Executive summary - Ajuntament de Girona

Transcription

Executive summary - Ajuntament de Girona
7.5
Informe parcial: Estudi de la qualitat de l’aire
Clean / Girona ecobikes. Informe final
156
Air quality assessment
along Ecobikes routes in
Girona city
Final report
Estudi per l’Ajuntament de Girona
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Issue 1
July 2012
Project
Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city
Client
Ajuntament de Girona (UMAT)
Referència client
009
Confidencialitat,
copyright and
reproducció
Copyright 4sfera Innova SLU (4sfera) y Ajuntament de Girona
Aquest estudi ha sigut realitzat per 4sfera. El contingut d'aquest no podrà
ser reproduït completament o parcialment sense el permis de 4sfera i de
l'Ajuntament de Girona
Referència fitxer
Número de referència
4sfera/AD0090301/ver1
4sfera Innova SLU
C/Maluquer Salvador 2,6,1
17002
Girona
NIF: B55061873
Autor
Nom
Jaume Targa
Aprovat per
Nom
Jaume Targa
Signatura
Data
31/07/2012
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Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
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Executive Summary
The Ajuntament de Girona has undertaken the initiative “Girona Ecobikes” within the European project
CLEAN. This aims to promote the usage of electrical bicycle among tourists. This initiative consisted in
the creation of two routes within the historical city centre and the Sant Daniel Valley.
4sfera Innova has undertaken an assessment of the air quality along the two routes selected. The
quality of the air that we breathe can have important effects on our health and quality of life. It can also
have major impacts on ecosystems and climate change. This assessment has been complemented
with the ongoing programme of air quality monitoring carried out by 4sfera on behalf of the Ajuntament
de Girona. This report presents the results of the diffusion tube monitoring in 2012.
Diffusion tube samplers are used to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) across Girona. NO2 diffusion
tubes were exposed for 4-week periods. The tubes were supplied and analysed by 4sfera Innova and
changed by Technical Officers of the 4sfera Innova and the Ajuntament de Girona. The precision of
NO2 tube measurement was very good and the accuracy was within the expected range for an
indicative method such as diffusive samplers (+/-25%).
The on-going monitoring programme in Girona consisting of 14 monitoring sites was extended by an
extra 10 monitoring sites to cover the Ecobikes routes. These extra sites have assisted in the air
quality assessment.
NO2 concentrations during the survey in 2012 have been compared to those from previous studies
since 2007. The 2012 results are similar to those measured in previous studies. The study has been
considered to representative of a typcial situation.
The main conclusions of the survey across Girona and along Ecobikes routes are:
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
Background levels across Girona are 22 gm at Parc del Migdia and 29 gm at Plaça del
Vi.

Highest concentrations contiue to be measured at Ronda Ferran Puig (92 gm ), Carrer de la
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Rutlla (71 gm ), Crta Barcelona- Bolera (64 gm ) and carrer Pont Major (58 gm ).

Air quality is good along both Ecobikes routes. NO2 levels throughout both routes can be
considered healthy.

NO2 mean concentrations are, in average, lower than those measured elsewhere in the city.
This was expected as the routes mailny go thorugh pedestrian streets, streets with restricted
traffic and trailing tracks in the Sant Daniel Valley.

NO2 levels along the BarriVell route are very homogeneous with small variation. This is
mainly due to similar characteristics throughout the route which is kept within the historical
centre.

NO2 levels along the Sant Daniel route vary depending on the two areas covered: within the
historical centre and outside the city in the Sant Daniel valley. As expected, the levels at the
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later are much lower with NO2 levels as low as 9 gm

The lowest level of NO2 measured in the historical centre is 19 gm at Passeig Fora Murrall.
This site was part of the monitoring for both routes.

The lowest NO2 level measured within the Sant Daniel valley varied between 9 and 11 gm .

The promotion of electrical vehicles through this routes assures the maitnenace of healthy air
quality levels along these.

