Air Quality News Procurement Guide

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DELIVERING CLEAN AIR

A PROCUREMENT GUIDE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES In association with

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Working with local authorities since 1983

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Air Quality monitoring products, systems & support.

Experts in our field Specialists in providing local authorities with the measurement tools, back-up and support they need to accurately and reliably measure and report air quality in accordance with legislation.

MCERTS approved gas analysers MCERTS approved particulate monitors

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Editorial Comment and Contacts

Welcome to the 2022 Procurement Guide Contacts Publisher: David Harrison d.harrison@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Group Editor: Pippa Neill pippa@airqualitynews.com 01625 666 396 Business Development Manager: Jason Coward jason@spacehouse.co.uk 07889 212414 Finance Manager: Jenny Leach jenny@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Administration: Jenny Odgen admin@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000

Air Quality News Procurement Guidepublished by Spacehouse Ltd, Pierce House, Pierce Street, Macclesfield.

SK11 6EX. Tel: 01625 614 000

All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Welcome to the 2022 Air Quality News Procurement Guide, we hope that this guide offers tangible solutions and effective tools to help local authorities across the country mitigate one of the greatest health and environmental crises of our time: air pollution.

In this Procurement Guide, former Editor of Air Quality News, Jamie Hailstone, explores the role of procurement in helping local authorities to achieve their green goals. According to the Local Government Association the sector spends somewhere in the region of £55bn every year on goods and services. According to Jamie, if councils could use that spending power to encourage green economic growth, then the possibilities could be endless.

Elsewhere, I have spoken to three Councillors from Bath, Oxford and Birmingham who have all led the way on the journey towards cleaner air. In March 2021, Bath became the first city outside of London to launch a charging Clean Air Zone.

Cllr Sarah Warren, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Travel shares her experiences and also tells us the things that she wishes Bath had done differently.

We have also heard from Cllr Tom Hayes who is leading on Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone. Unlike Bath and Birmingham, Oxford was not mandated by the Government to reduce air pollution, yet despite this, they are still in the process of introducing some of the most ambitious clean air plans in the country.

It is insightful to hear from Cllr Hayes about why the council chose to be so ambitious and it's exciting to think of this as a blueprint for the rest of the country.

Our excellent contributors also provide an insight into the technology, products and solutions that can help make the journey to clean air easier - from hyper-local air pollution monitors to traffic management systems. We hope that this guide will act as a useful resource and a tangible tool to learn from others and find the solutions to make air pollution a thing of the past.

As written by environmental consultant Stephen Cirell on Page 18: ‘If every local authority – wherever it might be –committed to develop an action plan on air quality in the context of the climate emergency, this would be a big step forwards from the current position.’’

Pippa Neill, editor.

Tel: 07922 420984 pippa@airqualitynews.com

Printed on FSC certified paper stock, using vegetable oil inks.

Fulfilment and distribution using 100% recycled envelopes.

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Contents

Features Contents Pages 6-7: News Pages 8-13: Interview Pages 14-15: Vortex.

We hear about Hammersmith & Fulham’s award winning traffic congestion and pollution reduction scheme.

Pages 6-7 News: There are up to 70% fewer pollinator visits in areas with high air pollution

Pages 24-25 Feature: It’s time to green up the spending power of local authorities

Pages 16-17: South Coast Science.

Air quality monitoring in 2022: new technology to support incoming PM2.5 targets.

Pages 18-19: Feature Pages 20-21: SUEZ. SUEZ is now offering their air quality services in the UK. Pages 22-23: Yunex Traffic.

Digital solutions to enhance road safety, improve traffic flow and reduce emissions.

Pages 8-13 Interview: Air Quality News Editor Pippa Neill talks to three councils who are all at different stages of implementing some form of charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ)

Page 28 Feature: Exploring the link between indoor air quality and the spread of Covid-19

Pages 24-25: Feature.

Page 26-27: Nuaire.

Indoor air quality is more than a ‘tick box exercise’.

Page 28: Feature.

Page 29: Feature.

Page 30-31: EarthSense.

The ambition to pull the air quality sector into the 21st century.

Pages 18-19 Feature: Developing robust air quality action plans

Page 29 Feature: Traffic is costing Londoners thousands of pounds per year

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Page 30-31: EarthSense.

The ambition to pull the air quality sector into the 21st century.

Thanks to our contributors: Stephen Cirell and Jamie Hailstone

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News

in brief Scottish government commits to reducing car use by 20% In a new route map published the government has set out a range of sustainable travel behaviours grouped into four categories: • t ravel less: use online options where appropriate • s tay local: chose a more local destination to meet your needs • s witch mode: to walk, wheel, cycle, or use public transport where possible • c ombine a journey: where the other options are not feasible It contains 30 interventions to address use, many of which are already being delivered such as the rollout of free bus travel for under 22s.

Hackney has the highest number of LTNs, new research shows This is closely followed by Waltham Forest, Islington, and Newham.

In comparison, Bexley, Barking, and Dagenham have the lowest number of suitable streets with an LTN. The research, which was conducted by a coalition of lowtraffic campaigners, found that overall, in the six-month period from May – October, the overall picture of LTNs remains similar to the previous six months.

This is expected given that the recent expansion of LTNs was fuelled by funding made available as part of TfL’s Street space programme and from the Department for Transport.

Long-term air pollution exposure linked to Covid-19 incidence New findings have been released by the Research Center in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Insubria, northern Italy, which shows long-term exposure to air pollution may heighten the chances of contracting Covid-19.

Around 62,000 people were included in the study, with home addresses used to estimate historic exposure to harmful materials in the atmosphere.

A link was identified between those who live in areas that have persistently high levels of pollution and their risk of becoming infected.

For every microgram rise in pollutants, a 5% increase in infection risk has been identified. Older age groups were more susceptible, with the biggest impact observed among those aged 55 and above.

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There are up to 70% fewer pollinator visits in areas with high air pollution Scientists from the Universities of Reading and Birmingham found that there were up to 70% fewer pollinators, up to 90% fewer flower visits, and an overall pollination reduction of us to 31% when common ground-level air pollutants, including diesel exhaust and ozone, were present.

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he study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, is the first to observe a negative impact of air pollution on pollination.

Dr. Robbie Girling, Associate Professor in Agroecology at the University of Reading, who led

the project, said: ‘We knew from our previous lab studies that diesel exhaust can have negative effects on insect pollinators, but the impacts we found in the field were much more dramatic than we had expected.’ The study used a purpose-built fumigation facility to regulate levels of

nitrogen oxides (NOx) – present in diesel exhaust fumes – and ozone in an open field environment.

They then observed the effects these pollutants had on the pollination of black mustard plants by free-flying, locallyoccurring pollinating insects over the course of two summer field seasons.

These findings could have wide-ranging implications because insect pollination delivers hundreds of billions of pounds worth of economic value every year.

It supports around 8% of the total value of agricultural food production worldwide, and 70% of all crop species, including apples, strawberries, and cocoa, rely on it.

