Spatio-Temporal Analysis of the Roadside Transportation-Related Air Quality: Mobile Air Sensors in Transit Pilot Study

Californians in the San Joaquin Valley are disproportionately burdened by heavy traffic, and traffic-related emissions from vehicle exhaust are the primary source of air pollution for much of the State. For several decades, emissions from goods movement in the San Joaquin Valley have had detrimental health consequences for the low-income and minority communities adjacent to the truck depots, rail yards, and connecting highways. Despite the nation’s strict auto-emissions standards, Fresno ranks at the top for worst air quality, having the highest levels of particulate matter above federal and state clean air standards. There is an essential need to reduce the negative environmental and public health impacts associated with traffic and goods movement and ensure an equitable distribution of resultant benefits and burdens. The project seeks to address the public health and environmental impacts of vehicle emissions in the most affected communities and to characterize the less impacted areas in the communities for promoting active transportation. The changing air quality near roadways during people in transit may not be characterized in a timely manner because the Federal Reference Monitoring stations are sparsely located. Utilizing custom-built mobile air monitoring sensors in various transit modes within a community, the spatial and temporal variation of transportation-related air pollution can be captured more accurately. The research will focus on building integrated air pollution sensors and evaluation through a collocation approach and mobile monitoring.