Why can't I BREATHE in TRAFFIC?!

Cars are BACK on roads. Well, they have been, for quite some time, in fact. 

But: did you notice, when the pandemics and lockdowns were on? That it just felt a tad easier to simply walk down a street?

There was quiet. You could actually hear the birdsong. And yes, above all? One could BREATHE, unfettered.

Now, I do not wish to be some gloom merchant, stressing an end of the world forecast here. One gets enough of that, c/o imminent war predictions, worldwide financial meltdown prophecies and so on. 

But what is, unavoidable, alas, is that there is no escaping the fact, that it is indeed, harder to simply BREATHE, on roads.

Why is that? Some of it might be psychosomatic. You are back in a crowded traffic jam. Stuck in an enclosed space, in a car? There are endless cyclists and now SCOOTERS using paths, instead of ROADS. 

JOGGERS brush past with you, exuding a whiff of sanctimonious entitlement as they sniff their brand of bespoke, healthier air. And so on. I get it. Sympathise with you, totally.

That said? There is empirical, scientific DATA at work here. You are breathing in 40% more pollutants, while stuck behind the wheel of your car, than perhaps you might otherwise, were train/bus/foot options your default travel setting. 

And even then, the sheer crowd volumes and emissions from the vehicles in question, do one no favours.

So: what to do? Working from home does not abate this problem. Everyone is being urged to return to working life as normal. 

If you can still avoid a commute, having mastered said skill in the past two years? Great! But we cannot all do that and even if one did so, there is still a need to travel, leave house, exhibit, network, buy milk, etc. 

At a glance, though, there are some ways forward. By no means overnight solutions. But, worth a thought. 

1: Wear a mask. Again. Yep. Not because of pandemics or monkey pox or becoming a super-hero. But because, as with China (a very polluted place, indeed: fact), it might just help you be shielded, mid trip, from all the pollutants in your way. It might. 

2: Take public transport. Trams! Buses! You need not even be trapped on crammed commuter trains or brave the troubles of the underground. Saving some cash a possible bonus, too, as fuel prices go up. And up. And upppppp....

3: Drink water. A. LOT. OF WATER. Use nature's best filtration system to fight back against those pesky pollutants. 

4: Breath control. Meditation. Yoga. Pilates. Seriously. Every little helps, in the bid to manage your stress quota and also, curtail any compromise of a solid breathing pattern. 

5: TECH! There ARE apps which can monitor air quality, your health and yes, the efforts to develop smart cities will indeed work in more initiatives to clean up the air. Clean air zones are just the start. Look out for companies who actively can map, monitor and manage such challenges. 

AND..BREATHE! ;)