PCA Traffic Committee Update - Combating Traffic Pollution When we think of traffic, we usually think about congestion, accidents, speeding, running stop signs, and the like. But a less visible, though perhaps more important, feature of traffic is pollution. A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that in Canadian cities, nine times more people die prematurely from air pollution than from traffic accidents. Fortunately, there is something each of us can do to protect our families and neighbors from this pollution and it is as easy and fun as gardening. In fact, it is gardening. The Harvard School of Public Health recently published the results of a study of two types of traffic pollution: black carbon and nitrogen dioxide, which are known to increase the risk of many health problems including asthma and cardiovascular disease. They used pollution monitors mounted on bikes along the bike paths (which follow the streets but are separated by vegetation) and bike lanes (which are on the street, with the traffic). They found that the concentrations of the pollutants were roughly a third lower along the bike paths, compared to the bike lanes. This was true for roadways of all sizes. They concluded the difference was caused by the protective barrier of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation. This protective effect should be reproducible by residents who fill their yards, especially front yards, with vegetation. So, the Parkside Traffic Committee officially tips its hat to all of Parksides gardeners and encourages all who can do so, to go out and garden. As you may know, the PCAs Traffic Committee is very actively involved in many issues regarding the safety and quality of our streets. If you would like to join our efforts on this issues, please let us know by calling the PCA office at 838-1240 or emailing us at PCADirector@gmail.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 00:54:55 +0000
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