Revolutionary.. Electric vehicle chargers have now been installed in Lambeth!

Arieb Malik, The Norwood School

More than one hundred vehicle charging points have been put in place in the borough of Lambeth over the last year. This is the council’s effort to improve the quality of the air. These vehicle-charging points are meant for electric cars.

The chargers are meant for electric vehicles as people will now be able to utilize their electric vehicles, which will positively, reduce the amount of pollution that London creates. This is not only good for our Earth however for the residents’ health whilst they live in London’s polluting air. There are 140 of these vehicle chargers with 116 being installed within the past 12 months, they are placed in the space of existing street lamp posts and points where the Transport of London operate. The council has devoted themselves to having more than 200 by the year 2022, right now they are at 140 so in 2-3 years 60 shouldn’t be a problem!

Councilor Claire Holland is a Cabinet Member for Environment and Clean Air, she has said “Toxic air is a silent killer and we are committed to tackling this issue through a whole range of measures, part of that is encouraging our residents to ditch polluting vehicles and use alternatives such as electric cars. It is vital we provide the infrastructure to help the residents do that. As more and more people and businesses are looking to switch to electric vehicles, these new charging points will ensure that Lambeth keeps pace with this technological and societal change which will have a fundamental effect on our air quality.”

Lambeth has an Air Quality Action Plan that tackles the issue of poor air quality in the area, these electric vehicle chargers aren’t the only improvements that have been made. The council have also put green screens at primary schools in the most polluted areas. During drop off / pick up time, there are a series of road closures around primary schools. For many parents, this is an inconvenience however at least people who reside in these areas can see that changes are being made, this is significant to many. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is also involved and has a Liveable Neighbourhood programme that has been active since 2017 and has also been put in effect. To combat London’s toxic air, a Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has also come into play in central London & is also expanding. Older vehicles, which tend to pollute are being charged £11.50 to enter the congestion zone through certain times in the weekdays, it looks like Sadiq Khan is taking force!

Arieb Malik, The Norwood School