Archived press release

ACTION TO "TAME THE TRAFFIC" IN 100 TOWNS

23 August 1996

On Wednesday, 21/8/96 the Government launched its National Air Quality Strategy,condemning thousands of people to an early grave by failing to curb the main cause of air pollution - rising traffic [1]. On Saturday 31st August, people across the country will show the Government what really needs to be done to clean up our air by holding 'Tame the Traffic' actions in 100 towns and cities. This nationwide action is part of the campaign to promote the Road Traffic Reduction Bill [3].

'Tame the Traffic' activists will be on the streets in [2]

Air pollution from road traffic is particularly noticeable at this time of the year as it can form'Summertime Smogs'. The main cause of these is vehicle exhaust fumes reacting with sunlight to form ground level ozone. Recent research by Friends of the Earth has revealed that ozone levels at over 40 monitoring sites around the country exceeded health guidelines in the week that the Government launched its air quality strategy. [4]

PICTURE EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
'Tame the Traffic' activists will provide strong visual images of the dangers of vehicle exhausts by displaying balloons marked up with the chemical symbols of the main poisonous gases.

Campaign Coordinator, Ron Bailey, said:

"The Road Traffic Reduction Bill offers an alternative to ever increasing traffic jams and ever decreasing air quality. It requires the Government to draw up a plan to reduce traffic levels. Action in a hundred towns shows the strength of feeling against current traffic levels [5].

After suffering from poor air quality through the summer these people are calling on Parliament to 'Tame the Traffic' and bring a breath of fresh air to our towns and cities.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The National Air Quality Strategy introduces standards for 8 key pollutants, but does not address the central issue of rising road traffic. The Government's own statistics suggest that traffic could double by 2025, overcoming any improvements in air quality brought about by technical fixes such as the fitting of catalytic converters to vehicles. The real solutions are clear: a reduction in traffic and an increase in investment in public transport.

2. Please call Martyn Williams on 020 7490 1555 for further details of the actions in your area.

3.The Road Traffic Reduction Bill sets targets to reduce road traffic by 5% and 10% by 2005 and 2010 respectively. The Bill is being jointly promoted by Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Party.

4. FOE analysis of NETCEN (National Environment Technology Centre) hourly data for ozone. 40 of 47 sites exceeded the WHO 50 ppb guideline for 8 hours on Monday, 18/8/96.

5. The Bill has already won support from over 190 MPs and 100 local authorities.

To begin its passage into law, it will need to be introduced to Parliament by an MP under the Private Member's Ballot procedure. The Private Member's Ballot takes place early in each Parliamentary session, when 20 MPs names are, quite literally, drawn out of a hat.These 20 MPs have the opportunity to introduce a Bill of their choice, and are first in the queue for the limited time made available to Private Member's legislation. Persuading an MP drawn high in the Ballot to adopt the Road Traffic Reduction Bill would ensure it gets debated by Parliament.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust