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 Restricted Commercial AD00903001 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 Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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: -3 -3 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 -3 -3 -3 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 -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 . 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. -3 -3 -3 4sfera Innova iii Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Contents Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 1.1 Pollutant monitored 1.1.1 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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: -3 1 µg m = 0.523 ppb for nitrogen dioxide at 293K (20C) 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. 2 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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. 4sfera Innova 3 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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 -3 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. 4 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Figure 3 – Permanent monitoring network in Girona by passive samplers 4sfera Innova 5 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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. 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Figure 4 – Ecobikes routes in Girona (top) and location of extra NO 2 monitoring sites (bottom) 4sfera Innova 7 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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 8 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 4sfera Innova 9 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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%** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 4sfera Innova 11 Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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. 12 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 4sfera Innova 13 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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. 14 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 4sfera Innova 15 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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) 16 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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. 4sfera Innova 17 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Barri Vell Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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 18 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Sant Daniel route Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 4sfera Innova 19 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 4 Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city “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. 4sfera Innova 21 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 5 Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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. 22 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Annexes Annex I: Photographs of monitoring sites along Ecobikes routes Annex II: Adjusted values per period 4sfera Innova 23 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Annex I Photographs of monitoring sites along Ecobikes routes 24 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Site Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Photograph & address 15 Plaça St Pere 16 C/ Sant Daniel 51 (senyal 019/01/074) 17 Can Sirvent (St Daniel) 4sfera Innova 25 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 18 Camí dels Angels (St Daniel) 19 Torrent Estela (St Daniel) – darrera senyal 20 Ciutadans 22acc (bot.Roura) 26 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 21 C/Força - Pujada Catedral 22 Pg Fora Muralla 20 4sfera Innova 27 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 23 Alemany - Plaça St Domenech 24 Santa Clara 46 (per davant Armeria.Girona) 28 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city Annex II Adjusted results per period 4sfera Innova 29 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 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 4sfera Innova Restricted – Commercial 4sfera/AD0090301/ver1 Air quality assessment along Ecobikes routes in Girona city 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 4sfera Innova 31