Ground-level air pollution in China is leading to lower crop yields Emission levels are having a tangible impact on farming in the world’s leading country for cereal, cotton, fruit, vegetable, meat, poultry, egg and fish production.

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hina has long been notorious for problems with air quality, with the capital, Beijing, only meeting national standards for the first time since records began earlier this month.

Now a new study conducted by researchers at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology has identified a correlation between falling agricultural yields and atmospheric pollution.

Key to the problem is groundlevel ozone, which forms when nitrogen oxides react with certain organic compounds while in the presence of sunlight. This is predominantly caused by the burning of fossil fuels, and

although there has been a gradual reduction in the overall quantity of air pollutants in China’s atmosphere, data shows the pollution is actually increasing at ground-level. As a result, wheat cultivation decreased by around 33% as a result of noxious gases, although this figure fluctuates depending on the specific type of crop. High-yield hybrid rice

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wheat varieties, which account for around half of China’s overall rice output, for example, have fallen by around 30%. In comparison, regular rice yields dropped by just 12%. This is because higher yield varieties are known to have greater photosynthetic capacity, which in turn means increased gas exchange with the environment.’

News

Mayor of London unveils plans for UK capital’s ‘green, clean and healthy future’ If London is to become net-zero by 2030, bold action is urgently required to cut congestion and reduce air pollution, according to a new report.

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he investigation, conducted by Element Energy and commissioned by the Mayor of London, clarifies the scale of change needed in the city to meet government targets. This includes a 27% reduction in car traffic by the end of the decade.

Currently, more than one-third of car trips made by Londoners could be walked in less than 25 minutes, and two-thirds would take under 20 minutes to cycle.

The study explains that failing to

switch to carbon neutral modes of transport in the coming years will prove costly to both local and national economies, and the health of residents.

Overall, big steps have been made in recent years to improve air quality in London. Between 2000 and 2018, workplace greenhouse gas emissions fell by 57%, while the same figure for domestic properties saw a 40% reduction. In comparison, though, transport only managed a 7% drop in the same period.

According to City Hall, the Mayor’s office is aware of the need to take more drastic action, but funding and powers lack the levels needed to make further significant improvements.

Nevertheless, the situation is urgent.

Element Energy’s report goes on to highlight that a 27% reduction in London road vehicle mileage will only be possible with the introduction of a new charging system. This could replace the current Congestion Charge, Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards. Without further action, estimates suggest 550,000 Londoners will develop diseases relating to air pollution in the next 30 years, leading to a cumulative cost to the NHS £10.4billion.

Granular air quality data could provide the public with real-time insights Technology and air quality experts have teamed up to develop a new system that could provide citizens with granular street-level air quality information.

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embers of the PASS consortium plan to pool together data from air quality sensors, road traffic, weather, geographical and spatial (GIS), and apply Artificial Intelligence to deliver live and predictive data at a granular level.

This information could be made available via a mobile app and website to enable the public to plan their routes to avoid air pollution.

The researchers also say that a citywide dashboard could also be created to help local authorities to analyse and plan spatial strategies for cleaner cities.

Dr. Mohammad Nazir OBE, Managing Director of Nazir Associate Ltd and heads the PASS Consortium said, ‘Localised granularity of data, such as postcode unit level, is necessary to help citizens better understand the impacts of air quality to their health and to facilitate them in the implementation and evaluation of effective mitigation measures.

‘There have been positive steps taken at national government and at local council level, such as implementation DEFRA Air Quality monitoring and CAZ schemes managed by local councils but currently, the infrastructure for air quality

sensors is quite limited. Current air quality data available offers limited information from sparsely located reference-grade air quality monitors.

‘This means there are literally thousands of postcodes or localized areas that do not have accurate air pollution data information accessible for sufferers or health-conscious individuals to enable them to avoid such areas. Equipped with street-level air quality information sufferers or healthconscious individuals could strive to avoid or “dodge” heavily polluted areas, travel routes, or indeed places where they live.’

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in briefin brief Searches for ‘wood-burning stoves’ up 36% Online searches for ‘wood-burning stoves’ have increased by 36% since the same period in 2020, according to research conducted by MediaVision.

The research suggests that many households are looking into woodburning as a possibility to heat their homes following an increase in bills and energy shortages.

Searches for other ways to keep the house warm are also on the rise, with searches for solar panels up by 27% and draught excluders up by 29% compared to 2020.

Searches for ‘ground source heat pumps’ (which qualify for a £6,000 grant) have risen by 33% this year and those for ‘air heat pumps’ (which have a £5,000 grant) by 26%, with spikes in activity in October when the grant was announced.

Ethnic minority groups are exposed to higher concentrations of air pollution in the US, new study shows In collaboration with the Environmental Systems Research Institute, the authors developed a new platform linking 17-years worth of demographic data with data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution from across the US. They found that areas where white and Native American populations are over represented, have been consistently exposed to average PM2.5 levels that are lower than those in areas where Black, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino populations are over represented.

For example, in 2016, the average PM2.5 concentration for the Black population was 13.7% higher than that of the white population and 36.3% higher than that of the Native American population.

Toshiba has launched a new rechargeable EV battery Toshiba has launched a new rechargeable lithium-ion battery cell that delivers high energy and high power at the same time.

In an electric vehicle (EV) for example, a high-energy battery allows the vehicle to drive further on a single charge – but it lowers power input and output and extends charge times.

Toshiba has drawn on its knowledge in current high-energy and highpower products to develop a new cell that combines the advantages of both.

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Air Quality News Editor Pippa Neill talks to three councils who are all at different stages of implementing some form of charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to find out what the main challenges are & how the councils have learned from each other.

Air Quality News talks to Cllr Sarah Warren, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainable Travel at Bath and North East Somerset Council to find out how this was achieved and some of the challenges involved.

In March 2021, Bath became the first city outside of London to introduce a charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ). The category C CAZ charges non-compliant coaches, buses, trucks, lorries, taxis, minibuses, vans and campervans to enter the zone.

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What were the main challenges the council faced when implementing the Clean Air Zone?

I think the big challenge was getting the community on board with the decision. Clean Air Zones are relatively new and many people still don’t understand why they are needed or how they work.

In 2018, when we first started talking about the zone, lots of residents didn’t know we had poor air quality, so we spent significant time and money educating them about the dangers of air pollution.

Before deciding to implement a

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class C zone we engaged extensively with the public, local businesses, key stakeholders such as ClientEarth and the Road Haulage Association and residents’ groups.

We listened to the concerns that were raised and tried to take these on board when we were designing the scheme.

We also reassured businesses and residents about the support that would be available, particularly financial support to help them upgrade or replace non-compliant vehicles.

A lot of this happened pre-covid so we were able to speak to the public at events or workshops and we found that this trumped printed communication in terms of gaining interest and trust.

What are the main lessons learned and in hindsight is there anything you wish the council had done differently?

Launching the CAZ was an ambitious, complex and technical project achieved during a global pandemic. We learnt very quickly the value of councillors, officers and contractors working together as a team.

Another lesson learned is that engagement with the community should not stop once a decision has been made, nor should it stop when you’ve launched it. Signage alone is also not enough to promote the zone to new visitors. If we were to do this again, we would not take the pedal off our campaigns after launch day.

