Enfield turn to Vortex and Smart Transport Hub for hyperlocal air quality monitoring

Vortex –  providers of environmental monitoring solutions – and transport consultants Smart Transport Hub are partnering to deliver an extensive eight-year agreement with Enfield Council dedicated to monitoring air quality at a hyperlocal level.

Vortex will offer its expertise with a suite of 17 hyperlocal air quality monitors as part of a long-term initiative to enhance residents’ quality of life.

Since 2014, Enfield Council has implemented a Journeys and Places Programme committed to developing walking and cycling infrastructure and promoting behaviour change projects that encourage a shift away from private car usage. This programme has successfully implemented numerous initiatives, including cycle tracks, public realm improvements, school streets, bike markets and cycle training.

To comprehensively monitor the impact of the Programme, the Council sought a partner who could provide data collection, analysis and insights to evaluate the programme’s effectiveness over the long term. The eight-year contract has already begun, extending until 2031, enabling consistent data collection and trend analysis.

The monitoring will be classified into two categories:

• Strategic monitoring: Continuous data collection to assess how the programme influences travel patterns over the long term.

• Project monitoring: Data collection focused on individual projects within the programme, such as new cycling routes, School Streets or parklets

Hyperlocal air quality monitoring is pivotal in evaluating the programme’s impact. Approximately ten schools, potential future school streets and other standalone projects will be equipped with VTX Air quality monitors  to measure air quality before and after the programme’s implementation, identifying improvements and potential unintended consequences.

Data analysis will be a cornerstone of the initiative. Regular reporting, mode split tracking, and insights will be provided to assess collected traffic and air quality data. Vortex will use the data to identify patterns and changes that occur over time, including those influenced by specific events or seasonal variations.

Smart Transport Hub will provide critical data collection requirements, including classified counts of various traffic categories, such as cycles, motorcycles, cars, vans, lorries, and buses, along with pedestrian footfall at specified locations. This integrated data will help track changes in pedestrian behaviour and traffic composition across the borough.

The outcomes of the monitoring programme will be communicated through various outputs, including a traffic monitoring locations plan, data analysis reports and annual monitoring and insight reports.

It will strive to provide access to air quality data as part of its commitment to transparency and environmental consciousness.

Nick Ruxton-Boyle, Director of Environment, Vortex IoT said: ‘This long-term partnership with Enfield Council and Smart Transport Hub is a testament to the importance of cleaning the air and fostering data to inform crucial sustainable transport initiatives. Air pollution is reducing but not fast enough, and that’s why Vortex is proud to support Enfield with hyperlocal air quality insights.’