Tag Archive for: Air Quality

Parking Charges Increase in January 2020

The cost of car parking in Merton Council’s car parks and on the streets in Wimbledon will be increasing on 14th January 2020.

 

Businesses will be aware that Love Wimbledon has been continuously lobbying to oppose these price increases by Merton Council. The reason for this increase is based on the need to improve air quality in the town centre.

Love Wimbledon is very supportive of initiatives that are likely to improve air quality and are working on a number of initiatives, such as recently planting 250 trees on Hartfield Road, as part of the The Woodland Trust’s ‘Free Trees for Schools and Communities’ programme. However, this hike in parking prices will not impact buses and through-traffic, which create significant emissions for the town.

We are lobbying GLA and TfL to assist with this, for example, by changing their policies to introduce a cleaner bus fleet, as we strongly believe that raising parking charges by such a high percentage will have a detrimental impact on people’s perceptions of visiting the town – pushing them out to retail parks and further incentivising online shopping.

Read more on Love Wimbledon’s parking campaign and our work to oppose this price increase, including our response to Merton Council’s Parking Consultation.

We would of course also encourage you to use public transport wherever possible to reduce emissions and congestion in the town.

Please note that whilst the Merton Council car parks and on-street parking are increasing, Centre Court and The Bridge car park prices will remain the same. For further details on these parking charge increases, visit the Merton Council website.

Love Wimbledon Plant Over 250 New Trees

Probably the longest native woodland hedge in Wimbledon!

 

Love Wimbledon always strives to reduce it’s impact on the environment. Thus ahead of National Tree Week and in conjunction with the Woodland Trust’s The Big Climate Fightback, Love Wimbledon has pledged to help fight the climate emergency, by planting over 250 new saplings in Hartfield Road.

As well as being one of the best ways to fight a changing climate, planting trees can help to improve air quality and protect biodiversity in urban areas. Younger trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, at a rate of nearly 6kgs per tree.

This means that the new hedge planted by Love Wimbledon will absorb approximately 1,500kgs of CO2 and have a significant impact upon air pollution in Wimbledon. This is especially significant given that the majority of buses in Wimbledon Town Centre, pass through Hartfield Road, in addition to cars, lorries, taxi’s and vans.

Love Wimbledon’s double-row hedge features a variety of species including Rowan, Hazel, Cherry, Elder and Crab Apple trees.

 

These saplings have been carefully selected to offer beautiful blossoms, bright berries and stunning autumn displays, whilst also acting as a connection for existing woodland so that wildlife stay on the move.

 

Trees are essential for people, wildlife and the environment. They absorb carbon, fight flooding, reduce pollution, nurture wildlife and make landscapes more resilient. But given the alarming rate of global warming on our planet, reducing our carbon emissions will never be enough.

 

‘It is vital that we grow a UK-wide patchwork of trees and woods – not just by planting, but also through natural regeneration. The woods, hedges and green spaces we create buffer existing habitats, tackle climate change and reverse wildlife decline – all at the same time’.

– The Woodland Trust

 

This comes as part of the ‘Free Trees for Schools and Communities’ programme run by the Woodland Trust, and funded by Sainsburys, People’s Postcode Lottery, Yorkshire Tea, Joules and Selfridges.

For more information on what Love Wimbledon are doing to improve air quality in Wimbledon Town Centre, including the Adopt A Tree campaign, visit our air quality page.