Johannesburg launches groundbreaking vehicle emissions study
Powered by Breathe Cities, a global clean air initiative backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, and the Clean Air Fund, this project puts Johannesburg on the map alongside 14 other cities aiming to cut pollution and planet-warming emissions by 30% by 2030.
Using advanced roadside remote sensing technology, this is the first time South Africa will collect large-scale, real-time data on actual vehicle emissions. Over 100,000 vehicles will be measured, from minibus taxis to SUVs, to paint a detailed picture of what's really happening on our streets. Until now, Joburg didn't have this kind of accurate data to drive targeted, effective policy.
'Partnering with ICCT, COJ, and Breathe Cities on the TRUE Initiative marks a major step for air quality innovation and local capacity building in Johannesburg," says Boitemogelo Kwakwa, UJ PEETS Project Leader.
"UJ PEETS is actively involved in deploying advanced remote sensing tech, gaining direct experience in emissions monitoring and analysis. We're also driving uptake by sharing insights with local stakeholders and policymakers to ensure data leads to real, actionable change," she adds.
The project also aligns with Joburg's upcoming Clean Air Zone and fits into the city's bigger sustainability vision.
"Through initiatives like Breathe Johannesburg and our forthcoming Clean Air Zone, we are taking bold, evidence-based action to reduce vehicle emissions and protect the health of our communities. TRUE will give us the real-world data we need to shape effective policy and deliver cleaner, healthier streets for every resident of our city," explains City of Johannesburg Head Air Quality Management, Musa Mahlatji.
Testing will continue through September 2025, with results expected mid-2026, a major step forward for Joburg's air, and a reminder that when we know better, we can do better.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Scrapped Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone signs removal begins
The process of removing 1,300 signs for the now cancelled Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone has begun, at the cost of about £600,000 paid for by the signs were installed alongside cameras as part of the scheme which aimed to charge drivers of high polluting vehicles up to £60 a day. It was dropped after a backlash in 2022, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham put forward an alternative proposal to invest in cleaner buses and taxis that was signed off by the government earlier this year. Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig said the signs had been "totemic" of the scheme's failure and "a thing that everyone has been really annoyed by". But she said she wanted the community to be reassured that the cameras, as well as the new bus and taxi scheme, would help improve air quality. Craig told BBC Radio Manchester: "The reality is our air is not clean enough, and it's often the poorest communities that suffer."Once those signs come down, hopefully we'll all be able to move on, but move on knowing that the air is going to be cleaner." Clean air zones (CAZ), which are in operation in many cities across the UK, aim to improve air quality by cutting the number of high polluting vehicles on the the scheme in Greater Manchester was scrapped, the region's 10 councils had been considering whether the signs put up to notify drivers about the zones could be repurposed. But Transport for Greater Manchester said a decision had been made to remove them at a cost of about £600,000, to be paid for by the government. "One National Highway sign will be repurposed," it said. A spokesperson for Stockport Council said work to take the signs down started last week, while Wigan Council said it was aiming to have all the signs taken down "within the next three weeks". Craig said each council had taken a different approach to the removal, with Manchester City Council using it as a chance to "clean up messy signs". "It's just being done in phases according to capacity," she added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Time Out
25-07-2025
- Time Out
Johannesburg launches groundbreaking vehicle emissions study
Johannesburg has just kicked off a major climate milestone. On Monday, 21 July 2025, the University of Johannesburg's Process, Energy & Environment Technology Station (UJ-PEETS), in collaboration with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), officially launched the TRUE Initiative, a first-of-its-kind project using remote sensing tech to measure the real emissions coming from the cars, taxis, and trucks on our roads every day. Powered by Breathe Cities, a global clean air initiative backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, and the Clean Air Fund, this project puts Johannesburg on the map alongside 14 other cities aiming to cut pollution and planet-warming emissions by 30% by 2030. Using advanced roadside remote sensing technology, this is the first time South Africa will collect large-scale, real-time data on actual vehicle emissions. Over 100,000 vehicles will be measured, from minibus taxis to SUVs, to paint a detailed picture of what's really happening on our streets. Until now, Joburg didn't have this kind of accurate data to drive targeted, effective policy. 'Partnering with ICCT, COJ, and Breathe Cities on the TRUE Initiative marks a major step for air quality innovation and local capacity building in Johannesburg," says Boitemogelo Kwakwa, UJ PEETS Project Leader. "UJ PEETS is actively involved in deploying advanced remote sensing tech, gaining direct experience in emissions monitoring and analysis. We're also driving uptake by sharing insights with local stakeholders and policymakers to ensure data leads to real, actionable change," she adds. The project also aligns with Joburg's upcoming Clean Air Zone and fits into the city's bigger sustainability vision. "Through initiatives like Breathe Johannesburg and our forthcoming Clean Air Zone, we are taking bold, evidence-based action to reduce vehicle emissions and protect the health of our communities. TRUE will give us the real-world data we need to shape effective policy and deliver cleaner, healthier streets for every resident of our city," explains City of Johannesburg Head Air Quality Management, Musa Mahlatji. Testing will continue through September 2025, with results expected mid-2026, a major step forward for Joburg's air, and a reminder that when we know better, we can do better.
