25 March 2019
Reacting to the survey that found that two-thirds of teachers would support banning cars near schools [1], Green Party of England and Wales peer Jenny Jones said:
“Teachers know what they’re talking about when it comes to their students. We know that air pollution stunts lung growth in children and teenagers, at a similar level to exposure to maternal smoking. [2] It’s time to take action.
“Closing the streets in front of schools at the start and end of the school day would help deliver a safer, cleaner school environment that every child deserves. We’ve seen it work in Camden [3] and Hackney [4], now it’s time to spread the idea across the country.”
ENDS
Notes
Last year Jenny Jones introduced the Clean Air Bill into the House of Lords to tackle the shocking and often illegal levels of air pollution in our towns and cities. [4]
[2] http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa040610
[3] https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/what-we-do/stories/school-road-closure-in-camden
[4] http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2018/02/school-streets-scheme-spreads-two-hackney-schools/
[5] https://cleanair.london/legal/clean-air-is-a-human-right/
Follow this news feed: Green Party