LONDON: Experts in Britain are considering a scheme to cover the most polluted sections of motorway in the country with cantilevered canopies that would absorb pollution.
The idea comes from the Netherlands, where pilot tests have been carried out using the system, according to the Birmingham Mail newspaper.
It said the West Midlands may well be chosen for a pilot scheme. This area of central England and the M62 motorway near Manchester are among Britain's pollution hotspots, with high levels of potentially harmful nitrogen dioxide.
Air pollution has been blamed for triggering asthma and other lung diseases, and emissions have also been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths in Britain.
The situation is similar in Germany, where some cities are mulling a complete ban on diesel vehicles in congested urban districts.
The UK Highways Agency said it would use a stretch of the M62 to trial a three-metre high fence coated in a new mineral polymer material capable of absorbing the nitrogen dioxide in diesel fumes.
A previous wood and polymer barrier tried on the M62 in 2015 had produced positive results, said the authority. The height of that barrier was later increased from four to six metres.
The pollution tunnels were criticised by the RAC Foundation, a charity affiliated to the RAC, which offers breakdown services.
Spokesman Steve Gooding told the Daily Mail newspaper that the tunnels risked trapping emissions in an enclosed area, which would make the air quality worse for drivers.
As part of a clean air programme unveiled recently, London is planning a higher tax on diesel vehicles, and Britain is hoping to halt the sale of all conventional petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
