London is getting the UK’s first 24/7 zero emission street
The UK's first 24/7 zero emission street is coming, the City of London Corporation has announced.
Set for Beech Street in London, most of the road runs underneath the Barbican Estate, a Brutalist building in the city's centre which has been dubbed "Britain’s ugliest building."
By spring 2020, the street will be restricted to zero emission vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.
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If you happen to take the 153 bus route (which runs down Beech Street), fear not: this bus route is fully electric and therefore not affected by the change.
Emergency vehicles will be except from the experimental traffic order — which will run for 18 months — along with refuse collection and delivery vehicles. If the trial is successful in improving air quality, it will be made permanent.
So, why has this street in particular been chosen? According to a statement from the City Corporation, Beech Street has "high levels of air pollution as it is a busy, enclosed thoroughfare."
"A significant improvement in air quality is expected, resulting in health benefits for the many pedestrians and cyclists that use the street," the statement adds.
The change aims to make nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels meet the air quality guidelines, which are set by the EU and WHO.
“These measures are another important step towards cleaner air in the City," chair of the City of London Corporation’s Environment Committee, Jeremy Simons said in a statement.
“Drastically reducing air pollution requires radical actions, and these plans will help us eliminate toxic air on our streets," Simons added.
“Nobody should have to breathe in dirty air, and we will continue to take bold and ambitious steps to ensure that the health of Londoners is protected.”
Advance warnings and signage approaching the street will be implemented in advance of the change coming into force so vehicles reliant on the route can find alternatives.
Vehicles not complying with the order will be subject to penalty charges enforced via automatic number plate recognition cameras.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