The promotion of zero emission vehicles (including conventional cycling and also walking)
should continue along these routes to keep healthy routes within and around the city.
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4sfera Innova
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Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
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Contents
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1 Introduction
1.1
1.2
1
Pollutant monitored
2
1.1.1 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
2
European air quality starndards for NO2
2
2 Details of Assessment Programme
3
2.1
Methodology
3
2.2
On-going monitoring programme
4
2.3
Monitoring during Girona EcoBikes
4
2.4
Monitoring technique and bias adjustment
8
2.4.1 Co-location with automatic monitoring station
8
3 Results and Discussion
3.1
10
Precision and accuracy of passive samplers
10
3.1.1 Outliers
11
Bias adjustment of Diffusion tube results
11
3.2.1 NO2 Diffusion tube bias adjustment
11
3.3
Air quality levels in Girona
11
3.4
Summary of NO2 results city wide
12
3.4.1 Indicative comparison of mean NO2 with EC Directive annual limit value.
14
NO2 concentrations along Ecobikes routes
15
3.5.1 Barri Vell route
17
3.5.2 Sant Daniel route
17
3.2
3.5
4 Conclusions
20
5 Acknowledgements
22
Annexes
Annex I
Annex II
iv
Photographs of monitoring sites along Ecobikes routes
Adjusted values per period
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Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
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Introduction
The Ajuntament de Girona has undertaken the initiative “Girona Ecobikes” within the Europen project
CLEAN. This aims to promote the usage of electrical bicycle among tourists. This initiative consisted in
the creation of two routes within the historical city centre and the Sant Daniel Valley (see Figure 1).
This project is part of the European Ernest project to promote sustainable tourisms.
As part of “Girona Ecobikes”, 4sfera Innova has undertaken an evaluation of the air quality along the
two routes selected. The quality of the air that we breathe can have important effects on our health
and quality of life. It can also have major impacts on ecosystems and climate change..
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is common secondary pollutant at urban areas and a very good indicator of
pollution due to traffic emissions. Health effects can result from short-term exposure to NO2 (e.g.
changes in lung function in sensitive population groups) and long-term exposure (e.g. increased
susceptibility to respiratory infection). Epidemiological studies have shown that symptoms of bronchitis
in asthmatic children increase in association with long-term exposure to NO2. Reduced lung function
is also linked to NO2 at concentrations currently found in cities of Europe and North America. It should
be noted that as NO2 is highly correlated with other pollutants (in particular PM) it is difficult to
differentiate the effects of nitrogen dioxide from those of other pollutants in epidemiological studies.
In order to assess the air quality during the “Girona Ecobikes” initiative, 4sfera has undertaken a
monitoring programme along the two routes. This programme is complemented by the Ajuntament de
Girona’s air quality network which currently measures air quality levels at 14 locations. 4sfera Innova
manages the air quality monitoring programme in Girona on behalf of the Ajuntament de Girona. This
monitoring programme began in 2007, and consists of a semi-permanent passive monitoring network
at varied locations across the city. These complement one automatic monitoring station located in
Girona. The pollutant measured in the non-automatic programme is nitrogen dioxide (NO 2).
The diffusion tube survey of NO2 in Girona complements the automatic monitoring carried out at the
fixed automatic stations. The diffusion tube samplers are intended to provide information on spatial
distribution of these pollutants across Girona. The monitoring sites used consist of a mixture of urban
and background sites, together with some locations where higher pollutant concentrations might be
expected, such as roadside and kerbside sites and sites close to specific emission sources.
Figure 1 – Ilustration of the two Ecobikes routes
4sfera Innova
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Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
in Girona city
1.1
Pollutant monitored
1.1.1
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
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A mixture of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO) is emitted by combustion processes. This
mixture of oxides of nitrogen is termed NOX. NO is subsequently oxidised to NO2 in the atmosphere.
NO2 is an irritant to the respiratory system and can affect human health. Ambient concentrations of
NO2 are likely to be highest in the most built-up areas, especially where traffic is congested or
buildings either side of the street create a “canyon” effect impeding the dispersion of vehicle
