ELLIE Dyer wrote a very fair summary of the current state of play on the much-critiqued plans for Exhibition Road.

It seems slightly unfair that Bill Mount be asked to be the propagandist for an exotic and extravagant scheme which is already the subject of more than 3,000 objections from taxpayers.

Mr Mount needs to comment on the following: 

Exhibition Road currently has a daily traffic flow of several thousand vehicles; the safe limit for shared space is 100 vehicles an hour. Residents in adjoining streets can expect their streets to become 'rat runs' as drivers circumvent Exhibition Road.

The Clean Air campaign has already highlighted the fact that central London has the highest levels of the very dangerous pollutant, nitrogen dioxide and particulates. When cars/ motorcycles crawl along shared space at 5mph, levels of nitrogen dioxide reach extremely dangerous levels. Mr Mount talks of 20mph being an optimum speed.

We all hope that there will be a paramedics team on permanent stand by to deal with the likely casualties. Thinking that Cllr CondonSimmonds, as someone working in healthcare, would be concerned about the raised health risks I wrote asking for her views on this vital issue. To date, no courtesy of a response. One assumes that the promoter of the scheme, Daniel Moylan, has forbidden councillors to dilate on this issue.

Bill Mount gives the impression that resident associations are very supportive of the scheme. If so he should have the courage to name those associations; we know of none. [25a0] Finally, Exhibition Road is, to use that ghastly term 'iconic'. Paving it with Chinese granite will look absurdly out of place. And typically, instead of supporting the emaciated British quarrying industry, our leaders are shipping it in from China, where it is quarried in the most barbaric and primitive of conditions, often by political prisoners on hard labour sentences.

This scheme is not universally welcomed and there is no electoral mandate for its imposition.

JUSTIN DOWNES

Residents First jd@downes.com