commute pollution exposure
Sat May 13 19:12:54 EDT 2017
Air pollution worst inside cars: research Tuesday, 2 September, 2008
Commuters inside slow-moving cars are exposed to far higher levels of air pollution in peak traffic times than those using any other form of transport, new research has revealed. Car drivers and passengers face pollution levels inside their vehicles that are two to three times higher than those experienced by pedestrians and cyclists in the open air, the study has found. "It is often assumed incorrectly that cyclists and pedestrians are exposed to higher air-pollution levels than motor vehicle occupants because they are physically unprotected," says the study's author, Dr Chris Rissel from Sydney University. "Yet cyclists tend reduce their pollutant exposure by taking side streets and moving out from behind motor vehicles during traffic stoppages."
"Just one person who switches from driving to cycling to work during the week over a 10km trip each way saves around 1.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year," said [Verity Firth, NSW Minister for Environment and Climate Change]. "And cycling doesn't just help reduce pollution, it also cuts down on traffic congestion and gets people fit.
Comparing all forms of transport, train travellers breathe the cleanest air and pollution levels inside buses are second lowest, despite public transport vehicles such as buses accounting for the bulk of vehicle emission pollution in Australia's major cities.
[This entry was originally posted as https://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/889243.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]
Air pollution worst inside cars: research Tuesday, 2 September, 2008
Commuters inside slow-moving cars are exposed to far higher levels of air pollution in peak traffic times than those using any other form of transport, new research has revealed. Car drivers and passengers face pollution levels inside their vehicles that are two to three times higher than those experienced by pedestrians and cyclists in the open air, the study has found. "It is often assumed incorrectly that cyclists and pedestrians are exposed to higher air-pollution levels than motor vehicle occupants because they are physically unprotected," says the study's author, Dr Chris Rissel from Sydney University. "Yet cyclists tend reduce their pollutant exposure by taking side streets and moving out from behind motor vehicles during traffic stoppages."
"Just one person who switches from driving to cycling to work during the week over a 10km trip each way saves around 1.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year," said [Verity Firth, NSW Minister for Environment and Climate Change]. "And cycling doesn't just help reduce pollution, it also cuts down on traffic congestion and gets people fit.
Comparing all forms of transport, train travellers breathe the cleanest air and pollution levels inside buses are second lowest, despite public transport vehicles such as buses accounting for the bulk of vehicle emission pollution in Australia's major cities.
[This entry was originally posted as https://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/889243.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]