A cheeky sign change on Euston Road might first make you snigger, and then make you think.
Euston Road is notorious for the constant growl of motor traffic, and all the air pollution that goes with it. The busy thoroughfare has one of the highest particulate counts in the capital. A cheeky intervention on one of its street signs now makes the link explicit.
The sign change now reads EUSTNO2 ROAD, a reference to nitrogen dioxide, one of the most harmful pollutants in vehicle exhaust. We're indebted to the ever-wonderful London Reddit board for bringing this exquisite bit of subvertising to our attention.
The label was apparently applied by protest group The AIR Team, which campaigns for cleaner air. Beginning in Bristol in September last year, the group has doctored dozens of signs to highlight the threat posed by air pollution.
This seems to be the most central name change, though other interventions include and CanNO2bury Road, Stoke NewingtNO2 Church Street and — slightly more tenuously — DNO2wich Village.
Euston Road is a fitting target for the exercise. Not only is it well documented as a particulate blackspot, but it was also the scene of recent protests against the loss of mature plane trees as part of the redevelopment of Euston Station.
In fairness to that grim thoroughfare, Euston Road isn't entirely evil. As we've noted before, the route can also be viewed as one of London's most unlikely open-air art galleries... if your lungs can cope.
