• I READ Richard Smith’s letter (Some are not hearing the birdsong, April 2) that suggests low traffic neighbourhoods, LTNs, are in some way preventing London from being a “living city” in the “21st century” and his dewy-eyed view about missing the “normal streets” filled with cars, lorries and motorbikes.

It is accepted among health professionals that 9,400 premature deaths are attributed to poor air quality at a cost of between £1.4billion and £3.7billion a year to the health service.

Furthermore exposure to air pollution, largely in Islington from vehicles, exacerbates lung conditions, can contribute to residents developing heart conditions and lung cancer, and stunts children’s lung growth.

It would be a strange step then to consider removing LTNs so that everyone can similarly benefit from noisy polluted streets.

Surely the next move is to ensure that more areas benefit from LTNs and that boundary road pollution is reduced with the extension of the ultra low emission zone, ULEZ, the introduction of cleaner vehicles, electric buses and road pricing.

The 21st-century London I want to live in is a forward-looking one, one where we can all enjoy streets with clean air and not a London returning to the dark ages. Richard and I might then be able to share our love of birdsong.

JON TAYLOR
Highbury Hill