https://e360.yale.edu/digest/new-york-congestion-pricing-pollution
"A new toll applied to cars driving in parts of New York City has led to a
measurable drop in traffic, and with it, a 22 percent decline in particulate
pollution, according to a new study.
Congestion pricing came into effect in January, with cars paying $9 to drive
through busy parts of Manhattan during peak hours. In the first six months of
the program, traffic in the congestion zone dropped by 11 percent, accidents by
14 percent, and complaints of excessive honking or other noise by 45 percent,
officials said.
A new study from Cornell has now tallied the impact on particulate pollution.
Particulates issued from tailpipes can aggravate asthma and heart disease and
increase the risk of lung cancer and heart attack. Globally, they are a leading
risk factor for premature death.
Analyzing data on air quality, traffic, and weather conditions, researchers
determined that in the first half of this year, particulate pollution was down
22 percent in parts of Manhattan affected by congestion pricing.
The decline seen in New York was greater than in other cities with congestion
pricing, such as Stockholm and London, researchers note. And the effect
extended beyond Lower Manhattan. Pricing led to a drop in pollution across the
greater metropolitan area, according to the study, published in the journal
npj Clean Air.
“It’s really exciting to me that air quality improved throughout the entire
metro area,” said lead author Timothy Fraser, of Cornell University. “This
tells us that congestion pricing didn’t simply relocate air pollution to the
suburbs by rerouting traffic. Instead, folks are likely choosing cleaner
transportation options altogether, like riding public transportation or
scheduling deliveries at night. This thins traffic and limits how smog
compounds when many cars are on the road.”"
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-ukraine-public-laundries/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
