The Impact of Pedestrian Zones on Urban Air Quality

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeMayor Bloomberg Announces Latest Results of Health Department Air Quality Study that shows Air in Times Square is Cleaner and Healthier since Pedestrian Plazas were Opened (New York City, PR- 120-11, Apr. 13, 2011)

Also discussed here: Times Square pedestrian plazas a breath of fresh air (AM New York, Apr. 13, 2011)

And here: Study finds air is cleaner in Times Square (New York News, Apr. 13, 2011)

Today’s news article speaks to the impact that pedestrian or car-free zones actually have on the air quality in and around these zones. New York City’s decision to clear traffic away from Times Square has resulted in 50-60% lower levels of nitrogen oxides- the pollutant most associated with vehicle emissions.



Key Quotes:

“We created pedestrian plazas right in the heart of our City to straighten out some of the chokepoints in our street grid and to help traffic flow more smoothly and quickly through Midtown,”

“the number of cars moving through Times Square on Broadway and Seventh Avenue at 44th Street declined from 2,400 per day during peak times to 1,550 once the pedestrian plazas opened. Levels of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are associated with lung irritations, declined 63 percent and 41 percent, respectively, in the area”

“That cleaner air ... makes a huge difference to the health of more than a quarter million pedestrians who pass through Times Square everyday”

“The air monitoring, conducted from December 2008 to December 2009, also found that traffic-related air pollutants “did not worsen in other midtown locations — in fact, they improved slightly”

“The Health Department estimates that PM2.5 pollution in New York City is responsible, annually, for 3,200 premature deaths, 1,200 hospitalizations for respiratory conditions, 900 cardiovascular hospitalizations, and 2,400 child and 3,600 adult emergency department visits for asthma”

Related articles

• Bloomberg Touts Improved Air Quality From Times Square Pedestrian Plaza (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Pedestrians, Including Bill Clinton, Breathe Easier in the New Times Square (streetsblog.org)
• NYC considering table service in Times Square (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Bill Clinton: I remember when Times Square was filled with hookers... it was romantic (dailymail.co.uk)
• Bloomberg, Clinton to merge environmental efforts (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Clinton, Mayor Air Views - Wall Street Journal (news.google.com)
• Mayor Bloomberg Defends Pedestrian Plazas, Bike Lanes - NY1 (news.google.com)
• Impacts of Nano Particulates from Urban Traffic on the Brain (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)