In Gothenburg, Sweden, a 127-year-old statue has started coughing. The John Ericsson statue, which has stood at the busy intersection of Kungsportsavenyn and Parkgatan/Allégatan since 1899, began coughing on Monday morning, November 2. Agency, Welcom, has turned one of Gothenburg’s most prominent public monuments into a coughing reminder that the tyres drivers choose can affect the air everyone breathes.

The 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 idea turns an invisible air-quality problem into something people can hear. Studded tyres provide extra grip on icy roads, but they also wear down asphalt and generate PM10 particles that can harm the lungs and airways.

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,” stated Marcus Jahnke, head of department at the Environmental Administration, City of Gothenburg.

Gothenburg’s Environmental Administration also estimates that halving the use of studded tires could reduce PM10 levels by more than 20% in Gårda, one of the city’s areas most exposed to air pollution. The campaign does not ask all drivers to abandon studded tyres. Instead, it encourages people to choose tyres 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,” Jahnke noted.

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.