emissions. The units used to report NO2 concentrations in this report are micrograms per cubic metre
-3
(µg m ). To convert to ppb, if required, the following relationship should be used:
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1 µg m = 0.523 ppb for nitrogen dioxide at 293K (20C) and 1013mb.
1.2
European air quality starndards for NO2
Throughout Europe, ambient Air Quality is regulated by EC Directives. These set mandatory Limit
Values and other requirements for the protection of human health and of ecosystems. The European
air quality standards for NO2 and NOX as set by Directive 2008/50/EC are shown in Table 1. For NO2
two limit values and an alert threshold are defined for the protection of human health. The limit values
are specified for short-term (one-hour) and long-term (annual) exposure and countries were obliged to
meet them by 1 January 2010. The one-hour value can be exceeded up to 18 times per year before
the limit value is breached. For the protection of vegetation a critical level is set for the annual mean of
nitrogen oxides (NOX), defined as the sum of NO and NO2 expressed in units of mass concentration of
NO2.
Table 1 - Limit & threshold values for NO2 & NOX as set out in the 2008 Air Quality Directive
Because the methodology used (see section 2) only provide approximately monthly average data, it is
only appropriate to compare the diffusion tube results against limits relating to the annual mean.
Moreover, the mean concentrations in this report have been measured using an indicative method
with an unceraintaty of +/-25% and monitoring did not cover a full calendar year.
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2
Details of Assessment Programme
2.1
Methodology
The survey was carried out using diffusion tubes for NO 2. These are "passive" samplers, i.e. they work
by absorbing the pollutants direct from the surrounding air and need no power supply. Figure 2 shows
the passive samplers used alongside the main automatic monitoring station inlet at the Gibraltar Rosia
Road station.
Diffusion tubes for NO2 consist of a small plastic tube approximately 7 cm long. During sampling, one
end is open and the other closed. The closed end contains an absorbent for the gaseous species to
be monitored, in this case NO2. The tube is mounted vertically with the open end at the bottom.
Ambient NO2 diffuses up the tube during exposure and is absorbed as nitrite. The average ambient
pollutant concentration for the exposure period is calculated from the amount of pollutant absorbed
and the time over which the exposure occurred.
Figure 2 - Nitrogen Dioxide diffusion tube
The number of operational sites within the Girona diffusion tube network was increased by 10 sites
during “Girona Ecobikes” to measure the air quality in the vicinity of the two routes.
NO2 diffusion tubes were exposed in triplicate at the automatic monitoring station and in duplicate
across the rest of sites with one travel blank per exposure period.
Diffusion tubes were prepared by 4sfera Innova and supplied to Technical Officers of the Ajuntament
de Girona who carried out the tube changes. The tubes were supplied in sealed condition prior to
exposure. Tubes were exposed at the sites for periods of 4 weeks. After exposure, the tubes were
again sealed and returned to 4sfera Innova for analysis. All exposure periods were approximately 4
weeks in duration, following air quality monitoring programme calendar set out at the beginning of the
project. The exposure periods are shown in Table 2.
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Table 2 - Diffusion Tube Exposure Periods 2012
Period
1
Date On
Date Off
09/03/2012
10/04/2012
2
3
27/04/2012
24/05/2012
24/05/2012
27/06/2012
4
27/06/2012
27/07/2012
Network
Girona
Girona Ecobikes
Girona Ecobikes
Girona Ecobikes
The diffusion tube methodology is an indicative method with an accuracy of + 25% for NO2. The limits
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of detection are 0.4 µg m for NO2 It should be noted that tube results that are less than 10 x the limit
of detection will have a higher level of uncertainty associated with them.
2.2
On-going monitoring programme
Monitoring of NO2 as part of Girona’s ongoing survey began in 2007. The work is ongoing. The survey
follows recommendations from previous air quality monitoring surveys carried out in Girona city.
The aim of the on-going diffusion tube monitoring programme is to complement the monitoring carried
out at the one automatic stations at Aula de Música. The survey investigates sites likely to be affected
by different emission sources and compares these with background locations. In 2012, the network
consists of 14 sites across the city. Figure 3 shows the locations of the monitoring network.
Table 3 gives a brief description of each monitoring site.
2.3
Monitoring during Girona EcoBikes
During Girona Ecobikes, the on-going monitoring network was increased from 14 to 24 sites. Due to
the poor coverage of the existing monitoring network along both routes, 10 new sites were specifically
