Pollution threat to high street

INCREASED pollution in Ewell is caused by too much traffic, say villagers.
Two years ago, the high street was found to have particularly high readings of nitrogen dioxide in the air and a subsequent report recommended that an Air Quality Management Area be declared. This would involve placing sophisticated air monitoring equipment at either end of the street.

Lorraine Cliffe, 42, and Andy Turner, 40, believe the situation is now at a critical stage.

"Putting up new traffic lights at the end of the village has made it worse" said Andy. "The congestion is terrible. If you go outside in the afternoon, when the kids get out of school, the traffic goes all the way down the high street. It’s just solid. I never drive through here any more."

Lorraine added: "Ewell Village would be better off they closed the road to cars. I think the council would get a lot of support for it."

Cllr Clive Woodbridge, of Epsom and Ewell Residents’ Association, admits it will be some time before any improvement is seen.

"The air quality management area in itself will not provide a solution to the problem, as it basically allows the council to take better measurements of air quality", he said.

"Once the more accurate readings have been taken, it will be possible to tell if there is a significant problem, and from there the local and county councils will have to work together to find the best solution. The AQMA is a necessary first step."

Cllr Woodbridge urged residents to contribute to the fight against pollution by using public transport where possible. "There is too much traffic going through the village, and congestion is a problem with frequent jams and tailbacks", he said.

"This is the basic cause of the pollution in the village. We all use our cars too much, so getting people to make better use of public transport, cycling and walking would help."

However, shops and businesses are wary of pedestrianising the area.

Pat Stanford, who works in the Party Land shop in the High Street, said: "If they stopped cars coming down here it would cause tremendous problems, and you’d lose a huge amount of trade."

Oliver Nelson, head of the environmental health team, says the pollution will not cause significant risk to residents but it might be a problem for some people.

"Those who suffer from an existing respiratory condition may find their symptoms are worse if they have spent a long time in this area," he said.

The environmental health team aims to have the AQMA in place by the end of this year.

Residents, businesses and other interested parties can make their views known to the council at www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk or call 01372 732 000.

Sam Blackledge