Study finds London’s Embankment flagship cycle highway MORE polluted than City routes

A new study has found London’s air pollution levels are lower in the City than along the the capital’s flagship cycle-lane route on the Embankment. Campaign group, Unblock the Embankment, recently commissioned energy firm Ricardo to research and compare air pollution levels along two cycle routes.
The group represent road users who rely on the A3211, the road between Westminster Bridge and Tower Hill (which includes the Victoria Embankment as well as Upper and Lower Thames Streets).
One of the routes studied spanned the congested riverside Embankment road, whilst the second route headed through the heart of the city which included Bank Junction. According to the report, ‘in general, increased NO2 concentrations were measured at junctions where road traffic is more likely to be slow moving or queuing’. A spokesperson for Unblock the Embankment wrote on their blog: “The average NO2 concentrations over all monitoring exercises were 13% higher along the Embankment route than those measured on the alternative route through the City of London, and, average NO2 concentrations during a single AM or PM monitoring exercise were up to 65% higher on the Embankment route than on the alternative route through the City of London. “All the more reason for calling on the Mayor of London, TfL and the City of London to work together to reroute the East-West cycleway up through the City and Unblock the Embankment.”
Image: Max Pixel