What has the public response to the CAZ been so far?

On balance it’s been accepted and welcomed, particularly among residents who are now benefiting from improved air quality as a result. Initial figures suggest that we still have a way to go to meet our air quality target,

but overall, air quality in Bath and the wider area has improved.

But that’s not to say it’s been plain sailing. There have been some teething issues that have frustrated some drivers. Having well-trained enforcement officers has been invaluable in these circumstances and we try to take a flexible and commonsense approach, if there is an issue we will address it and own it if it’s our own fault. There has also been some misconception about how to pay. Many drivers have been waiting to receive notification from us before paying, but this is not how it works. The driver is responsible for checking their vehicle and knowing whether they’ve driven in the zone. Being the first CAZ to launch outside of London, we were bound to have teething issues but we are doing our best to share our experiences so that others can avoid similar experiences.

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What are the benefits and negatives of introducing a Category C CAZ? We engaged extensively with the public before reaching a decision on the class of the zone, but the overwhelming opinion was that while we need to tackle pollution, charging private cars would penalise the most vulnerable in the city and those on low incomes.

We took these opinions on board and looked for balance. We wanted to protect vulnerable residents and look out for local businesses but also achieve compliance in the time frame.

Our modelling suggests that we can do this with a Class C zone.

What are the council's plans to continue to reduce air pollution in the future?

While we’re not charging cars, we are still looking for ways to reduce their dominance in the city.

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This is being done through parking strategies, improved public transport, the introduction of low traffic neighbourhoods and better walking and cycling facilities.

We also want to keep on talking to residents and businesses about how small changes to the way they get around could make day-to-day life better for everyone in the city.

We’re currently trialling e-scooter in Bath and are looking at ways to encourage local businesses to deliver goods using e-cargo bike delivery rather than vans. We want to keep on talking to residents and businesses to find out how we can help make the switch easier.

Small changes, like working from home more, sharing lifts or walking to work just once or twice a week could make a big difference to life in the city.

The message here is that it doesn’t have to be a grand or life-changing gesture.

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including passenger cars.

Air Quality News talks to Cllr Waseem Zaffar MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council who led the launch of the CAZ.

In June 2021, Birmingham City Council successfully introduced the largest charging Clean Air Zone outside of London.

The category D CAZ is much stricter than Bath’s category C zone and all vehicles that do not meet the minimum emissions standards of Euro 6 for diesel and Euro 4 for petrol are charged to enter the zone,

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What were the main challenges when implementing the Clean Air Zone I think the biggest problem we faced was educating people about the dangers of air pollution. By nature, air pollution is an invisible threat and people can’t see it, so portraying its harm to the public is incredibly difficult.

The comms has been a challenge, despite our extensive work we are talking about a city of over one million people and we have many millions of people who visit Birmingham regularly.

My inbox is still full of people who say they visited the city and they didn’t

launch rather than a major launch right from the outset.

The main advice I would give to other councils that are a step behind us is that this is about behavioural change. It’s really important that people understand why this zone is being implemented and also that they understand what it actually means and what it will look like for them personally.

Leading up to the launch there was a survey in a local paper asking how many people knew about the CAZ and despite spending so much money on comms, some sections of the city were simply not aware - this reinforces the challenge we have with a city of over one million people.

know about the CAZ charges.

There’s also been a clear challenge around the support we’ve received from the government.

When the government puts pen to paper they say they are supportive of the zone but they’ve not had a physical presence here in Birmingham.

We currently have a Conservative government and a Labour council, it would have been nice if on the day of the launch a Government Minister could have stood alongside us to help to de-politice the project.

What are the main lessons you have learned along the way?

The Bath CAZ launched three months before us so we could quickly see what was going on there and learn from them. The main thing we learned was the level of enforcement that Bath required for people who were not paying the charge, that had a major impact on us choosing to do a soft

What are the benefits and negatives of introducing a category D zone rather than a C like Bath?

We modelled three scenarios, do nothing, introduce a category C or introduce a category D. The do nothing scenario made the problem a lot worse, the CAZ C was getting us nowhere near legal compliance, so a category D was our only option.

Leeds announced similar plans for a CAZ and then during the pandemic they cancelled their plans because they said they were compliant with limits. I was getting questions from politicians who were always against the zone saying Leeds has cancelled, why can’t we, but I think the key is understanding that this is not just about compliance, we need to address the fundamental challenge of air pollution in our city.

I think it's also understanding that historically our decision making has put cars at the top of the list and I think that has ultimately led us to the challenge we have today. Maybe if we had gone down the route of say Nottingham who introduced the workplace parking levy, the tram line and have a council owned bus company then we wouldn’t be in the scenario we are in now.

What has the public response to the CAZ been?

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If I use my inbox as a gauge, leading up to the CAZ launch my inbox was incredibly busy, and since then it’s still busy but it’s nowhere near as full.

I think a lot of people have now realised that they are actually driving compliant cars and they have realised that this isn’t a congestion zone, it's a clean air zone.

Eight out of 10 vehicles that come into the CAZ are private vehicles, yet nine out of 10 are compliant.

To me this shows that there has definitely been a positive behavioural change.

I was told before the zone launched that Birmingham would become a ghost town, that businesses would shut down and that there would be social unrest.

But in fact, the city is still incredibly busy.

I know the pandemic has had a huge impact on businesses but I have not yet come across a business that is out of trade solely because of the CAZ. When I visit the city centre it is clear that it is still an amazingly bubbly and busy place.

Unlike Birmingham and Bath, Oxford was not mandated by the government to reduce pollution, yet despite this, next month Oxford plans to become the first city in the UK to introduce an even more ambitious voluntary Zero Emission Zone. Under these plans, any vehicle that is not a zero-emission or ultralow emission vehicle will have to pay a set fee to enter the zone.

Air Quality News talks to Cllr Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet

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Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford to find out what led Oxford to introduce such ambitious voluntary plans.

Why has the council decided to introduce a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) over the more traditional Clean Air Zone?

There are a few reasons, the first is that unlike other cities we are not being mandated to introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ), this means that we are not being compelled by the government because of levels of air pollution to introduce a clean air arrangement.

Regardless of this, we think it is appropriate for any local authority to seek to have the cleanest possible air, so as a result we are voluntarily opting for a clean air standard.

We also think that if you’re going to go for clean air standards then you ought to be as ambitious as you possibly can and if we’re choosing to have the cleanest possible air then it is our job to facilitate that with the highest possible emission standards.

What have the main challenges been when setting such ambitious goals?

Firstly, the nature of local government is that it involves the City Council working in collaboration with the County Council and the Transport Authority, this patchwork of local government means that you really do have to enter into quite good negotiations.

But I think this is helpful because it means that you’ve got to also be in that negotiating mode when you’re working with businesses and residents.

