Roadside concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in central London reduced by 65 percent between 2016 and 2023. This represented the largest percentage reduction of NO₂ in this location during this period. Meanwhile, urban background concentrations of NO₂ in central London were almost halved during this same period. NO₂ is one of a group of highly reactive gases known as nitrogen oxides (NOx). UK road transportation NOx emissions have fallen by more than 80 percent since 1990.
Reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by location and site type
Location and site type
Change in NO₂ concentrations relative to 2016 levels
The source adds the following information about the different monitoring types:
Roadside sites are generally within one to five meters of a busy road and usually located around adult breathing height. These sites give the best estimate of public exposure along busy roads. Roadside sites are useful for identifying air quality hotspots due to traffic that may have potential health impacts - especially those frequented by large numbers of pedestrians.
Urban background sites are located further away from sources of emissions and are not influenced by one single nearby pollution source. In London, traffic is the main source for background sites to avoid, and there are guidelines about how close background sites can be to roads. The benefit of urban background sites is they are usually representative of all other urban background locations within an area of several square kilometers. For this analysis, “Suburban” and “Urban Centre” sites have been treated as “Urban Background”.
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Mayor of London. (March 7, 2024). Reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by location and site type [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 23, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1471112/reduction-percentage-of-no2-levels-in-london/
Mayor of London. "Reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by location and site type." Chart. March 7, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1471112/reduction-percentage-of-no2-levels-in-london/
Mayor of London. (2024). Reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by location and site type. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1471112/reduction-percentage-of-no2-levels-in-london/
Mayor of London. "Reduction in Nitrogen Dioxide (No₂) Concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by Location and Site Type." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1471112/reduction-percentage-of-no2-levels-in-london/
Mayor of London, Reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by location and site type Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1471112/reduction-percentage-of-no2-levels-in-london/ (last visited December 23, 2024)
Reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations in London between 2016 and 2023, by location and site type [Graph], Mayor of London, March 7, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1471112/reduction-percentage-of-no2-levels-in-london/
