The best use I've seen of a leaf blower was by Hackney Council. Their street "sweeper" would walk the streets, blowing all the dirt and litter off the pavement & from between cars into the path of the road sweeping machine following behind..very efficient & thorough.
For leaves, I agree with you.

There are quiet electric ones now. Is it the engine noise that troubles you or the act of blowing the leaves?

We have misguided campaigners in Lewisham claiming our LTN made the main A roads worse. They use this argument to fight all new active travel measures. However, the *facts* tell a very different story 👇 bsky.app/profile/paul...

Pls read this☝️
@carolinerussell.bsky.social
@jonburkeuk.bsky.social
@mumsforlungs.bsky.social
@thejeremyvine.bsky.social
@carltonreid.com
@carlafrancome.bsky.social
@chrisboardman.bsky.social
@samclifford.bsky.social
@peterwalker99.bsky.social
@adamtranter.bsky.social
@psimonk.bsky.social

Anti-LTN campaigners have spent 5 years calling the A205 South Circular in Lewisham and LTN "sacrificial" road, and saying the LTN made it "worse". Except, none of that is true. 👇 bsky.app/profile/paul...

For *5* years Lewisham Council have had to listen and respond to repeated false claims that the LTN made the A205 South Circular worse. It didn't. Traffic levels and air pollution continue to fall. See latest evidence👇https://bsky.app/profile/paulhowarthuk.bsky.social/post/3lrtbjqekac2o

Hi! Sometimes the good news is too important not to share widely!

Since the LTN was introduced in mid-2020, NO2​ levels at that spot have fallen EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.
By 2023, it had dropped to 29.0 µg/m³, a 35% reduction.
More recent real-time data from May 2025 shows average hourly NO2​ levels at Wellmeadow/A205 remain low at 15.2 µg/m³ 🧵4/4.

Less traffic has led to cleaner air.
An air quality monitor at 290 Brownhill Rd (#L51) recorded an annual average Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) level of 44.9 µg/m³ in 2019, so above the UK's legal safety limit of 40 µg/m³, meaning the air was unhealthy *before* the LTN.🧵3/4

Some will argue this is because of post-COVID working from home trends. The data suggests not.

While national traffic on ‘A’ roads has almost fully recovered to pre-COVID levels (only -1.0% v 2019), the 14.4% drop here is significantly larger: a sustained local reduction. 🧵2/4

How easily we take for granted what has got better, how much our political discourse calls regulation a cost when there were reasons behind all of it, and how we rarely hear the stories of success.

It's fixed. Thanks!