Our cities are polluted, with or without haze

Recently, a friend shared a photo on social media celebrating the return of blue skies and air quality readings returning to “good” after weeks of haze.

At first glance, the photo felt uplifting. The sky was clear and cloudless.

But what caught my attention was what sat directly beneath it: a vast expanse of low-density suburbia sliced apart by a ten-lane highway packed with traffic.

In a single frame, it captured a contradiction that has become so normalised. We see the blue sky and conclude the air is clean. We see the “good” rating and assume the danger has passed.

While seasonal forest fires trigger nationwide concern and frustration, our most persistent source of harmful air pollution is not drifting in from afar. It is idling outside school gates, flowing along suburban roads, and passing us every day on highways just like the one in that photograph.

Vehicle emissions account for up to 70% of urban air pollution. Yet because we cannot easily see them, we rarely treat them with the same urgency. One of the most significant threats to public health remains hidden in plain sight.

Pollution we fear, pollution we accept

When haze hits, we pull children indoors, stock up on N95 masks, and worry about long-term health damage. Yet year-round, invisible tailpipe pollution exposes us to microscopic particulates, nitrogen dioxide, and ground-level ozone.

These pollutants penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. They are linked to asthma, impaired lung development, cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia.

Because these harms accumulate slowly rather than announcing themselves with burning eyes or irritated throats, we often treat them as an unavoidable part of modern life.

Children at the front line

Consider the daily routine outside almost every school. Children weave through rows of idling cars and motorcycles while parents wait with engines running and air conditioning switched on.

We would think twice about making a child stand beside an exhaust pipe. We panic when toxic haze blankets the country. Yet we have normalised school pickup arrangements that expose children to traffic pollution every single day.

The contradiction extends inside our vehicles.

Many people imagine the car interior as a protected space, but in heavy traffic ventilation systems draw in exhaust from surrounding vehicles. Pollutant concentrations inside cars can often exceed the ambient levels reported by regional monitoring stations.

We seal ourselves inside glass-and-steel boxes, convinced we are sheltered from the very pollution we are helping to create.

Unequal exposure

The burden is not distributed equally.

Millions of people live near major roads and expressways. Think of the apartments lining the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh) or landed homes built alongside the Lebuhraya Damansara–Puchong (LDP). Even with windows closed, fine particles can infiltrate indoor spaces.

For commuters waiting at bus stops along busy arterial roads, a “good” air quality reading can be almost meaningless. Exposure at street level often bears little resemblance to citywide averages.

Air pollution is not experienced as a statistic. It is experienced where people live, walk, wait, and breathe.

The other pollution

Traffic generates more than dirty air. It also produces noise.

Chronic exposure to traffic noise has been linked to hypertension, heart disease, stroke, hearing damage, stress, anxiety, sleep disruption, and impaired childhood development. Yet heavily modified cars and motorcycles continue to rumble, rev and backfire through our streets every day.

The health and peace of the wider public are routinely sacrificed so that a small minority can satisfy the need to draw attention to themselves.

Why EVs are not enough

Electric vehicles offer important benefits, but they do not solve the problem entirely.

EVs eliminate tailpipe emissions and reduce vehicle noise, yet they still generate pollution through tyre wear, brake dust and road-surface abrasion.

Because many EVs are heavier than their petrol-powered counterparts, some of these non-exhaust emissions can be substantial.

Replacing every petrol vehicle with an electric one would reduce exhaust fumes, but it would not eliminate the airborne rubber particles and roadway dust that already make up a significant share of urban particulate pollution.

The real solution

Cleaner fuels and electric vehicles are improvements, but they are ultimately technological band-aids.

Truly addressing urban air pollution requires reducing our dependence on private motor vehicles altogether. It means designing cities where walking, cycling and public transport are the default choices rather than desperate alternatives.

It means prioritising human lungs over vehicular throughput: building wide, shaded pedestrian corridors separated from traffic, reallocating road space to efficient bus networks, and creating dense, walkable neighbourhoods where daily necessities do not require a car trip.

Seeing beyond the blue sky

Clear skies can be deceiving.

Much of the harm caused by air pollution cannot be seen, but it is no less real because of that fact. We do not dismiss the germs that cause food poisoning simply because they are invisible. It is equally absurd to ignore the pollutants produced by our addiction to cars simply because they cannot be photographed.

The challenge ahead is not merely cleaner air. It is recognising that our car-dependent way of life carries hidden costs that are paid with our health, our peace, and our quality of life. Only when we acknowledge those costs can we begin the work of eliminating them.

Boo Jia Cher is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.