2018/06/01 by Philippe Apparicio, Jérémy Gelb, Mathieu Carrier +3
Environmental Science · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Air Quality and Health Impacts #Noise Effects and Management #Urban Transport and Accessibility
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.06.007
openalex publication_date 2018/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution and road traffic noise are two important environmental nuisances that could be harmful to the health and well-being of urban populations. Earlier studies suggest that motorists are more exposed to air pollutants than are active transportation users. However, because of their level of physical activity, cyclists also inhale more air pollutants. The main objective of this paper is to measure individuals' levels of exposure to air pollution (nitrogen dioxide – NO 2 ) and road traffic noise according to their use of different modes of transportation. Three teams of three people each were formed: one person would travel by bicycle, one by public transit, and the third by car. Nearly one hundred trips were made, from various outlying Montreal neighbourhoods to the downtown area at 8 am, and in the opposite direction at 5 pm. The use of mixed models demonstrated that public transit commuters' and cyclists' levels of exposure to noise are significantly greater than motorists' exposure. Again, using mixed models, we found that although the levels of exposure to the NO 2 pollutant do not significantly differ among the three modes, the inhaled doses of NO 2 pollutant are more than three times higher for cyclists than for motorists due to their stronger ventilation rate. It is hardly surprising that the benefits of physical activity are of course greater for cyclists: they burn 3.63 times more calories than motorists. This ratio is also higher for public transport users (1.73) who combine several modes (walking, bus and/or subway and walking).