Renault creates crossing ‘lollipop’ that measures air pollution

The ‘lollipop’ sign shows the quality of air outside schools. Photos: Renault UK

Renault UK has re-invented the iconic symbol of British road safety, the “lollipop”, to encourage drivers to not idle in their vehicles.

Renault commissioned the custom lollipop as part of its ‘Be Mindful, Don’t Idle’ campaign to raise awareness of the impact of parents and guardians leaving their engines running during the school run. According to its UK research, 27 per cent admit to idling regularly.

One side of the Renault lollipop displays the exact concentration of fine particulates – known as PM2.5 – in the atmosphere thanks to in-built air sensor technology. It displays the pollution level in real-time to road users.

The reverse features iconography that shows whether it is ‘Good’, ‘Okay’ or ‘Poor’ allowing parents and children to see the quality of the air they are breathing as they enter the school gates. The bands are based on the boundaries published by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), running through a range of PM2.5 levels from low, to moderate and high.

The sign shows the exact concentration of fine particulates at the school gate.

The lollipop features a highly accurate sensor located in the circular section at the top behind the recognisable ‘Stop’ sign. The black bars have been modified on each side to display the PM2.5 level and associated rating to drivers and pedestrians.

The World Health Organisation recommends that the air we breathe should not exceed 10 μg/m3 of fine particulate matter. The legal limit in the UK is double that figure.

According to research by the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK, in excess of 8500 schools, daycares, and colleges in England, Scotland and Wales are located in areas with dangerously high levels of pollution.

“The lollipop has been the symbol of road safety for decades. Today, safety is not just about how to cross a road, it is also about how safe the air is that our children breathe going in and out of schools on a daily basis,” explains Matt Shirley, Senior Manager – Electrification & New Mobility, Renault UK.

“The adoption of electric vehicles is a journey, but in the meantime, it’s important that we all do our bit and don’t leave our engines running unnecessarily.”