ITV News
25-07-2025
- ITV News
Signs come down for Manchester's Clean Air Zone after three years
Work has begun to take down hundreds of Clean Air Zone signs as the controversial scheme is "finally put to bed". The divisive project across Greater Manchester has cost more the Government more than £100m, after they instructed local leaders to bring down nitrogen dioxide levels in 2017. More than 1,300 signs were installed across Greater Manchester, warning motorists of daily charges on certain vehicles. But in early 2022, the scheme was paused due to public backlash. Since then, the Clean Air Zone signs have been covered with stickers saying "under review". In January 2025, the Government approved plans from local leaders to meet government clean air targets, arguing that rising costs would stop drivers upgrading their vehicles. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has now confirmed that work has begun to take the signs down. In a report, transport bosses said that 'the release of funds' for councils to remove or repurpose the signs, has been approved. Clean air campaigners criticised the decision to scrap the scheme, claiming that it is contributing to an 'epidemic' of serious lung problems and respiratory illnesses, but Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham insists charging motorists would not have helped. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has welcomed the signs coming down, saying that the scheme is "finally being put to bed". Robert Downes, FSB's development manager in Greater Manchester, said: "While we've known the CAZ was all but dead and buried quite some time ago, it's symbolic and definitive to learn that plans are now in motion to bring down the signage. "Despite all the effort we put in to opposing the CAZ it was, ironically, the signs going up in the first place that triggered the massive reaction from both the business community and the wider public when they woke up to the huge financial implications of what was being proposed. "You only now have to look around the country to see other city regions who rushed ahead with similar schemes to see how they have hammered businesses, many of whom have been forced to close because of the unavoidable costs. "While it may have taken local decision makers a while to come around, it's always better late than never." The Clean Air Zone would have seen taxis, vans, lorries and buses that don't meet emissions standards charged up to £60 a day. Under the new "investment-led" approach, there will no charges. Instead, the government has allowed Greater Manchester to spend £86m on a series of other initiatives including grants to upgrade vehicles and measures to reduce traffic around the city centre. The lion's share of this funding will go towards zero emission and cleaner diesel buses which transport bosses say is already helping. More than 300 electric buses are now in use across Greater Manchester's Bee Network with plans to fully electrify the fleet by 2030. TfGM says this has contributed to air pollution dropping again in 2024. However, 38 places still had illegal levels of nitrogen council leader Eamonn O'Brien, who is the Clean Air lead for Greater Manchester, said: "We've always been focused on doing what's right for Greater Manchester, and by accelerating investment in our public transport network, we're showing that it's possible to improve air quality faster than if a charging Clean Air Zone had been introduced. "Investment in the Bee Network is enabling more people to choose cleaner, greener ways to get around – like public transport and walking or cycling – instead of driving. "As we deliver our Clean Air Plan alongside the Bee Network, with support from the government, we'll roll out the UK's first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system by the end of the decade and improve the air we all breathe for generations to come."