We have taken the approach of: here is our evidence, here is our argument, what do you think, let’s talk about this and as a consequence let’s try to find a consensus approach, which is what we’ve done with the ZEZ. You can’t force change on people, particularly when it’s something as dramatic as the tightest zero emission standards in the country and particularly when we’re opting to do this voluntarily The second big challenge comes

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down to the fact that we are in a time of significant underfunding and so to be able to leverage the investment which is necessary to have the cleanest possible air, we need to have a public and private partnership to help us to achieve our corporate goals as a council.

We think that having the highest possible ambition will help to entice industry and the private sector into the city, helping us to be a leader in new technologies and achieve our goals.

The ZEZ has been delayed for a year, why is this?

The pandemic is the only reason

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for this. We really did not want to be requiring businesses, when they’re already going through one of the toughest times in a generation, to also get used to a new zero emission zone.

The very last meeting that I had face to face before the pandemic resulted in a lockdown was with the council and officers and as we were going around the room deciding what we were going to do and one thing was very clear and that was that we were in uncharted waters and so we took the decision to delay the zone.

Once the initial zone is live the council has plans to expand it, why

are you taking a staged approach?

I think with any kind of revolutionary change there has to be the building and sustaining of faith.

We’ve built faith by consulting extensively but to sustain faith I think we have to evidence that the zone is making an impact and that it’s a practical thing to implement. To go out across the whole of the city centre, particularly at a time when the city centre is starting to recover, to me seems inappropriate. We hope to learn from the first phase and then we can implement tweaks and changes if necessary so that we can implement the zone across a wider geography.

Do you think Oxford could ever be a car free city?

No, and that’s because I don’t think any city will be.

We’re entering into extremely exciting times where we’re all trying to figure out what the future of mobility will look like and although I think we will still see cars I think a significant portion will be electrified. I think cars will survive but the trick has to be removing their contribution to the climate crisis and pollution problems.

But I think we also need to recognise that even if a car isn’t emitting harmful pollutants it is still a very inefficient way of moving around a city which is

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as mediaeval as Oxford. We need to encourage people to take mass public transport such as buses and they too need to be electrified.

The problem we have in Oxford is that the speed of the bus services is significantly reduced because we have too many cars on the road and it’s a terrible vicious circle because if bus travel isn’t attractive because there’s too many cars on the road then people will get back into their car, which makes bus travel even more impossible.

We need to make bus travel regular, punctual and attractive and the only way to achieve that is by reducing the number of cars on the roads.

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Case Study

Hammersmith & Fulham

Hammersmith & Fulham’s Award Winning Traffic Congestion and Pollution Reduction Scheme Partnering with air quality experts Vortex gave the council a detailed view of air pollution which led to targeted environmental action.

Result: Improved air quality by 50% and reduced carbon emissions by 1 tonne a day.

Client. Hammersmith & Fulham

Challenge. How to know where to act?

Located in the southwest of London, with over 185,000 residents and several major corporations headquartered in the borough, The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) is committed to improving air quality for residents through positive sustainability changes, making effective decisions in the right locations and measuring success with accurate data collected from hyper-local, low cost, air quality sensors with street-level accuracy.

Problems caused by high traffic volumes became the largest contributors of air pollution in the borough, compounded by regular use of streets as a thoroughfare for vehicles originating outside the borough. The council wanted a method to measure the results and prove the effectiveness of the restriction zones to residents. Traditional air quality solutions available to Hammersmith & Fulham would not be sufficient in measuring air quality variations at the required frequency and density. LBHF needed spatial and temporal information with sufficient granularity to measure air quality changes at a per-road level, to review traffic interventions and prove their success in reducing pollution with an easy to deploy, affordable and detailed analysis of air quality per street.

LBHF became the first borough to declare a climate emergency in July 2020, pledging to resolve an air pollution and traffic congestion problem and addressing the 80% of congestion attributed to vehicles originating outside the Borough.

Solution.

Vortex provided a low-cost air quality monitoring solution that enabled the deployment of a dense network of hyper-local air quality sensors to provide real time air quality data to the council. The sensors are all SIM card free and connected wirelessly through a mesh network that’s driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning configurations. Implementing this technology allows the system to identify and execute calibrations and updates remotely, reducing LBHF’s on-site resource costs.

Vortex’s off the shelf solution provided: Air Quality Monitoring within the council’s budget requirements Street-Level data accuracy of Air Pollution Unprecedented Coverage – World’s densest deployment Detailed analysis of their entire constituency Public access to data on their neighbourhood 5-year guarantee – no maintenance fees required

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PM2.5

PM10

NO2

Outcomes: Accurate Data for better informed decisions.

VTX Air has identified high pollution transmission points that were previously unknown. As a result, LBHF’s award winning Traffic Congestion and Pollution Reduction Scheme has reduced carbon emissions by 1 tonne a day and improved air quality by 50% for residents. Using the technology, the public have been able to see their air quality through a publicly available portal to better understand the impact that the Scheme is having on their health. The key benefit for LBHF was identifying where the pollution is originating and understanding the sources of pollution that are generated inside the borough.

LBHF’s installation will further its dense concentration and become the largest scale air quality monitoring network in Europe with a total of 500 sensors deployed before the end of the year.

We needed a system that allowed us to recognise subtle changes in local pollution relating to traffic behaviour. When searching, we found traditional monitors to be far too expensive to install in the density required to see the changes.”

John Galsworthy Director, Parking, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

PM2.5

Highlighting two events

Air Quality Monitoring in 2022: New technology to support incoming PM2.5 targets than ticking off a list of individual features. It’s also about having confidence in technology and the expertise required to achieve your outcomes and mitigate the inevitable risks.

Risks commonly occur in the form of hidden infrastructure costs; deployment plans that are not truly ‘field-ready’ or a lack of transparency in data quality standards.

Data quality can be a contentious issue and project leads need to know their air quality data is accurate There are few ways to validate a manufacturer’s claims for independent certification: in the UK the MCERTS programme is considered the PM certification standard.

A

ir quality has been steadily climbing the UK legislative agenda, with many eyes on the Environment Act passed by Parliament at the end of last year. The Act requires the government to set at least one long term air quality target as well as a target for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). While the targets have not yet been set, PM2.5 seems to be high on the agenda as the Government has sought expert input on developing targets to reduce both the annual mean level of PM2.5 in ambient air and long term population exposure to PM2.5.

With increasing scrutiny on air quality projects in the corporate and local government sectors has come a proliferation in new air quality monitoring (AQM) technologies. Yet, very few AQM equipment manufacturers are seeking independent certification or validation, leaving Local Authorities with few choices that will satisfy their procurement procedures.

Think outside the (monitoring) box It’s easy to buy an air quality monitor, but choosing the right solution for your air quality project is about more

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New technology for ambient monitoring The new Praxis/OPCube from South Coast Science is designed for cost-effective precision environmental monitoring.

• Robust - designed for long-term outdoor deployments •C ompact: 154x154x130mm, 2kg • Equipped with gas sensor (selectable) + particulates + T + rH • 4G and ethernet as standard • Battery back-up in the event of power loss • Same open-source design and Cloud-based data dashboard as Praxis/Urban • MCERTS certification in progress Stemming from partnerships in academia and research, South Coast Science adopts an open and pragmatic approach to design and manufacturing, which also turns out to be cost efficient in the long term. This has led to break-through technology for data openness and accuracy.

