Air Quality at Public Transportation Stations/Stops: Contribution of Light Rail Transit to Reduce Air Pollution

Abstract

Air pollution from cars, vans and other different motor cars had observed in higher concentrations at public transportation stations. Now a day’s air pollutants from public transportation, industry, cooking from firewood and dust production alongside main roads in Addis Ababa is increasing and affecting human health. Individuals who live and work close to streets seem to have an expanded occurrence and openness to medical issues related to transportation air contamination. Appropriately, the Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit was the main current mass transit framework in Ethiopia just as in Sub Saharan Africa launched in 2015. Thus, this study aimed to know the air quality at LRT, bus, taxi and mixed stations through an air tracking device, and health effect at sampled public transportation stations. Air quality data include particulate matter (PM_2.5, PM₁₀), air quality index (AQI), carbon dioxide (CO₂), humidity and temperature with a half-hour observation through Air-Visual pro for every 24 purposively sampled stations from North to South LRT line. The average measured air quality indicated that higher than 35 μg/m³ PM_2.5 and 100 AQI, which is unhealthy. Regards to this, 30 persons were questioned at all stations. Seven hundred twenty (720) persons in total to know the health effect of those living/working in and around the stations. The findings indicated that out of 720 respondents, 324 (45%) have experienced to air quality-related diseases residing and working proximity to the stations. These suggested that the aged vehicles, land-use, dust and design of bus-stop shelter for waiting passengers have increased exposure to vehicles air pollution. Consequently, peoples are exposing to air quality-related respiratory diseases particularly unhealthy for sensitive groups.