DPD to equip delivery vans with air quality monitors

Parcel delivery firm DPDgroup will roll out an air quality monitoring initiative in 20 European cities.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) will be measured on Pollutrack sensors that will be attached to vehicles and will also be installed at DPD pick up points and depots.

The sensors collect real-time data every 12 seconds and citizens will be able to view urban air quality levels on high resolution online maps.

The initiative has been piloted in Lisbon, Paris and Madrid between March and November 2019 and is part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility programme, Driving Change.

DPD will announce the 20 cities taking part in January.

Miguel Gaspar, deputy mayor, City of Lisbon, said: ‘This initiative is really useful for our city. It is a decisive project since it enables us to obtain additional key data and to identify green areas and hot spots in the city.

‘Thanks to our successful collaboration with DPDgroup, we are able to improve air quality in the city, and thus have a positive impact on our citizens’ health.’

Lisbon.

DPD vans have become a familiar sight in towns and cities thanks to the popularity of internet shopping and it’s estimated the company delivers 5.2 million parcels every day across the continent.

The recent Black Friday weekend also saw a big increase in traffic for DPD in the UK with parcel deliveries up by 13% compared to the same weekend last year.

Writing for Air Quality News earlier this year, Dr Sarah Wixey wrote about how she believes the built environment must be adapted to support last-mile delivery services and reduce the number of freight movements through our cities.

‘Looking forward, city planners, developers, and logistics firms will need to continue to work in partnership to create spaces that encourage more last-mile deliveries by walking porters, cargo bikes, and zero emission-capable vehicles,’ she wrote.

Photo Credit – Pixabay