The Praxis/OPCube is a compact, robust device that measures both gas and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10). It is an effective monitoring tool for low-cost screening and local authority investigations.

The device uses the same data infrastructure as it’s bigger brother, the Praxis/Urban, which has been available since 2017, and is now in use across all seven continents. South Coast Science is pursuing MCERTS certification for both the Praxis/Urban and Praxis/OPCube, and therefore will have independent validation and assurance of PM2.5 and PM10 data quality.

If you’d like more information on setting up air quality monitoring projects and baseline monitoring for environmental health please contact David Johnson or visit: www.southcoastscience.com.

air quality engineering

Precision air quality monitors for measurement of particulates (PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 ) and gases (CO, CO 2 , H 2 S, NO, NO 2 , O 3 , SO 2 , VOCs) southcoastscience.com

Developing robust air quality act

By Stephen Cirell

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n the Air Quality News Magazine for December 2021, I wrote a piece arguing that we need climate emergency action in local government to carefully weave together climate change, biodiversity and air quality policy into a holistic and comprehensive programme of action at local level.

This may be advantageous to the advancement of air quality, as currently climate change secures the lion’s share of publicity and public awareness, as demonstrated by COP 26 just before Christmas.

As is well known, something like 80% of local authorities have now made climate emergency declarations

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of one form or another. In the main, these look inwards to the particular authority’s own functions and / or outwards to the wider community.

The work on each is different, with a Council controlling its own workforce, assets and vehicles and therefore able to take swifter action; whereas it can only seek to influence the wider public sector, private sector and residents in their area over a longer period of time.

As the former of the two areas is the easier, most local authorities have sought to make early progress in relation to their own functional areas. The obvious areas for focus are the greenhouse gases emitted from buildings, heating and transport, but

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there is a multiplicity of other areas also involved.

Good practice dictates that once a declaration has been made (and a target set) a climate emergency action plan should be drawn up. It would be expected that this will refer to the target set (eg a net zero carbon position by 2030 for the Council’s functions) and then lay down a whole series of actions that will be taken along the route map to reach that target.

A very simple example might be to ensure all cars and vans are moved to EVs by 2025 and then the more difficult larger vehicles by 2030. The actions in support of this would be the review of its vehicle fleet; determining

tion plans when vehicles are up for renewal; leasing and budgeting arrangements; reviewing availability of affordable alternatives etc. These tasks are likely to need to be spread over a number of years.

In order to ensure that the process is moving along expeditiously, most action plans have performance review provisions, most notably an annual review of progress on each of the actions in the plan.

That way there can be scrutiny of the actions and a view can be taken on the level of commitment shown to their satisfactory completion.

But the December article argued

that climate change, biodiversity and air quality are intrinsically linked and therefore there should be action plan provisions in respect of all three areas. Each should have a target, a routemap on how to get to the target and a number of specific steps that the Council will take to get there. Review provisions must also be included.

Over and above this, consideration needs to be given as to how the three areas interrelate in the action plans. In other words, each plan has to include how action in area 1 will enhance areas 2 & 3 (or at the very least not be counter productive).

So going back to the vehicles part of the climate change action plan, the goal is not only to get vehicles to move from internal combustion engines to EVs, which reduces greenhouse gases from exhaust fumes, but to consider wider issues of air quality, as this will still be impacted by tyre and brake dust.

So to be genuinely woven together, such a plan should include fewer vehicle movements created by revised rounds, more recycling and other waste reduction avenues, such as awareness campaigns or joint food / recyclables / non recyclables collections.

What does this mean for air quality?

In practical terms, each local authority needs to declare that it will take action on each of the areas of climate change, biodiversity and air quality as a starter. As mentioned above, this is currently seldom the case. Then an action plan needs to be worked up in each of the three areas. This raises the issue of what targets should be set for air quality action plans and what the steps are that local authorities should be taking?

Of course, Government action has already made some inroads into air quality, but only from the perspective of air quality as a separate and independent issue. Legislation sets down inadequate targets and only some geographical areas have been the focus of Government directives to establish Air Quality Zones. As all climate emergency declarations are voluntary actions by local Councils, if every local authority – wherever it might be –

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committed to develop an action plan on air quality in the context of the climate emergency, this would be a big step forwards from the current position.

If this transpires, it will be up to each local authority to decide what actions to include in their action plans but there can be no doubt that some of the more tricky areas should not be avoided. A good example might be the position on wood burning stoves (the dangers from which a large proportion of the public seem to be blissfully unaware of), more concerted action to properly enforce smoke free zones or the banning of idling (internal combustion engine) cars outside of school gates.

There is a lot to do in the area of air quality. Most authority climate emergency declarations were made two years ago now and so climate change action has already had a head start.

Nonetheless, if this wider vision is embraced, greater action on both air quality and biodiversity can be pressed forward and completed in time for 2030 deadlines.

At COP 26 it appeared that the message that action to save the planet is not just about greenhouse gases had finally sunk in. Now is the time to prove that by developing comprehensive air quality action plans across the country

Stephen Cirell is an independent consultant specialising in local authority projects and is author of ‘Local Authority Climate Emergency Declarations’ (published by APSE).

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SUEZ is offering their air quality services in the UK

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UEZ’s Air & Climate division is now established in the UK and its team of air quality specialists are set to deliver the SUEZ developed AirAdvanced® portfolio of air quality consultancy services and innovative solutions that align and tackle the three agendas of air quality (Public Health, Climate Change and Odour).

The Division and its AirAdvanced® portfolio provides an end-to-end service that can be applied to all aspects of the air quality value chain, accommodating the needs of each client within different sectorial remits. Here, the division is equipped to perform air quality consultancy services, deliver monitoring and diagnostic programmes, design and implement remediation solutions, and undertake air quality reviews.

The service’s modular characteristic and strong innovative presence is positioned to tackle the most prevalent and existing air quality concerns, as well as adapt to any future air quality topics/ priorities in the UK.

12x10km. was created. The project has made it possible to estimate citizen exposure to traffic derived pollutants on a high resolution basis.

In 2019 SUEZ’s innovative AirAdvanced-HypR® solution was executed in conjunction with the RATP (Public Transport in Paris) to improve localised air quality and reduce risk to public health. At the underground Alexandre Dumas Metro station SUEZ implemented their AirAdvanced-HypR® solution. Here, two mechanically ventilated units using positive ionisation technology reduced and improved localised levels of particulate matter. Supported by monitoring campaigns the integrated solutions reduced PM2.5 & PM10 as much as 30%, improving the wellbeing and health of exposed employees and passengers to fine particulate pollution.

Here are some key projects/ services deployed by the Division that aligns with the UK’s Air Quality agenda.

Public Health- Eliminating

Particulate Matter (PM2.5 & PM10) and Promoting Sustainable Transport SUEZ’s Air Quality Consultants are well accustomed to monitoring and modelling transportation emissions.

