Walking on back streets cuts air pollution exposure by half
Walking along side streets in cities cuts exposure to air pollution by an average of 53%, according to a study by King’s College London commissioned by public-private regeneration group, Cross River Partnership. Online maps and signposting could divert people from the most polluted routes, boosting public health, according to the researchers, who have developed an interactive map of London for this purpose. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that air pollution is the “largest single environmental health risk,” with 80% of the global population living in cities that breach WHO pollution standards.

The Clean Air Route Finder is a journey planner developed by Cross River Partnership and King’s College London to help identify low pollution walking and cycling routes in London.

The route finder retrieves up to three alternative walking or cycling routes from Google Maps and calculates the total modelled pollutant dose along each route for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM10 and PM2.5 particulates using a combination of average concentrations, distance and ventilation rate for walking or cycling. The sum of these modelled dose differences are then presented as a relative percentage difference in green/orange/red.

The London Air Quality Network (LAQN) is the most advanced air quality monitoring network in the world and through a unique combination of monitoring and modelling, King’s College London has created the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI). This sophisticated high resolution map of air quality details NO2 , PM10 and PM2.5 particulate and ozone (O3) concentrations right across the city.

Please contact CRP’s Sefinat Otaru if you would like to embed the online route finder on your website or intranet.

In addition to the online clean air route finder, CRP and partners identified and developed London’s first on-street clean air walking route between Euston and Kings Cross – as well as 13 additional on-street routes. Monitoring by Kings College London has shown that routes identified by CRP and partners have between air pollutant concentrations between 30% and 60% lower than more heavily-used alternatives between transport hubs and key pedestrian destinations.

With support from the Mayor of London, CRP and partners are encouraging pedestrians to use these routes by planning and delivering on-street signalling, including signposting, greening, lighting and urban realm improvements. These interventions will deliver on the Mayor’s healthy streets approach to London’s public realm.

“We all have deeply ingrained habits when it comes to our daily commute and we rarely stop to consider the alternatives. The Wellbeing Walk offers a healthier, less stressful route for the tens of thousands of people that travel between Euston, St Pancras International and Kingʼs Cross each day. This important initiative has been made possible thanks to an effective collaboration between businesses that make up the Urban Partners and the local community, which we hope will provide a model that can be replicated in other areas of London.”

Joyce Lorrigan, Chair of Urban Partners