Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Air Quality

Pedestrians, Including Bill Clinton, Breathe Easier in the New Times Square

By Brad Aaron | Apr 13, 2011 | 4 Comments

A new study commissioned by the city finds that air quality in Times Square has notably improved since the 2009 installation of pedestrian plazas on Broadway. Street-level readings taken by the New York City Community Air Survey, a city-wide air quality monitoring program created as part of PlaNYC, show that “concentrations of traffic-related pollutants were […]

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The Problems With Ports, or Why We Need a National Freight Act

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 6, 2010 | No Comments

Maybe you commute by train, or maybe you’ve switched from driving to biking. But your stuff is still traveling the country by diesel truck. Containers at the Port of Oakland. Photo: NOAA Nearly a quarter of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions come from freight. The movement of goods from port of entry to a store near […]

City Council Moves on Environmental Health, But What About Tailpipes?

By Noah Kazis | May 18, 2010 | 16 Comments

The Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, covered in smog generated in large part by tailpipe emissions. Image: Wikimedia The New York City Council moved on two big pieces of environmental legislation last Wednesday. One bill was introduced which would require landlords to participate in a major public experiment to reduce asthma rates. A second, which passed […]

Study: Fewer Cars on the Street = Healthier Kids

By Noah Kazis | Feb 5, 2010 | 11 Comments

Fewer cars means more walking and healthier kids. Image: jeweledlion via Flickr. Could reducing traffic near children’s homes help America combat its obesity epidemic? A new study conducted by UC Berkeley professor Michael Jerrett strongly suggests the answer is yes. Obesity rates are steadily increasing — more than one-fifth of New Yorkers are now obese, […]

NYC Health Department: Traffic Is Poisoning Our Air

By Brad Aaron | Dec 16, 2009 | 17 Comments

Estimated fine particle concentrations in winter 2008-2009 In a first of its kind report for the city, the Department of Health has issued a wake-up call for New Yorkers of all stripes: Car and truck traffic is killing us, in more ways than one. Collecting ground-level samples at 150 sites for a community air quality […]

Council Targets Roaming Tour Buses, Old School Buses

By Brad Aaron | Sep 17, 2009 | 1 Comment

Photo: artgyrl/Flickr The City Council will hold hearings on new rules for tour bus operators next Monday. Int. 742 would have companies switch from open-air amplification of tour guides to headphone-based systems in buses with unenclosed upper decks or open windows. Int. 836 would require submission of operating plans, including routes, trip times and frequency, […]

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