Sheffield City Council uses AI sensors to track traffic flow and monitor new Clean Air Zone

VivaCity, a pioneering transport technology scale-up dedicated to making cities more intelligent and efficient places to live and work, has joined forces with Sheffield City Council to closely monitor the impact of the recently implemented Clean Air Zone (CAZ) across the city.

Under this collaboration, Sheffield City Council has deployed a network of 17 cutting-edge VivaCity sensors designed to track both traffic flow and air quality within the city. These sensors are strategically placed to monitor the movement of vehicles on the outer ring road, as well as to assess fluctuations in traffic patterns and the direct effects of the CAZ on air pollutants. The unique co-location of VivaCity’s traffic monitoring sensors alongside air quality sensors provides valuable insights into the environmental and health improvements resulting from reduced vehicle activity. These sensors were successfully installed in March 2023 and the data collected will be rigorously examined over a three-year period.

Mark Nicholson, CEO and Co-Founder at VivaCity, commented: “With the implementation of the government’s Clean Air Plan and Clean Air Zones, it is crucial to monitor traffic flow, emissions and air quality. Working with Sheffield City Council, we look forward to gathering this data and analysing the impact of the new CAZ. Improving air quality and reducing pollutants is an important cause to the VivaCity team, and we hope to continue delivering sustainable transport plans based on real-world evidence.”

As part of the broader Air Quality Plan set forth by the UK government, a Clean Air Zone is a designated urban area where local authorities implement specific measures to enhance air quality. In the case of Sheffield’s CAZ, it encompasses a Class C chargeable zone that applies to the most environmentally harmful heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), light goods vehicles (LGVs), vans, buses, coaches and taxis operating within the zone.

This significant project announcement aligns with the growing recognition by both the World Health Organisation and the UK Government that air pollution stands as the most significant environmental health threat of our time. Shockingly, air pollution is responsible for up to 36,000 deaths in the UK annually, underscoring the urgency of initiatives like Sheffield’s CAZ and the partnership with VivaCity to closely monitor its effects.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health for Sheffield City Council, said: “When it comes to air pollution the evidence is clear – there is no ‘safe limit’. In Sheffield alone, air pollution contributes to between 250 to 500 deaths each year and causes life threatening illnesses such as strokes, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the damage caused by air pollution. For children, the effects begin as early as the baby’s first weeks in the womb.

“Initiatives, such as the Clean Air Zone in Sheffield, will be a step towards cleaner air and a higher standard of health for local people. Through the CAZ we are working towards lowering harmful levels of NO2 in the city by reducing the number of older and heavier polluting vehicles driving around the wider Sheffield area and sensors, such as VivaCity’s, are an integral part of monitoring traffic flow, alongside air quality sensors to understand the impact of Sheffield’s CAZ.”

VivaCity’s innovative sustainable transport solution, known as Smart Traffic Monitoring, offers a multitude of advantages for the planning, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable transportation initiatives. VivaCity’s primary objective is to assist local authorities in the reduction of emissions, the decarbonisation of transportation and the attainment of Net Zero targets.