Gothenburg makes a 127-year-old statue cough to highlight air pollution from studded tires

A sound installation turns one of Gothenburg’s most prominent public monuments into a coughing reminder that the tires drivers choose can affect the air everyone breathes.

In Gothenburg, Sweden, a 127-year-old statue has started coughing. The sound installation is part of Choose Tires for the Winter You Drive In, a campaign by the City of Gothenburg’s Environmental Administration encouraging drivers to consider whether studded winter tires are necessary for the conditions they actually drive in.

The John Ericsson statue, which has stood at the busy intersection of Kungsportsavenyn and Parkgatan/Allégatan since 1899, began coughing on Monday morning. Developed together with Swedish communications agency Welcom, the idea turns an invisible air-quality problem into something people can hear.

Studded tires provide extra grip on icy roads, but they also wear down asphalt and generate PM10 particles that can harm the lungs and airways.

“The coughing statue is a way to illustrate how invisible PM10 particles, which are torn up from the asphalt by studded tires, are harmful to our lungs and airways,” says Marcus Jahnke, Head of Department at the Environmental Administration, City of Gothenburg.

The campaign comes as Gothenburg prepares for stricter EU air-quality limit values that must be met by 2030. According to the city, large parts of central Gothenburg risk failing to meet the new standards unless further measures are taken.

“We face a challenge ahead when it comes to meeting the stricter EU air quality limit values by 2030. At the same time, we want to raise the issue in a way that sparks curiosity rather than anxiety. Hopefully, a coughing statue can get more people to consider how their choice of winter tires affects our health,” says Jahnke.

Gothenburg’s Environmental Administration also estimates that halving the use of studded tires could reduce PM10 levels by more than 20 percent in Gårda, one of the city’s areas most exposed to air pollution.

The campaign does not ask all drivers to abandon studded tires. Instead, it encourages people to choose tires based on the winter conditions they actually drive in.

“Traffic safety is, of course, essential. Studded tires provide better grip on bare ice, but high-quality Nordic friction tires perform well in many other winter conditions. For many people who mainly drive in
Gothenburg, they can be a good alternative,” says Jahnke.

The coughing statue will remain active from November 2 to 8 as part of a wider campaign running across social media, digital advertising and radio in early November. Audio from the installation is available for editorial use via Gothenburg City’s press room.

Source: Rud Pedersen Group

  Air-quality, Digital Advertising, John Ericsson statue, Marcus Jahnke, Radio, Social Media, Welcom