Shropshire Star

Tunnel vision could shield homes from harmful emissions

Highways England is considering building special pollution-absorbing tents over the busiest sections of motorways to protect residents

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Motorways could be covered by tunnel-like structures with pollution-absorbing panels, the government revealed yesterday.

Highways England says it is investigating building canopies over motorways that run past homes in an attempt to protect residents from harmful emissions.

It is working with Dutch authorities on the feasibility and effectiveness of the structures, which have been tried out in the Netherlands.

In the organisation’s air quality plan, which was released yesterday, it says: “We are also investigating if we can reduce the costs to construct a canopy, which is a tunnel-like structure designed to prevent vehicle emissions reaching our neighbours, to make this a viable solution.”

(PA)
(PA)

However, the news has been met by scepticism by some. RAC roads policy spokesman Nick Lyes questioned whether this was the “right way to deal with the problem”.

He said: “All this will do is concentrate potentially toxic air over the road, which will have an impact on those inside their vehicles who breathe in the trapped pollution.

“The solution should be about reducing levels of pollution by accelerating the transition to ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles and encouraging better traffic flow through variable speed limits – something Highways England has started doing on smart motorways.”

The move is an extension of Highways England’s “air quality barrier” project, which is being tested on a 100-metre section of the M62. A six-metre-high roadside barrier has been fitted with “an innovative material with potential to clean the air”, and its effect on local pollution levels monitored.

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