Impacts of removing the WEZ on traffic and air pollutants

To the FOI Officer at Transport for London (TfL)

Dear Sir or Madam

LETTER REQUESTING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

I am writing to request information under the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004/Freedom of Information Act 2000. In
order to assist you with this request, I am outlining my query as
specifically as possible.

Please send me copies of any information held in any form by TfL
about the impacts of removing the Western Extension Zone (WEZ) of
the current Congestion Charging Zone on: (i) traffic volumes; (iii)
congestion; (iii) dangerous airborne particles (PM10); (iv) oxides
of nitrogen (NOx); and/or (v) nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

I am interested particularly in information that relates to impacts
for the following roads: Bayswater Road; Brompton Road; Cromwell
Road; Earls Court Road; Exhibition Road; Fulham Road; High Street
Kensington; Holland Park Avenue; King’s Road; Knightsbridge;
Ladbroke Grove; Old Brompton Road; and/or Queen's Gate.

The following Answers by Boris Johnson and Peter Hendy may be
relevant:

Murad Qureshi - Question number: 0099/2009 from meeting 14 January
2009

http://london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question...

Murad Qureshi – Question number: 2638/2009 from meeting 9 September
2009

http://www.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/ques...

Please also explain the definitions or assumptions used for the
data provided in the above answers e.g. population-weighted mean or
area-related mean for the air pollutants; and time period.

I would be interested in any relevant information held by TfL
regarding my request e.g. emails, internal correspondence, reports,
tables of data or other correspondence. I understand I do not have
to specify particular files or documents and that it is TfL's
responsibility to provide the information I require.

I would like to receive the information in electronic and paper
form please. I would be pleased to liaise about the
collection/delivery arrangements for such paper copies.

If my request is denied in whole or in part, I ask that you justify
all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I
will also expect you to release all non-exempt material. I reserve
the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to
charge excessive fees. If you plan to charge for this information,
I would ask that you pay particular attention to the ruling on fees
made by the Information Tribunal 28 March 2006: Mr David Markinson
v. Information Commissioner.

This decision makes clear that public authorities cannot charge an
unreasonable amount for environmental information. It directed
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council to overturn their
charging structure and adopt instead a price of 10p per photocopied
A4 page. Section 44 of the Tribunal decision states that a public
authority can only exceed the guide price if it can demonstrate a
good reason to do so, and in considering whether any such reason
exists the public authority should:

i. take due regard of the guidance set out in the Code of Practice
on the discharge of the obligations of public authorities under the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Guidance to the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, both published by
Defra, to the effect that any charge should be at a level that does
not exceed the cost of producing the copies;

ii. disregard any costs, including staff costs, associated with the
maintenance of the information in question or its identification or
extraction from storage; and

iii. disregard any factors beyond the number and size of sheets to
be copied, in particular, the real or perceived significance of the
content, or the effect that any charging structure may have on
TfL's revenue or its staff workload.

I look forward to your response within the 20-working-day time
limit, and would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that
you have received this request.

Thank you and regards.

Yours faithfully

Simon Birkett

Founder and Principal Contact

Campaign for Clean Air in London

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am not aware of receiving a response from you to my FOI/EIR
request and believe such a response is therefore now overdue.

I would be grateful for a full response please as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Birkett
Founder and Principal Contact
Campaign for Clean Air in London

Dear Gareth,

I am not aware of receiving an acknowledgement of that request.

With best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Birkett