Local traffic can affect local air pollution, particularly around areas of congestion or where vehicles sit idling, such as outside school gates. Children are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution, therefore traffic idling around the school gates can be a real concern. Traffic around the school during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times can increase children’s exposure to elevated levels of air pollution as they go to and from school.
This project brought pupils from St Brendan’s and Muirhouse Primary Schools together with the aim of reducing traffic around their schools and improving the air quality in their local area. North Lanarkshire Council with support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), are helping to empower the children by providing learning material and live air quality data to help them take positive action in improving air quality and reduce local traffic outside their schools.
SEPA’s low-cost air quality sensors are being installed along Baron’s Road outside both primary schools, close to the school gates. The sensors will record air quality pollutants associated with traffic congestion during key times of the day. Each school is participating in a banner competition, to display their own artwork and messages outside the school to encourage a reduction in local traffic and improve air quality. The data will be fed back to the schools through a series of classroom-based workshops held by North Lanarkshire Council and SEPA, exploring interesting trends and considering potential sources.
As part of this project, SEPA have developed a visualisation tool which will allow pupils, families and local residents to look at the data recorded, identifying some of the potential causes and drivers of local pollution events.
This tool can be accessed here: NorthLanarkshireSchoolsProject (sepa.org.uk)
This page was added on 12 Jun 2024
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