In the city of Paris, a project titled AIRCITY, a daily 3D air dispersion simulation model encapsulating an area

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Climate Change- Addressing

Carbon Net Zero

SUEZ’s AirAdvanced® SCAN360 service has been utilised by a number of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) generating sectors to reduce their GHG footprint

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and subsequently minimise impact to the natural environment. The AirAdvanced® SCAN360 has been utilised effectively by many major companies operating waste-to-energy plants, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and waste treatment sites to realign their Net Zero Carbon agendas and improve site efficiency. The service is delivered on an individual site basis, whereby it ensures detailed mapping and modelling of channelled and fugitive GHG concentrations (CH4, CO2 & N2O), develops a coherent strategy report to reduce a site’s GHG output and reviews any integrated solutions. The use of the AirAdvanced® SCAN360 has seen improvements for selected GHG concentrations up to 65% which in turn has led to significant improvements for site performance.

Odour- Monitoring and Reducing the Impact of Odorous Emissions SUEZ’s air quality consultants and partners have successfully delivered and developed a comprehensive odour monitoring and solutions integrator service. Working within both public and private industries SUEZ has performed odour mapping/ diagnostic studies AirAdvanced®Explore 360, delivered innovative remediation solutions with a proven concept to improve odour Air-Advanced®-ActiLayer / AirAdvanced®-Biofiltres, as well as design and integrate digital platforms that simplifies industries’ approach to investigating and managing odour AirAdvanced®-Vision 360.

SUEZ Air and Climate Division Shaping Air Quality for a Sustainable Environment, NOW

Air quality is a worldwide concern with significant consequences becoming more evident every day.

That is why for the SUEZ Air and Climate Division it has turned into a priority to protect public health and preserve the natural environment.

Introducing SUEZ AirAdvanced®; air quality consultancy services and innovative solutions to address the air quality agendas of Public Health, Climate Change & Odour Management.

AirAdvanced® provides a comprehensive end-to-end service to necessitate the delivery of objectives to improve air quality. The SUEZ offering serves to diagnose, remediate, optimise and review, forming a complete cycle to tackle all pollution challenges.

Contact:

Craig Lewis

Business Development Manager - Air Quality SUEZ Smart & Environmental Solutions t: +44 (0)7785 695 155 e: craig.lewis@suez.co.uk

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unex Traffic is the UK’s market leader in intelligent traffic systems (ITS), designing, developing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining a wide portfolio of traffic management products for customers worldwide.

We are active in 24 countries and enable cities and transport authorities to make their road networks and vehicle fleets more intelligent, efficient and safer. We deploy the latest digital technology to address and minimise the impact of vehicle emissions, as well to lessen the environmental impact of the provision and maintenance of the critical infrastructure that keeps vehicles moving and indeed our towns and cities functioning.

We offer a range of services from

complete turnkey solutions and fully integrated strategic traffic management and control suites to individual tactical solutions designed to achieve targeted benefits, and have built a wealth of experience and expertise, gained developing and delivering solutions for authorities across the UK. These digital

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solutions enhance road safety, improve traffic flow and reduce emissions in congested urban and inter-urban areas.

Our systems portfolio spans from our innovative Plus+ traffic control system, which is already delivering significant environmental, performance and cost benefits, to congestion charging and clean air zone solutions, as well as managed services, hosting, traffic enforcement, connected mobility and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

To address the issue of air quality, an increasing number of authorities are deploying targeted clean air and low emissions zones, with our infrastructure and technology behind London’s recently expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone as well as clean air zones (CAZs) in Birmingham and Portsmouth. We are now developing schemes with authorities in Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle.

Camera-based enforcement solutions discourage older, higher-polluting vehicles from entering specific, designated areas and results from the zones already in operation show the

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impact that these positive interventions can have.

In London, research by the Mayor’s Office showed that within the first 10 months of operation, the city’s original Ultra Low Emission Zone removed 44,100 polluting cars from the zone every day, saving around 12,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and contributing to a 44% reduction in harmful roadside nitrogen dioxide. Early results from Birmingham are similarly positive, with data showing that since enforcement of the CAZ scheme started, there has been a 40% reduction in the number of non-compliant vehicles entering the zone.

We know how important constructive partnerships are if national, regional and local mobility and air quality targets are to be achieved, which is why we strive to achieve close, collaborative working relationships with our customers and supply chain partners. Working together, we aim to reduce accidents, congestion and harmful emissions in our cities.

We are a named supplier on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Transport Technology and Advisory Services (TTAS) framework.

Formerly Siemens Mobility’s Intelligent Traffic Systems business, Yunex Traffic combines a wealth of experience and expertise with agility, flexibility and dynamism to help our customers achieve their objectives.

We have the vision, expertise and product range that enables transport managers and authorities to meet their traffic and carbon targets, including the need to balance transport efficiency with emissions and road safety.

Uniting what’s next in traffic.

We are connecting the dots of a new mobility revolution that is transforming our towns and cities.

operators to make their road networks and fleets intelligent, enhance road safety and improve air quality.

With the broadest end-to-end portfolio of intelligent traffic management solutions, we work with cities, highway authorities and mobility

It’s time to make the world a better place. We are ready. Are you?

www.yunextraffic.com/uk

It’s time to green up the spending power of local authorities

By Jamie Hailstone

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id you ever hear the one about the council chief executive, leader or finance chief’s blank ‘to do’ list? No, me neither. That’s because no such list exists in local government, although many probably wish it did.

Our nation’s town halls have never been busier. A decade of spending cuts have led to difficult choices, while demand for local authority services - particularly around social care – continues to soar.

On top of everything on that seemingly endless ‘to do’ list, local government is now grappling with the role it will play in dealing with climate change. More than 300 councils have now declared climate emergencies. For senior managers in the sector, the pressure is now on to adopt eco-friendly policies, which give substance to all those declarations.

One avenue to consider is procurement. The Local Government Association estimates the sector spends somewhere in the region of £55 billion every year on goods and services. If councils could use that spending power to encourage green economic growth, then the possibilities could be endless.

But before we consider the various options, let’s get the technical stuff out of the way. Yes, it is possible for a local authority to embed sustainability in its procurement processes through social value. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2013 places a statutory duty on local authorities to consider how their procurement processes can generate wider social, economic and environmental benefits.

In March 2021, Manchester City Council became one of the first in the country to hardwire net-zero goals into how it spends its money. Under the local authority’s existing social value policy, which was first adopted in 2015, 20% of the scoring by which the winning tender is chosen is based on what wider social value they will provide.

The 2021 revised scoring system means an extra 10% of the scoring – on top of the existing 20% - is focused solely on how the supplier will play their part in achieving the city’s goal of becoming zero carbon by 2038.

Different local authorities will have their own procurement policy and scoring systems in place, but Manchester’s example shows it is possible to get tangible

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targets, which can be applied across a local authority.

Now, one of the largest single – and certainly most topical - purchases a local authority can make is the electricity to power its offices and other buildings. The bad news is that soaring wholesale energy costs mean cheap deals are hard to find these days, but local authorities should consider moving to a legitimate ‘green’ energy supplier as and when contracts allow.

