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Development and validation of a method to quantify benefits of clean-air taxi legislation

Air pollution from motor vehicle traffic remains a significant threat to public health. Using taxi inspection and trip data, we assessed changes in New York City’s taxi fleet following Clean Air Taxi legislation enacted in 2005–2006. Inspection and trip data between 2004–2015 were used to assess cha...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Fry, Dustin, Kioumourtzoelou, Marianthi-Anna, Treat, Christian A., Burke, Kimberly R., Evans, David, Tabb, Loni P., Carrion, Daniel, Perera, Frederica P., Lovasi, Gina S.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7398736/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31142812
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41370-019-0141-6
Descripción
Sumario:Air pollution from motor vehicle traffic remains a significant threat to public health. Using taxi inspection and trip data, we assessed changes in New York City’s taxi fleet following Clean Air Taxi legislation enacted in 2005–2006. Inspection and trip data between 2004–2015 were used to assess changes in New York’s taxi fleet and to estimate and spatially apportion annual taxi-related exhaust emissions of nitric oxide (NO) and total particulate matter (PM(T)). These emissions changes were used to predict reductions in NO and fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) concentrations estimates using data from the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS) in 2009–2015. Efficiency trends among other for-hire vehicles and spatial variation in traffic intensity were also considered. The city fuel efficiency of the medallion taxi fleet increased from 15.7 MPG to 33.1 MPG, and corresponding NO and PM(T) exhaust emissions estimates declined by 82% and 49%, respectively. These emissions reductions were associated with changes in NYCCAS-modeled NO and PM(2.5) concentrations (p<0.001). New York’s clean air taxi legislation was effective at increasing fuel efficiency of the medallion taxi fleet, and reductions in estimated taxi emissions were associated with decreases in NO and PM(2.5) concentrations.