Evaluation of Bicyclists Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution along Distinct Facility Types

Very few concurrent measurements have been carried out on cyclist physiology with air quality, and no measurements that incorporate detailed traffic data. Due to this lack of knowledge, there are significant uncertainties and debate about the net health effects of cycling as a means of transportation in heavily trafficked urban areas. It is perhaps even astonishing that there are currently neither guidelines nor even a moderate understanding of cyclists\\\' uptake of urban pollutants when traveling on different types of facilities and under different traffic conditions. These uncertainties mean that transportation policy, planning, and systems management strategies are not able to…

Very few concurrent measurements have been carried out on cyclist physiology with air quality, and no measurements that incorporate detailed traffic data. Due to this lack of knowledge, there are significant uncertainties and debate about the net health effects of cycling as a means of transportation in heavily trafficked urban areas. It is perhaps even astonishing that there are currently neither guidelines nor even a moderate understanding of cyclists\\\’ uptake of urban pollutants when traveling on different types of facilities and under different traffic conditions.  These uncertainties mean that transportation policy, planning, and systems management strategies are not able to predict cyclist exposure outcomes with even a low level of confidence.

The results of this research will help policy makers and transportation planners make better-informed choices when analyzing changes or upgrades to the bicycle facility network (for example, in terms of exposure tradeoffs among bicycle lanes along heavily trafficked arterials, fully separated bicycle paths, or low motorized vehicle traffic bicycle boulevards). The key research questions addressed in this proposal are the following:

a) How do bicycle facilities affect bicyclists\\\’ exposure to traffic-related air pollution? ;
b) Are there statistically significant differences in the amount of cyclists\\\’ pollutant uptake by type of bike facility, pollutant, and traffic level? ; 
c) Is it possible to formulate and estimate regression models that can accurately predict a cyclist\\\’ pollutant uptake? ; and
d) What are the key factors associated with high levels of pollutant uptake?