Council vehicles also make a significant contribution to an authority’s carbon footprint. Worryingly, a 2019 survey

by Auto Express claimed more than 90% of local authority vehicles ran on diesel, although that was partly thought to be because cleaner alternatives were not yet available.

But with plenty of greener cars, lorries and trucks entering the market, the onus is now on councils to update their fleets accordingly. And while purchasing electric vehicles may not be affordable at this time, leasing

arrangements could be a more cost-effective option.

In addition, authorities with responsibility for highways should also consider – if they have not already – making greater use energy-saving LED lights and more environmentally-friendly materials for road surfacing.

When it comes to facilities management, councils can also ensure that any new buildings are net-zero carbon and contractors should also commitment to minimising emissions when retrofitting existing buildings and installing low-carbon heating systems.

Using nearby contractors and supplies where possible can also help reduce a council’s carbon footprint, because the less a product has to travel, the better it is for everyone concerned. Admittedly, sourcing raw materials, catering or office equipment may not be feasible for every council, but it could help support the local economy, particularly as areas recover from Covid. A study by CLES found more than two

thirds (69.9%) of Manchester City Council’s spending power in 2018/19 went to local organisations.

And lastly, there is the issue of other forms of staff travel.

Switching video conferencing and smart technology will help, but not every meeting can be ‘zoomed’. For trips that cannot be avoided, councils need to look at the various carbon offsetting schemes, which are now available and do their homework to make sure any scheme they use is transparent and accountable.

If all that sounds like a lot to get your head around, then it that’s because it is. Procurement is a cumbersome, but powerful tool and if used correctly can have benefits which go far beyond most town halls. Transitioning to net-zero will require new ways of working, but if there is one thing local government has proved over the last decade, it always rises to the challenge. It’s time to use that annual £55bn procurement spend for the good of the planet.

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Creating Safe Havens Indoor air quality is more than a 'tick box exercise'

By Stuart Smith Group Sales Director for indoor air quality and ventilation specialist, Nuaire

Whether you are responsible for a school or shared office spaces, providing people in your building with clean, healthy air is increasingly essential.

The UK Government recently recognised air pollution as the most significant environmental risk to public health, costing the economy around £20bn and contributing to 20,000 premature deaths every year. Given that we spend around 90% of our time indoors, addressing the quality of the air we breathe when inside – in terms of pollutants from external sources and pathogens circulating within – is critical to bringing those figures down.

In addressing the issue, we must look at existing legislation and regulation alongside the critical role of the HVAC industry in developing new, more efficient ways of improving IAQ. Removing the source of pollutants outside is undoubtedly one of the most effective solutions to the problem. There are moves to review the UK Government's Environment Bill and Air Quality Strategy to deliver the stepchange required to manage this issue.

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However, these changes will not happen overnight – in all likelihood, it will be decades before fossil fuel vehicles, one of the most significant sources of pollution, truly become a thing of the past, for example.

Further clarity is needed on how to deal with the challenge of managing the spread of pathogens within buildings - a topic that can significantly impact IAQ. The events of the past two year's demonstrate just how important it is to identify solutions today – helping to ensure that both external and internal air pollutants can be managed, protecting the wellbeing of building occupants.

Revising legislation to provide more explicit requirements on how air quality is managed across different areas of a building is crucial. With the pressure to improve IAQ in shared environments stronger than ever, the HVAC industry can play a significant role in helping to ensure advances in ventilation technology help shape the indoor spaces of the future. It's time that the industry focuses its considerable expertise to ensure we work together to keep everyone healthy wherever they are and for however long.

www.nuaire.co.uk

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PIONEERING NEW AIR TECHNOLOGY

Nuaire is a market leader in the design and manufacture of energy-efficient, domestic, commercial and industrial ventilation solutions. By continuing to push the boundaries of performance and carbon-reduction, we continue to lead the industry and help clients deliver greener homes and buildings with the highest levels of indoor air quality.

PIONEERING NEW AIR TECHNOLOGY T 029 2085 8200 E ENQUIRIES@NUAIRE.CO.UK  @NUAIREGROUP WWW.NUAIRE.CO.UK

Exploring the link between indoor air quality and the spread of Covid-19 Schools across the UK have received indoor air quality monitors to help them understand the link between the spread of Covid-19 and ventilation.

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he level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in a closed space is a good indicator of air quality and can signpost the need for ventilation. Because the virus that causes Covid-19 is airborne, ensuring the air is properly refreshed using ventilation is crucial for reducing the spread of infection.

As part of a new project, schools across the UK have received more than 300,000 air quality monitors from the Department for Education (DfE).

The monitors display the levels of CO2 in the classroom with colour coding indicating good, normal, or poor ventilation.

Well ventilated spaces should have CO2 levels consistently below 800 parts per million (ppm), with readings above 1500ppm indicating poor ventilation or overcrowding.

The researchers say that using the monitors will allow teachers to see CO2 levels in real-time as windows are opened and the air is refreshed, allowing them to balance ventilation and warmth.

The portability of the CO2 monitors means schools can move them around to test different areas, starting with those

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they suspect may be poorly ventilated.

As well as being a good indication of ventilation, lower CO2 levels have been linked to improved learning outcomes and better cognitive performance.

One study conducted by the University of Chicago found that lower indoor air pollution is linked to better exam results. The researchers found that an increase of 10mg/m3 of particulate matter (PM2.5) on the day of the examination decreases students' scores by 8%.

Dr. Henry Burridge, co-investigator on the project from Imperial College London said: ‘CO2 monitors allow teachers to assess the ventilation in their classrooms for the first time. This is especially important during colder months when ventilation is typically lower due to colder outdoor temperatures, causing Covid-19 and other airborne diseases like the common cold and flu to linger and spread more easily.

When the project was announced in 2021, then-Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘Providing all schools with CO2 monitors will help them make sure they have the right balance of measures in place, minimising any potential disruption to education and allowing them to focus on worldclass lessons and catch up for the children who need it. By keeping up simple measures such as ventilation and testing, young people can now enjoy more freedom at school and college.’

The researchers behind this project have also said that schools in areas that are consistently low in air quality despite ventilation should consider using air cleaners.

The Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education indicated in December during questioning by the Public Accounts Committee that schools will need to fund the purchase of air purification devices where they are needed, out of existing budgets.

James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, commented on this: ‘Given how crucial ventilation is in the fight against the spread of Covid in classrooms, we simply cannot work on the basis that only those schools that can afford air purification devices are able to access them.

‘The government owes all children a safe and comfortable environment in which to learn, with minimum disruption to education. If air purifiers can help with that they must be available to all.’

Traffic is costing Londoners thousands of pounds per year

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ince 2011, as London’s population has grown, it has also experienced a huge increase in the number of miles driven on its roads – rising by 3.5 billion miles.

Data from external providers shows that as the number of vehicle miles has increased, so too has the time lost by drivers to traffic.

TomTom data shows that in 2017 every driver spent an average of 144 hours a year sitting in traffic. In 2018 this increased to 147 hours and in 2019 to 149 hours. This equates to 6 days and 5 hours.

