than lip service was being paid to tackling engine pollution, even as my young son developed asthma from living in this borough.

The means to deal with this have always been there but not the will. I discovered through a Freedom of Information Act request a couple of years ago that only eight penalty charge notices were issued for engine idling across Camden between 2011 and 2017.

The council’s resolve will be severely tested if it is to genuinely tackle the problem. Drivers of commercial vehicles, taxis and Ubers, who are the worst culprits for idling, will resist, as will the lazier parents who insist on driving their kids to school.

If I might make a few suggestions:

– The council’s own drivers are among the worst offenders. You may be phasing out petrol and diesel engines among your own fleet but in the meantime council workers who use vans or small buses should also be sanctioned for leaving their engines running.

– Enforcement officers will need to be trained in how to deal with angry drivers. I have had very aggressive responses when I have politely asked drivers to switch off their engines, even outside my children’s school. Without it, your officers will ignore it and pass by.

– School staff, from heads to caretakers, must be encouraged and empowered to take on parents who flout requests not to drive their children to school and then leave engines idling.

– Parking restrictions should be reviewed to make driving the worst option available – or the council is simply enabling the problem.

Near my home, for example, the parking zone has a ridiculously brief restriction of only two hours (9am-11am), yet barely 100 metres away there is residents-only parking until 11pm.

This has the effect of drawing in drivers from further afield to take advantage of the free parking. For the sake of all those who live or work in Camden, I hope the council succeed in cleaning the air.

OREN GRUENBAUM
NW5