put in place. Figure 4, shows the two proposed bicycle routes (top) and the location of the extra 10
sites (bottom). The location aims to assess the air quality across both routes. Annex I includes a
photograph of each location.
Table 4 show a brief description of the extra monitoring sites set up during Girona EcoBikes.
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Figure 3 – Permanent monitoring network in Girona by passive samplers
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Table 3 - Site Description and location of non automatic monitoring sites
Site
01
Aula Música
Site
Lat
Type
B
41.976
02
Plaça del vi
R*
41.983
2.825
Girona
Gate of Ajuntament de Girona.
Semi pedestrian area
03
Parc del Migdia
B
41.974
2.817
Girona
04
C. Rutlla
K
41.976
2.823
Girona
05
Ronda Ferran Puig
K
41.982
2.819
Girona
Middle of Parc Migdia away from
traffic sources
Kerbside near traffic light. Likely
street canyon effect
Kerbside near very heavy traffic
06
C. de la Creu
R
41.976
2.819
Girona
Outside Mas Mitjà school
07
C. Sant Francesc
R
41.982
2.822
Girona
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
6
Site Name
Long Network
Description
2.817
Girona
Co-located with automatic
Monitoring Station
Located in middle of small square
near a street with relative low
traffic
Ctra Barcelona - Bolera
K
41.963 2.812 Girona Busy road, located at one of the
main entries to the city (South)
Santa Eugènia
R
41.977 2.803 Girona Busy road, located at one of the
West entries
C/ Pont Major 41
K
42.012 2.825 Girona Busy and narrow road located in
Pont Major
Maragall
R
41.978 2.820 Girona Busy street in the middle of
Girona with great traffic
movement.
Maristes
K
41.980 2.811 Girona Busy road located at one of the
major traffic entrances of the city
Crta Sant Gregori
R
41.992 2.808 Girona Relative busy road near
roundabout from Sant Gregori
C /Oviedo (Hisenda - cera R
41.972 2.814 Girona Parallel road to Crta Barcelona.
opp)
Currently quiet due to AVE
constructions. HDV related to
AVE.
K = Kerbside: less than 1m from kerb of a busy road.
R = Roadside: 1-5m from kerb of a busy road.
B = Background: > 25m from the kerb of any major road.
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Figure 4 – Ecobikes routes in Girona (top) and location of extra NO 2 monitoring sites (bottom)
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Table 4 - Site Description and location of non automatic monitoring sites for EcoBikes
Site
Site Name
15
Plaça St Pere
Site
Lat
Type
K
41.989
16
C/ Sant Daniel 51
K
41.989
2.832
EcoBikes Quiet road going to St Daniel.
Tarmark
17
Can Sirvent (St Daniel)
B
41.984
2.841
EcoBikes Very quiet road in St Daniel. No
tarmark
18
Camí dels Angels (St
Daniel)
B
41.988
2.843
EcoBikes Very quiet road in St Daniel. No
tarmark
19
Torrent Estela (St Daniel)
B
41.992
2.844
20 Ciutadans 22acc
(bot.Roura)
K
41.985
21 C/Força - Pujada Catedral
B
41.986
22 Pg Fora Muralla 20
R
41.982
23 Alemany - Plaça St
Domenech
B
41.986
24 Santa Clara 46
(Arm.Girona)
Long Network
Description
2.825
EcoBikes Edge of the square
EcoBikes Very quiet road in St Daniel. No
tarmark. Near car-park (outside
Font del Ferro)
2.826 EcoBikes In historical centre. Street closed
to comercial + neighbours. Near
square.
2.825 EcoBikes Pedestrian area towards
Catedral. In small square.
2.826 EcoBikes Outside city wall.
2.827 EcoBikes Located between St Domenech
Square and c/ Alemanys.
Restricted traffic.
R*
41.984 2.823 EcoBikes Located in a pedestrian shopping
street in historical centre
K = Kerbside: less than 1m from kerb of a busy road.
R = Roadside: 1-5m from kerb of a busy road.
B = Background: > 25m from the kerb of any major road.
2.4 Monitoring technique and bias adjustment
Diffusion tubes are an indicative monitoring technique and while they do not provide the same degree
of accuracy as an automatic monitoring station, they are a cost-effective means of assessing spatial
distribution of air pollutant concentrations over a large area. They are an ideal supplement to the
automatic monitoring at the "Aula de Música" which measure a range of pollutant using automatic
methods.
NO2 diffusion tubes are affected by various factors that can cause them to over- or under-estimate
compared to the automatic chemiluminescence analyser (which is defined in Europe as the reference
method for NO2.) Therefore, when using diffusion tubes for indicative NO2 monitoring, correction is
recommended for systematic bias . In order to assess the extent of any such systematic bias and to
provide an appropriate adjustment factor, triplicate NO 2 tubes were exposed at the Aula de Música.
All NO2 diffusion tube results in this report are adjusted for bias.
2.4.1 Co-location with automatic monitoring station
Following quality control procedures carried out by 4sfera during monitoring campaigns by passive
samplers, NO2 samplers were co-located at the automatic monitoring station with reference
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equipment. During the Ecobikes initiative, NO2 samplers were co-located in triplicate at the monitoring
