Evaluation of Air Quality Index by Spatial Analysis Depending on Vehicle Traffic during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Turkey

Kadir Diler Alemdar, Ömer Kaya, Antonino Canale, Muhammed Yasin Çodur and Tiziana Campisi
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Kadir Diler Alemdar: Transportation Department, Engineering and Architecture Faculty, Erzurum Technical University, 25050 Erzurum, Turkey
Ömer Kaya: Transportation Department, Engineering and Architecture Faculty, Erzurum Technical University, 25050 Erzurum, Turkey
Antonino Canale: Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella, Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy
Muhammed Yasin Çodur: Transportation Department, Engineering and Architecture Faculty, Erzurum Technical University, 25050 Erzurum, Turkey
Tiziana Campisi: Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella, Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: As in other countries of the world, the Turkish government is implementing many preventive partial and total lockdown practices against the virus’s infectious effect. When the first virus case has been detected, the public authorities have taken some restriction to reduce people and traffic mobility, which has also turned into some positive affect in air quality. To this end, the paper aims to examine how this pandemic affects traffic mobility and air quality in Istanbul. The pandemic does not only have a human health impact. This study also investigates the social and environmental effects. In our analysis, we observe, visualize, compare and discuss the impact of the post- and pre-lockdown on Istanbul’s traffic mobility and air quality. To do so, a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach is proposed. Various spatial analyses are performed in GIS with the statistical data used; thus, the environmental effects of the pandemic can be better observed. We test the hypothesis that this has reduced traffic mobility and improved air quality using traffic density cluster set and air monitoring stations (five air pollutant parameters) data for five months. The results shows that there are positive changes in terms of both traffic mobility and air quality, especially in April–May. PM 10 , SO 2 , CO, NO 2 and NO x parameter values improved by 21.21%, 16.55%, 18.82%, 28.62% and 39.99%, respectively. In addition, there was a 7% increase in the average traffic speed. In order for the changes to be permanent, it is recommended to integrate e-mobility and sharing systems into the current transportation network.

Keywords: pollutant emission; traffic mobility; COVID-19; sustainable transportation; paired sample t -test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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