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Topic: Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
06 Feb 2021 01:03
#5861
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[Original article]
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
12 Feb 2021 13:34
#5862
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We seldom venture into Southgate now because of the increased pollution and difficulties in parking. It is almost as if the current regime set out to destroy Southgate as a vibrant happy place. Remember when Southgate was the Queen of the Boroughs? The unused and dangerous cycle paths seem designed to deal a similar death knell to Palmers Green.
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
12 Feb 2021 19:24
#5863
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Even in the depths of winter there's thousands of cycle journeys through Palmers Green. And of course people walking and cycling spend more locally than people driving. Plenty of parking in Palmers Green and Southgate if you must drive -but walking or cycling so much better for you and the environment. And as for safety, around 400 pedestrians are killed by collisions each year - less than three of those are by bikes; the rest are by vehicles. So if safety is an issue the less driving the better.
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
18 Feb 2021 14:03
#5881
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My grandfather was killed by a collision with a bike, so perhaps I'm unduly sceptical. My wife and I have 158 years between the two of us and cycling is not much of an option. But one cyclist on average every fie minutes is not remotely worth the massive disruption visited on Palmers Green. We used to be able to drive at sensible speeds through the lovely leafy roads of the borough, but now can only proceed very slowly thorough the traffic-poisoned High Streets. Perhaps the planners meant well, but the true awfulness of what they are doing will only emerge when the schools are back and people go back about their business. The traffic fumes will be appalling. But perhaps the council considers getting about for people like us should just evaporate.
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
19 Feb 2021 08:52
#5885
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Plenty of people cycle into their 80s and beyond - and of course the more who cycle the more room there is for those who must drive. Agree there is far too much traffic and traffic pollution - all of which is only caused by people driving ; if more people walked and cycled pollution would fall. However I'm pleased it's only possible to drive slowly down the High Streets - around 25,000 people are killed or seriously injured on our roads every year and speeding is a major cause.
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
19 Feb 2021 10:04
#5887
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Peter Rust concludes traffic fumes will be appalling. More correctly, traffic fumes are appalling and have been for years. However it’s only these last few years where research has really started to nail the health impact and that has now seeped in to the public’s consciousness - as well as driving change in regulations and the law (worldwide) to impact it.
On the bright side, such actions are showing real reductions in the pollutant levels we are forced to breathe; countered by ever more adverse findings on its impact on our bodies – this week being its impact on fertility. The best way to help is surely not to drive at all unless really necessary. With this week’s news that domestic wood burning in eg wood stoves in the UK now produce three times (THREE) as many small particle air pollutants as road traffic then depending on your residential street you might even be a whole lot healthier breathing in Southgate High Street’s long traffic-polluted air. |
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
21 Feb 2021 18:16
#5895
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Stuck in traffic? You could be inhaling dangerously high levels of carcinogens. The suggestion, from recent USA university research (attached), is that the cause will not be those other congestion causing vehicles but will be due to your own– formaldehyde emissions from various surfaces and benzene (a post lead additive) from your fuel. 20mins behind the wheel appears to be a watershed and the recommendation – keep your windows open. Either that or travel actively, but being California perhaps that isn’t such an easy option as London for many journeys.
Such research may give a boost to this week’s other announcement – Coventry planning to run a trial giving drivers £3000 worth of active travel vouchers to get out of their cars. Hampshire is considering something similar. What it all means for Southgate isn't mentioned. |
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Re-opening the conversation about Southgate town centre
26 Feb 2021 00:30
#5907
I know an octogenarian who rides his bike up Fox Lane - says at his age walking's become a bit of a problem, but cycling isn't. And then we have the example of Olivia de Havilland... 
However, I don't want to be accused of being misleading. The caption here is wrong. She lived until she was 104, but this photo was actually taken when she was much younger, a mere 93... 104 is a pretty good innings, I wonder what could have been the secret of Olivia de Havilland's long life... 
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