A new type of bicycle that reduces pollution by cleaning air as people cycle could soon be introduced in Britain.
Developed by a Dutch designer, the device is first being introduced in China. If successful, it could be brought to Britain.
The bike works by absorbing polluted air through a module mounted to the front and passing it through a filter before pumping it back out.
Pollution levels have soared in a number of global cities in recent years. Many parts of London breach legal limits on levels of nitrogen dioxide, and earlier this year the UK capital’s pollution levels rose above those of Beijing.
Thousands of deaths each year in the UK have been linked to air pollution.
The bikes are the brainchild of Dutch designer and artist Dan Roosegaarde, who has signed a partnership with Chinese bike-sharing company Ofo to develop the bikes in Beijing.
Ofo has been described as the “Uber for bicycles” and has an estimated three million daily users in China. The first bikes could be completed by the end of the year.
Mr Roosegaarde was previously involved in building the Smog Free Tower in Beijing, a seven-metre tower that takes in dirty air, filters it and pumps it back out.
“We are redefining beauty and lifestyle,” he told The Times. “Beauty is not about the latest Ferrari, it is about clean air. The bikes will be cheap and easy to make; the concept is simple and needs to be available to everyone.”
“Next year we are launching the smog-free project in Delhi and plan to expand across Europe after that. London would benefit hugely from these bikes — walking down Oxford Street is the equivalent of smoking more than a dozen cigarettes, but without the pleasure.”
He added: “It is important that we are launching this in Beijing — we are bringing the bicycle back to the city. It used to be such a big part of the culture but about 15 years ago it disappeared as everyone wanted cars.
“What we are doing here is combining creativity and new technology to create a new and beautiful world. It’s like that quote, ‘There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.’ We are all responsible for making air clean. I cannot write a law but I can make designs.”