station “Aula de Música” (see location at Figure 5).
The co-location of samplers in triplicate is carried out to verify the methodology used (see Figure 6).
The precision and accuracy can be calculated for all periods. Moreover, if necessary, a correction
factor could calculated to compensated for under or over-reading of the samplers.
Figure 5 – Location of automatic monitoring station in Girona
Figure 6 – Co-location of triplicate samplers at monitoring station
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3
Results and Discussion
3.1
Precision and accuracy of passive samplers
The quality of the data from the diffusion tube monitoring techniques needs to be considered before
the results are presented and discussed. Quality of diffusion tube monitoring results can be
considered in terms of precision and accuracy:
Precision - the spread of replicate measurements – can in this case be represented by the Coefficient
of Variation (CV) of triplicate results from each of the three NO2 diffusion tubes exposed at the
automatic site. This parameter (also known as the Relative Standard Deviation, RSD) is the standard
deviation expressed as a percentage of the mean.
Accuracy can be assessed as the bias of the passive sampler results compared to the reference
method: this is calculated as the difference between the two measurements expressed as a
percentage of the reference measurement.
Table 5 shows the average precision and accuracy of the results for the NO 2 tubes. The precision has
been calculated at all locations as all tubes are exposed in duplicate. The accuracy can only be
calculated at the automatic monitoring stations where the NO 2 reference method is used to calculate it.
The mean CV of duplicate diffusion tube exposures was 5%. From monitoring experience elsewhere,
we would expect the CV of the triplicate NO2 diffusion tube measurements to be less than 10%. As the
overall precision, and the precision of individual sites, was below 10% the monitoring results are
considered to be of very good precision.
Table 5 - Precision and accuracy of triplicate/duplicate NO2 diffusion tube results
Site
1 - Estació Aula de Música
2 - Plaça del vi
3 - Parc del Migdia
4 - C. Rutlla
5 - Ronda Ferran Puig
6 - C. de la Creu
7 - C. Sant Francesc
8 - Ctra Barcelona - Bolera
9 - Santa Eugènia
10 - C/ Pont Major 41
11 - C/ Maragall
12 - Maristes
13 - Crta Sant Gregori
14 - C/ Oviedo
15 - Clean - Plaça St Pere
16 - Clean - Sant Daniel
17 - Clean - Can Sirvent
18 - Clean - Camí Àngels
19 - Clean - Torrent Estela
20 - Clean - Ciutadans
21 - Clean - Pujada Catedral
22 - Clean - Fora Muralla
23 - Clean - Pl St Domenech
24 - Clean - Santa Clara
Precision
(Average CV, %)
8
5
2
4
5
6
7
1
5
10
3
4
1
7
6
4
6
2
8
3
8
3
2
Accuracy
(% over/under-read)
* Not available as these sites were not co-located with an automatic monitoring station
** This has only been calculated for one period due to a delay on reception of data from automatic monitoring station
10
2%**
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
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The accuracy of an indicative method is expected to be between +/-25%. As shown in Table 5 the
results meet this expectation. NO2 diffusion tubes tend to over-read relative to the automatic reference
monitoring methods.
3.1.1
Outliers
Precision and accuracy can also be used to identify outlier results. If the CV of a duplicate
measurement is above 25%, the precision of that duplicate can be considered poor and the result
eliminated from the dataset. Similarly, if the accuracy of an individual result for any period varied
significantly from the rest of the measurements, that result may be considered an outlier. No individual
outliers were identified for NO2 in the data set.
3.2
Bias adjustment of Diffusion tube results
As illustrated in Table 5, the co-location studies reveal that NO2 diffusion tube results show a very
small deviation to the reference methods. The results from these co-locations were used to calculate
bias adjustment factors, which were then used to adjust the annual mean concentrations measured
using the tubes. This approach is common practice throughout the UK and may give a more accurate
result as it takes into account systematic bias of diffusion tubes.
3.2.1
NO2 Diffusion tube bias adjustment
NO2 diffusion tubes were co-located in triplicate at "Aula de Música" station. As shown in Table 5, the
diffusion tubes overestimated on average 2% compared to the reference. This difference in bias has
been observed at this site in previous studies in Girona.
3.3
Air quality levels in Girona
The Ajuntament de Girona established a monitoring network in 2007. NO2 levels are presented in the
table below in Table 6 and Figure 7. These results aid to give context to the results during the study
period compared to those measured across a calendar year. Comparing the results in Table 6 it is
clear that the results during the study period are similar to those measured since 2007 and do not
seem to represent untypical situation in Girona.
