Measuring Temporal and Spatial Exposure of Urban Cyclists to Air Pollutants Using an Instrumented Bike

Increased use of active transportation can make direct and indirect contributions toward addressing societal transportation issues. However, in the process of cycling for transportation, cyclists are exposed to multiple pollutants that could adversely impact their health. The goal of this study was to better understand the variation in PM2.5 exposure of cyclists depending on the cycling infrastructure along the selected route and the time that they bike. Four routes that represent the wide range of bicycle infrastructure were ridden using an instrumented bike equipped with low-cost PMS5003™ sensors. The resulting PM2.5 exposure maps show that few segments recorded air quality worse than the background concentration. During most of the routes, riders experienced air quality that was better than the air quality documented at the monitoring location. All hot spots with higher PM2.5 exposure were along higher-traffic roadway segments except one. Areas with consistently lower levels of PM2.5 compared to background concentration were all along a multiuse trail. However, cyclist exposure to PM2.5 is impacted more by environmental variables that cause the background concentration to be higher along the entire route than the proximity to vehicles at specific points along any route.

• Record URL:
  http://www.carteeh.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/01-09-GT-Measuring-Temporal-and-Spatial-Exposure-of-Urban-Cyclists-to-Air-Pollutants-Using-an-Instrumented-Bike-Watkins.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/56809
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute
  College Station, TX  United States  77843

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Schaffer, Kaitlyn
  • Gadsby, April
  • Alton, Nic
  • Maddox, Spencer
  • Lowentritt, Sarah Jane
  • LeDantec, Chris
  • 0000-0001-8338-4852
  • Rodgers, Michael
  • Watkins, Kari
  • 0000-0002-3824-2027
• Publication Date: 2019-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 52p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Air quality; Concentration (Chemistry); Cyclists; Infrastructure; Particulates; Periods of the day; Routes; Urban areas
• Subject Areas: Environment; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01759557
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GT-01-09
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747128
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 3 2020 10:10AM