This week has seen two major companies implement measures to tackle air quality issues in London. These come in the wake of the governments new Clean Air Strategy which was launched on the 14th January. In it The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) laid out actions it would take to tackle air pollution, a problem that has serious health effects on the people who are exposed to it. In the UK the annual effect of man-made air pollution is equivalent to around 40,000 deaths.

A day after the Clean Air Strategy launched, London Mayor Sadiq Khan presented a London based scheme in partnership with tech giant, Google, which will see air quality sensors attached to the Google Street View cars. Monitoring air quality on the Street View cars has already been done in the US since 2014. The data produced from the cars can be used by scientists and researchers as well as help informing schemes that attempt to tackle air pollution.

Today (16/01/19), Uber introduced a London based scheme intended to increase the uptake of electric vehicles. A ‘clean air fee’ of 15 pence per mile will be added to all trips booked through the Uber app, and the income this will bring to Uber, expected to be in the region of £200 million, will go to subsidising their drivers’ purchasing of electric vehicles. Uber anticipates that by 2025 you will only be able to hail a ride with an electrical vehicle through the Uber app. While this could help bring down emission levels in the city, it should be noted that large amounts of pollution come from the wear on brake discs and tyres.

The variety of air quality schemes presented by both private companies, local authorities and Government creates the potential for confusion and conflict within the highways and transportation sector. See the upcoming February issue of Transportation Professional for more information.