This is estimated to cost the economy £5.1bn a year, or £1,211 per driver, based on an estimate of the average value of earnings that drivers could be making, or the leisure time they could be enjoying, if they were not stuck in traffic.

This financial cost also comes alongside health impacts, including increased risk of respiratory diseases and children growing up with stunted lungs.

Sadiq Khan has warned that unless efforts increase to deliver a green,

sustainable recovery from the pandemic, the capital could move from one public health and economic crisis to another.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘The cost to both Londoners and the capital cannot be underestimated, with days wasted stuck in traffic, billions lost to the economy and increased road danger and health impacts. Most traffic is caused simply by there being too great a demand for limited street space, meaning the only long-term solution can be to significantly reduce car use in favour of greener means of travel.’

According to the Mayor, to reduce this pollution, London needs a 27% reduction in car traffic by the end of the decade.

Currently, more than one-third of car trips made by Londoners could be walked in less than 25 minutes, and two-thirds would take under 20 minutes to cycle.

A report published by Element Energy for the Mayor has highlighted a reduction in London road vehicle mileage will only be possible with the introduction of a new charging system. This could replace the current

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Congestion Charge, Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards.

Without further action, estimates suggest 550,000 Londoners will develop diseases relating to air pollution in the next 30 years, leading to a cumulative cost to the NHS £10.4billion.

Think tank Centre for London, which works to develop new solutions to the city's challenges, have responded to these findings: 'The Mayor's ambitious targets for London to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 are to be applauded but as this report highlights, it is going to take a monumental effort and some very difficult decisions if the target is to be achieved.

'The Mayor is right to point to the need for something beyond current initiatives likes ULEZ, and Centre for London has long-called for a fairer system of road user charging so we’re pleased to see that this is up for consideration,' the response continued.

'If implemented, pay per mile road user charging has the potential to be a game changer in the shift from polluting cars to public transport, walking and cycling, including schemes.'

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The Expanding Air Quality Services from EarthSense

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stablished in 2016 with a rich academic history, EarthSense has experienced 60% year-onyear growth. Its award-winning technology stack is maturing with its rapidly expanding service coverage, particularly in the UK. It now supports over 70 local authorities and has over 10 B2B partners providing industry specific solutions using its products. EarthSense’s ambition is to pull the air quality sector into the 21st century by providing innovative and novel solutions, helping businesses understand and mitigate air pollution issues.

Complete Air Quality Monitoring Services to Suit Your Budget & Project Needs The complete air quality service comprises of a mix of hardware, software, and data solutions (SaaS and DaaS) through real-time air quality monitoring with the Zephyr®, MappAir® modelling and on-going data access through the MyAir® web app. The complete subscription-based service provides granular data and increased visibility of air pollution across towns and cities that can be tailored to suit specific budgets and applications from healthcare to construction, planning and smart cities.

EarthSense’s flagship air quality monitor, Zephyr®, has continued to develop with over 1000 units shipped and now represents one of the largest networks of indicative reference monitors in the UK. Clients such as London Borough of Newham have deployed Zephyrs across the Borough to gain insight into exactly how air pollution behaves at areas of interest – particularly near schools. Realtime air pollution measurements taken by the Zephyr® are helping to identify the impact of air pollution on children’s health by correlating the effects of traffic and congestion outside schools. New for 2022, the introduction of the virtual Zephyr® is also targeted to schools and local authorities that want to capture air quality levels but cannot afford to operate a monitoring system. The cost-saving solution provides hour-by-hour pollution levels at any chosen location without the need for installing hardware, allowing anyone to access tailored air quality data and advice.

Developments to MyAir® not only allow EarthSense’s business users to

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view, analyse and download air quality information, but expanding capabilities include a public-facing tool for monitoring air quality and issuing alerts and advice for the public. EarthSense has worked with its UK partner and distributor, Enviro Technology Services, and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council to provide Zephyr® monitors to faith centres across Sandwell with access to data via the MyAir® Public app for residents to view real-time concentrations. This data is being used to make informed decisions about travel and lifestyle choices that help create healthier towns and cities from within the faith centres.

MappAir’s functionality over the years has expanded to include Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), third-party integration, source apportionment, scenario planning and additional data layers including rail and airport data for higher resolution and more accurate pollution information. Working with Aimsun and Highways England, the award-winning NEVFMA (Network Emissions/Vehicle Flow Management) project saw the integration of EarthSense’s MappAir® data help manage traffic flow whilst reducing air pollution in Oxford.

Using a variety of MappAir® functions from near real-time data to 72-hour forecast data, Aimsun were able to model various scenarios in advance to predict the most optimal traffic management strategy with the lowest impact on air quality.

In 2021, EarthSense was commissioned by environmental change charity, Global Action Plan (GAP), on a study to identify the most polluted schools in the UK. Using annualised average

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data for each school postcode from the MappAir® model, it was discovered that 27% of schools in the UK were in areas that exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. Dating back to 2014, annual averaged datasets provide insight into trends making it easier for businesses to identify whether mitigations are working. For example, annual average data is also being used to plan new infrastructure for greener transport options such as walking and cycling in cities – helping to reduce personal pollution exposure.

This can also be achieved through MappAir’s enhanced scenario planning feature, which can help the likes of local authorities, fitness tracking applications and transport companies by suggesting cleaner, safer routes to travel and exercise.

Whether your project requires one virtual Zephyr® or the full technology stack of hardware, advanced modelling, and public data access, EarthSense can deliver a range of monitoring solutions that are flexible and tailored to suit your budget and multiple project needs.

Leicester City Council made use of the complete air quality service using a combination of mobile and static Zephyrs, Mappair® modelling with CFD and MyAir® to identify and manage woodburning smoke emissions (PM2.5) in the city. Learn more about this project along with a host of other case studies, news, and technical information at or get in touch to find the right solution for your air quality monitoring project by speaking to EarthSense.

Find them at: www.earthsense.co.uk

Air Quality Services Trusted by over 70 Local Authorities Our flexible monitoring solutions through subscription or rental model are helping local authorities meet their air quality targets and create cleaner, healthier communities.

Identify pollution sources, trends and hotspots with our full technology suite of air quality monitors and data solutions.

www.earthsense.co.uk info@earthsense.co.uk

THE WORLDS MOST EFFECTIVE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL BARRIER

European Partner

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% OVER NOx removal

SmogStop is the most effective air quality barrier for highways and road in the UK

SmogStop is the most effective air quality barrier in the world. Below are some of the key attributes of our system.

• 10 years development with unique technology & design IP Protected • Unique Aerodynamic design and Photo Catalytic coating developed from Ground Up (Due to failure of other photocatalysts) • Coating works in UV & Visible Light • Full Lab Test Results in Solar & Wind Tunnels

• In Field Results comparable with Lab results • Handles NOx & VOCS • 1 Km of barrier reducing approx. 16 ton of NOx per annum.

That’s like 200,000 cars removed from that 1 km road per DAY!!

SmogStop Trial on the M1 working with National Highways

T: +44 (0) 1323 872243