Table 6 NO2 concentrations in Girona since 2007-2008 compared to current study
Site
Name
Type
NO2 conc. ug m-3
2011
2010
2007- 2008
31
35
38
35
32
34
0
1
2
Estació La Devesa
Estació Aula de Música
Plaça del vi
RB
B
R*
2012*
31
29
3
Parc del Migdia
B
22
29
26
26
4
C. Rutlla
K
71
79
59
66
5
Ronda Ferran Puig
K
92
94
80
82
6
C. de la Creu
R
45
51
44
49
7
C. Sant Francesc
R
36
37
33
35
8
Ctra Barcelona - Bolera
K
64
58
51
61
9
Santa Eugènia
R
36
38
37
48
10
C/ Pont Major 41
K
* Results representative of 2 periods in 2012
58
60
54
60
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Mean NO2 ( g m-3)
100
2007- 2008
2010
2011
2012*
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
la
C.
Cr
eu
Sa
Ct
nt
ra
Fr
Ba
an
rc
ce
el
sc
on
a
-B
ol
er
Sa
a
nt
aE
ug
C/
èn
Po
ia
nt
M
aj
or
41
de
Pu
ig
C.
a
ra
n
aF
er
C.
Ru
tll
Ro
nd
de
l
M
igd
ia
vi
de
l
Pa
rc
ica
M
ús
Pl
aç
a
Au
la
Es
t
ac
ió
Es
ta
ci ó
La
de
De
ve
s
a
0
Figure 7 - NO2 concentrations in Girona since 2007-2008 compared to current study
* Results representative of 2 periods in 2012
3.4
Summary of NO2 results city wide
NO2 diffusion tube results are presented in Table 7 and Figure 8. Annual mean NO2 concentrations
-3
-3
-3
range from 9 µg m to 92 µg m . The background levels vary between 9 µg m in Sant Daniel Valley
-3
-3
to 22 µg m in Parc del Migdia to 31 µg m at the Aula de Música closed to Carretera Barcelona.
-3
The highest mean concentrations were measured at Ronda Ferran Puig (92 µg m ), Carrer Rutlla (71
-3
-3
-3
µg m ), Carretera Barcelona-Bolera (64 µg m ) and Carrer Pont Major (58 µg m ). These are
kerbside locations with elevated number of vehicles per day combined with poor dispersion due to
canyon effect.
Background concentrations across Girona vary substantially between levels within the built up area
and the surroundings (specially in Sant Daniel Valley) The background NO 2 levels within the city are
-3
between 22 and 31 µg m (Parc del Migdia and Aula de Música), background levels at the historical
-3
centre vary between 20 and 21 µg m . On the other hand, the background levels over Sant Daniel
-3
Valley are 9 ot 11 µg m .
Figure 9 ilustrates the spatial variation of measured levels during 2012 survey.
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Table 7 - Mean NO2 Concentrations in Girona
Site
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Name
Type
Estació Aula de Música
Plaça del vi
Parc del Migdia
C. Rutlla
Ronda Ferran Puig
C. de la Creu
C. Sant Francesc
Ctra Barcelona - Bolera
Santa Eugènia
C/ Pont Major 41
C/ Maragall
Maristes
Crta Sant Gregori
C/ Oviedo
Clean - Plaça St Pere
Clean - Sant Daniel
Clean - Can Sirvent
Clean - Camí Àngels
Clean - Torrent Estela
Clean - Ciutadans
Clean - Pujada Catedral
Clean - Fora Muralla
Clean - Pl St Domenech
Clean - Santa Clara
B
R*
B
K
K
R
R
K
R
K
R
K
R
R
K
K
B
B
B
K
B
R
B
R*
NO2 conc.
-3
ug m
31
29
22
71
92
45
36
64
36
58
39
45
43
33
24
14
10
11
9
41
20
19
21
23
*All data bias adjusted using a factor of 0.98, derived from the co-location at Aula de Música
100
Mean NO2
90
Limit value
Mean NO2 (gm-3)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Figure 8 - NO2 concentrations in Girona during 2012 survey
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Roadside/Kerbside
Background
Figure 9 - NO2 mean concentrations during 2012 survey
3.4.1
Indicative comparison of mean NO2 with EC Directive annual limit
value.
The EC Directive limit values for NO2 are both hourly and annual mean concentrations. Because
diffusion tubes only provide approximately monthly average data, it is only appropriate to compare the
diffusion tube results against limits relating to the annual mean. Moreover, the mean concentrations in
this report have been measured using an indicative method with an unceraintaty of +/-25% and
monitoring did not cover a full calendar year. The following EC Directive limit value for NO 2 is used as
a level to compare the results:
-3
40 µg m as an annual mean, for protection of human health.
During the study, the mean concentration at eight sites (all of which were kerbside or roadside)
-3
indicate levels above the 40µg m value. These can be seen in Table 7.
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3.5 NO2 concentrations along Ecobikes routes
The variation of NO2 levels throughout the Ecobikes routes has been assesed in detail. The NO 2
levels have been compared to each other and compared to levels across Girona city. Table 8
summarieses simple statistics to compare the NO2concentrations. The average of the results at the
two selected routes are lower compared to the average calculated using the rest of sites in Girona.
Both routes can be considered to have good air quality.
The main reason for a good air quality is the characteristic of the routes that go through pedestrian
routres or streets with low number of vechicles compared to other sites in the Girona with much higher
congestion and poor dispersion of air pollutants. The lowest levels of NO2 that are presentative of
-3
background levels around both routes are found in the Sant Daniel route with 9 µg m compared with
