Where there's carcinogens there's brass.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Ministerial attitude toward city pollution.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37213786

[Aruntraveller]

I would argue that it is a societal attitude to cars and that ministers are reflecting that. Not saying it is right and it shouldn't be changed - but the British are wedded to their cars in a way they weren't in my long lost youth.

To place the blame on ministers is a bit of a stretch.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

I would argue that it is a societal attitude to cars and that ministers are reflecting that. Not saying it is right and it shouldn't be changed - but the British are wedded to their cars in a way they weren't in my long lost youth.

To place the blame on ministers is a bit of a stretch.

So the hard choices business DOES only apply to minorities.
Although I think the trouble with public transport troubles were exacerbated when Thatcher declared all users of public transport as de facto failures.

London is pretty switched on and yet the politicians inflict the transport policy there.

[Aruntraveller]

Hi Vlad

I think it probably can be traced back to Thatcher - I seem to recall her talking about a car owning democracy, as well as a share holding one at some point. Although that probably isn't word for word - but car owning was part of her plan to destabilize public transport, or at least that is how it appeared to me at the time.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Hi Vlad

I think it probably can be traced back to Thatcher - I seem to recall her talking about a car owning democracy, as well as a share holding one at some point. Although that probably isn't word for word - but car owning was part of her plan to destabilize public transport, or at least that is how it appeared to me at the time.

Agreed. Alas the leaderine was at the forefront of a Cancer and circulatory/ respiratory disease owning democracy.

[jeremyp]

Bit of sleight of hand here:

That pollution is estimated to shorten the lives of more than 50,000 people a year.

This is far higher than the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents (1,713 in 2013) - yet road safety is a much higher priority for planners than pollution, the researchers say.

Before you decide that road safety should not be of higher priority than air pollution, you need to know how much shortening there is and whose lives are shortened. RTAs tend to happen to young fit people with most of their lives ahead of them. I seriously doubt the same could be said for the people who have their lives shortened by pollution.