Evenings on London’s West End are almost brighter than during the day. Lights of all colors illuminate the billboards for numerous plays and musicals that are being performed here in the area. Tourists flock to the West End in search of culture and entertainment. Here, along the three-lane one-way street Tottenham Court Road is the final stop for Line 134. The typical red double-decker buses start in London’s suburb of North Finchley and cross the colorful city district of Camden. For the roughly eight mile stretch, it takes the buses about 60 minutes, depending on the average daily traffic. Currently, Line 134 reaches Tottenham Court Road in the West End under diesel, but that is about to change.
Many cities in the world have problems with air quality, as does London. Like a magnet, the city is attracting more and more people, and with them come cars that produce hazardous emissions. Scientists and doctors estimate that emissions in Great Britain are co-responsible for 40,000 deaths annually and that they cost the economy GBP 20 billion. It is high time to act.
“Too many people suffer from London’s polluted air. We have to act.”