-3
20 µg m .at the Barri Vell route. The background levels in the Barri Vell are similar to background
-3
levels found elsewhere in the city like Parc del Migdia with 22 µg m .
Table 8 - Statistics related to mean NO2 across Girona and Ecobike routes
Routes
Girona (all)
Girona (1-14)
Barri Vell
Sant Daniel
Barri Vell*
Sant Daniel*
Number
of sites
Range
n = 24
n =14
n=6
n=8
9 – 92
22 - 92
20 – 41
9 - 41
n=5
n=7
20 – 29
9 - 29
* Excluding site 20 - Ciutadans
NO2 mean.
-3
ug m
35
46
26
20
23
16
Figure 10 ilustrates the mean NO2 concentrations distinguishing whether the monitoring site is placed
in Girona city (yellow), along the BarriVell route (purple) or along Sant Daniel (red). As already
discussed, the Sant Daniel route shows lower NO2 concentrations compared to the BarriVell. The
spatial distribution of NO2 levels along the Ecobikes routes is ilustrated in Figure 11.
Figure 10 – Mean NO2 levels at monitoring locations according to its location
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Sant Daniel route
Barri Vell
Roadside/Kerbside
Background
mg m -3
0-10
11-20
21-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
>61
Figure 11 – Ecobikes routes in Girona (top) and NO2 mean results of monitoring sites (bottom)
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3.5.1
Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
in Girona city
Barri Vell route
The Barri Vell route is characterised by semi-pedestrianised streets and/or streets with traffic
restriction to the neighbourhood and commercial properties. The NO2 levels throughout the route vary
-3
-3
between 20 to 41 µg m . The average concentrations along this route is 26 µg m . This represents
healthy levels of air qualiy. With the exception of site 20, levels are quite homogeneous along the
route.
If the levels along this route are assessed excluding site 20, levels along the route vary between 20 to
-3
29 µg m . Levels at site 20 seems to pick up very local emissions due to idling vehicles loading and
unloading and may not be representative of the rest of Carrer del Ciutadans
Figure 12 ilustrates the mean NO2 results along the Barri Vell route. As discussed above air quality
levels are good.
3.5.2
Sant Daniel route
The Sant Daniel route is much longer than the route through the Barri Vell. This route is also
characterised by semi-pedestrianised streets and/or streets with traffic restriction to the
neighbourhood and commercial properties. Moreover, the route also goes through the rural roads and
trailing tracks in the Sant Daniel Valley. These are surrounded with a mixture of agriculture fields,
woodland areas and farm houses.
-3
The NO2 levels throughout the route vary between 9 to 41 µg m . The average concentrations along
-3
this route is 20 µg m . This represents healthy levels of air qualiy. With the exception of site 20, levels
are less homogeneous along the route as NO2 decrease as the route goes deeper into the Valley.
If the levels along this route are assessed excluding site 20, levels along the route vary between 9 to
-3
29 µg m . Levels at site 20 seems to pick up very local emissions as discussed above
In order to ilustrate better the NO2 levels along the route, Figure 13 has been plotted show the NO2
results along the Sant Daniel’s. The levels along this route are better compared to BarriVell.
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Roadside/Kerbside
Background
g m -3
0-10
11-20
21-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
>61
Figure 12 – NO2 levels across Barri Vell’s route
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Sant Daniel route
Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
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Roadside/Kerbside
Background
g m -3
0-10
11-20
21-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
>61
Figure 13 – NO2 levels across Sant Daniel’s route
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Conclusions
4sfera Innova has undertaken an air quality assessment of the two “Girona Ecobikes” routes. This
assessment has focused on an urban pollutant like nitrogen dioxide (NO 2). 4sfera has carried out
monitoring surveys in Girona by passive samplers on behalf of the Ajuntament de Girona. The specific
survey has been in place for three months in 2012. This report presents results obtained in 2012. The
results are compared with each other and results from Girona’s air quality monitoring network which is
running since 2007.
The number of operational sites within the diffusion tube network was increased during the Ecobikes
initiative from 14 to 24. The increase focused on providing further information on NO 2 concentrations
and spatial variation in the vicinity of the proposed bicycle routes. The increased focus on this area
has resulted in a higher understanding of the NO2 along these routes.
Monitoring is carried out by means of diffusion tubes. NO 2 was measured at 24 sites (only 14 as part
of Girona’s permanent network). The sites were located at a range of different locations in Girona.
NO2 results across Girona

