Lewisham embraces new technology to chase away kerbside pollution

Lewisham council has received £132,532 in funding from the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund to introduce a pollution control method aimed at reducing exposure to roadside emissions.

Roadvents – as they are called – consist of two parallel linear slot drains that will be installed into the road and connected to a roadside air cabinet which houses a fan and various layers of filtration.

With this new project, cleaner air will support a healthier environment for Lewisham’s transition towards more travel on foot and bicycles and less car usage.

Independent testing has demonstrated that Roadvents can reduce human exposure to air pollution by up to 91 per cent. It does this by filtering and diluting road-based emissions from exhausts, brakes tyres and road wear.

The council will match the mayoral fund to ensure the successful delivery of this project.

The council is collaborating with Pollution Solution, the organisation behind Roadvents, to introduce this new measure on a road near a school.

The specific location for the Roadvent installation has not been determined yet, but the council aims to have it in place by Autumn. The objective is to decrease air pollution and improve the health and well-being of school children and parents during their commute.

The Mayor’s Air Quality Fund is a project that helps London Boroughs take targeted action to improve local air quality for their residents.

Councillor Louise Krupski, cabinet member for environment and climate action said: “We are thrilled to be working with Pollution Solution to install a new Roadvent in the borough. As a council, we recognise the importance of reducing air pollution in our area.

“Lewisham is steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our residents, particularly our school children, by ensuring they are exposed to cleaner air each day.”

Pollution Solutions says its aim is to ‘reduce the impact of road based air pollution on the community’s health’. They claim introducing Roadvent technology will offer the highest efficacy of air pollution capture and filtration, for the lowest overall cost and with immediate effect upon installation.

Likely to be installed in the autumn on a two and half year contract, the results of Rodavent will be monitored to gauge the impact on air quality.

Pictured top: How the vents look (Picture: Pollution Solutions)