Commenting on the Government’s air pollution strategy published today, Finlay Clark, UK Head of Waze hopes technology can also help combat congestion and the resulting pollution. He says:

“It is disappointing to see how poor the air quality is in the UK and the Government’s new air pollution strategy is a positive step towards improving these conditions. We welcome smart initiatives set to improve our roads – such as changing road layouts and removing speed humps.

“We urge people to consider how technology can help ease congestion and how we can use it to reduce the number of cars on our roads. Heavy congestion causing slow moving, stop-start traffic results in poor air quality – and we at Waze are constantly finding ways around this.

“Our research reveals that average speeds in the M25 region during 2016 decreased by 12% to just 17.4mph. Additionally, the number of traffic jams that have been reported around the capital was up by 56% last year. Overall, average speeds around the UK are decreasing as more cars take to the already congested road network.

“Understanding congestion in real-time is key to tackling the problem and Waze are working with city planners to improve the situation. Waze shares live data with over 175 global municipal partners in its Connected Citizen Program, including Transport for London and Oxfordshire Country Council in the UK. They are also piloting carpooling in Israel and the US with the aim of helping take cars off the road, which helps lower journey times and improve air quality.”