The mean NO2 concentrations in Girona during the study presented in this report are
comparable to those measured in previous studies in the city

The main source of air pollution in Girona is traffic

The background levels across Girona are well below the 40 gm limit

Despite the low background concentrations, some elevated levels continue being mesured at
very congested monitoring sites with low dispersion of air pollution to the street
characteristics.

Highest concentrations contiue to be measured at Ronda Ferran Puig (92 gm ), Carrer de la
-3
-3
-3
Rutlla (71 gm ), Crta Barcelona- Bolera (64 gm ) and carrer Pont Major (58 gm ).

Background levels across Girona are 22 gm at Parc del Migdia and 29 gm at Plaça del
Vi.
-3
-3
-3
-3
NO2 results along “Girona Ecobikes” routes
20

Air quality is good along both Ecobikes routes. NO2 levels throughout both routes can be
considered healthy.

NO2 mean concentrations are, in average, lower than those measured elsewhere in the city.
This was expected as the routes mailny go thorugh pedestrian streets, streets with restricted
traffic and trailing tracks in the Sant Daniel Valley.

Throughout both routes, site 20 (Carrer Ciutadans) shows elevated NO2 levels at 41 gm .
This level is relatively high due to nature of the street which is restricted to traffic. However,
very local emissions due to construction works nearby and/or loading and unloading of
commercial vehicles could result in this elevated level.

NO2 levels along the BarriVell route are very homogeneous with small variation. This is
mainly due to similar characteristics throughout the route which is kept within the historical
centre.

NO2 levels along the Sant Daniel route vary depending on the two areas covered: within the
historical centre and outside the city in the Sant Daniel valley. As expected, the levels at the
-3
later are much lower with NO2 levels as low as 9 gm

The lowest level of NO2 measured in the historical centre is 19 gm at Passeig Fora Murrall.
This site was part of the monitoring for both routes.

The lowest NO2 level measured within the Sant Daniel valley varied between 9 and 11 gm .
-3
-3
-3
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“Girona Ecobikes” routes

“Girona Ecobikes” routes have been designed for tourist to explore Girona city both within the
historical centre and the Nature surroundings around the Sant Daniel Valley

Apart from the sightseeing prespective, the air quality assessment has shown that the
selected routes have low NO2 levels. Both routes can be qualified as healthy routes

The promotion of electrical vehicles through this routes assures the maitnenace of healthy air
quality levels along these.

The promotion of zero emission vehicles (including conventional cycling and also walking)
should continue along these routes to keep healthy routes within and around the city.
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Acknowledgements
4sfera Innova acknowledges the help and support of the Ajuntament of Girona in the completion of
this monitoring study. Without their support this monitoring programme would not be possible.
The Unitat Municipal d'Ànàlisi Territorial (UMAT) with the Ajuntament de Girona have assisted in the
production of the map contaning the Ecobikes routes.
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Annexes
Annex I: Photographs of monitoring sites along Ecobikes routes
Annex II: Adjusted values per period
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Annex I
Photographs of monitoring sites along
Ecobikes routes
24
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Photograph & address
15
Plaça St Pere
16
C/ Sant Daniel 51 (senyal 019/01/074)
17
Can Sirvent (St Daniel)
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Camí dels Angels (St Daniel)
19
Torrent Estela (St Daniel) – darrera senyal
20
Ciutadans 22acc (bot.Roura)
26
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21
C/Força - Pujada Catedral
22
Pg Fora Muralla 20
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Alemany - Plaça St Domenech
24
Santa Clara 46 (per davant Armeria.Girona)
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Annex II
Adjusted results per period
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Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes
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Location
Start
End
1 - Estació Aula de Música
2 - Plaça del vi
3 - Parc del Migdia
4 - C. Rutlla
5 - Ronda Ferran Puig
6 - C. de la Creu
7 - C. Sant Francesc
8 - Ctra Barcelona - Bolera
9 - Santa Eugènia
10 - C/ Pont Major 41
11 - C/ Maragall
12 - Maristes
13 - Crta Sant Gregori
14 - C/ Oviedo
15 - Clean - Plaça St Pere
16 - Clean - Sant Daniel
17 - Clean - Can Sirvent
18 - Clean - Camí Àngels
19 - Clean - Torrent Estela
20 - Clean - Ciutadans
21 - Clean - Pujada Catedral
22 - Clean - Fora Muralla
23 - Clean - Pl St Domenech
24 - Clean - Santa Clara
30
Girona
09/03/2012
10/04/2012
33
35
29
27
31
26
26
78
79
84
95
45
53
40
36
57
37
38
60
56
37
42
46
44
41
44
33
34
-
Clean 1
27/04/2012
24/05/2012
32
30
28
29
29
21
20
67
70
97
96
44
45
33
37
24
22
14
13
10
10
11
10
9
9
34
40
20
19
22
19
21
20
23
23
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Clean 2
24/05/2012
27/06/2012
30
32
28
29
31
19
21
61
68
87
93
41
45
36
38
70
34
34
61
56
39
45
47
43
45
33
32
25
22
14
14
10
9
11
12
9
8
44
46
20
20
19
17
22
22
22
23
Clean 3
27/06/2012
27/07/2012
-
Mean NO2 (gm-3)
32
33
28
28
30
22
22
69
73
89
95
43
48
36
37
57
70
36
36
60
56
38
42
45
46
42
44
33
33
25
22
14
13
10
10
11
11
9
9
39
43
20
20
20
18
22
21
22
23
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C/Maluquer Salvador 2, 6, 1
cp 17002 - Girona
Catalunya -Espanya
NIF: ES B55061873
Tel: +34 629 31 26 62
E-mail: jaume.targa@4sfera.com
www.4sfera.com
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