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Transportation Noise and Blood Pressure in a Population-Based Sample of Adults (6 page pdf, Julia Dratva, Harish C. Phuleria, Maria Foraster, Jean-Michel Gaspoz, Dirk Keidel, Nino Künzli, L.-J. Sally Liu, Marco Pons, Elisabeth Zemp, Margaret W. Gerbase, Christian Schindler, Environ Health Perspect, Jan. 2012)

Today, the focus is on a study of the impacts of railway noise on residents of a city in Switzerland. Differences with noise and air pollution from vehicle traffic are noted as well as the distinguishing characteristic of railway noise being more variable in volume and in being intermittent. While no association with hypertension was found, clear links with blood pressure were found in patients with diabetes.  There would seem to be a need to consider similar health effects from electric rail systems (LRTs) being constructed for public urban transit in highly populated areas of many medium to large cities in the USA and Canada.

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Also discussed here: Towards a competitive low-carbon energy sector  (European Commission, Dec. 19, 2011

And here: EU’s “Energy Roadmap 2050” Published (Zachary Shahan, Clean Technica Dec. 27, 2011

While many countries have very modest plans to decarbonize in the short term (e.g. Canada and the US with a 17% reduction target by 2020), few countries have serious plans beyond this. The EU recently released a plan, or rather a series of scenarios, to achieve the required reduction of carbon fuels and a stable global climate by 2050 – if that is not too late for the atmosphere to recover, a question being debated between the carbon energy proponents on the one hand and serious climate researchers on the other who would see the target moved to much earlier. Whatever reductions occur, there will be significant improvements also in air pollution and the health benefits that come from that which is the prime focus of this blog, so that we follow the development of decarbonization plans such as this with much interest. Some of the implications of this roadmap are noted including the need to engage the public and the role of nuclear energy,  energy efficiency, and managing energy demand.

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The focus today, as it has been in past reviews, is the craziness involved in cities which give away free parking or set parking rates at the same low rate regardless of the demand- with a prominent example from Los Angeles compared with the more enlightened planners and traffic engineers in San Francisco which has migrated to dynamic parking prices and high tech aids to manage their traffic and parking.

The problem is not just in California, however, as you see the same thing in huge mandated parking lots and set parking fees in the downtown areas of Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto (and probably others too) – which adds to the congested misery of these air polluted, car-addicted cities.

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Respiratory health effects of air pollution: Update on biomass smoke and traffic pollution ( 9 page pdf, Robert J. Laumbach and Howard M. Kipen, Clinical reviews in allergy and immunology, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jan, 2012)

Also discussed here: Review Hardens Links Between Air Pollution, Health Problems (Christine Hsu, Medical Daily, Dec. 26, 2011)

Today’s review article is very useful overview and updated literature review of two types of pollution that are both increasing in importance and have not been as well researched as ambient air pollution as a major health impact: the burning of carbon fuels inside homes (BMFs) in developing countries and exposure to traffic related air pollution (TRAPs) near roadways. The authors conclude by listing what is known and what is not, some of which is noted below.

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Also discussed here : Parks in, Cars not out? Is that going to be our future? (World Streets, Dec. 27, 2011)

And here: Madrid Rio (8 slides)

Today,  the focus is on an article which reviews the large number of cities worldwide which have replaced  their highways with parks, rivers and areas to be enjoyed by their citizens, instead of adding to the blight of inner city slums intersected  by polluting roads. The highlight is on Madrid Rio in Spain’s capital which appears to have transformed the entire city, as can be seen in the slideshow linked below.

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Also discussed here: CPM-Chicago Parking Meters

A key example of the value of applying the pricing concept to parking rates is described in the article reviewed today about Chicago where the investment in the new technology needed for smart meters and dynamic rates was covered by leasing the parking system to the private sector. The result is increased revenue to the city, less congestion and vehicle emissions downtown as fewer vehicles have to search for a parking space and a public that is slow to accept it- the director of parking amusingly said “Thank God we don’t have capital punishment” in Illinois”. This reminds us of the slow careful approach used in Stockholm to gain public acceptance of congestion pricing there.

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Defining principles: Remembering Mrs. Jacobs, The Power of Jane Jacobs’ “Web Way of Thinking” (Michael Mehaffy, World Streets, Dec.23. 2011)

Also discussed here: Jane Jacobs

Although born as an American and having made significant contributions to the New York City landscape, Jane Jacobs is often fondly viewed by Canadians as one of their own and one of the main influences on how Toronto developed as one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. Today, we feature a review and a list of Jane’s “lessons” for urban planners, thanks to Eric Britton at the World Streets blog and an article reprinted there by Michael Mehaffy. These tips provide the basis for a sustainable city in all respects.

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Urban Traffic Calming and Health: A Literature Review ( 152 page pdf, Olivier Bellefleur & François Gagnon, National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy, Institut national de santé publique du Québec,  Nov. 2011)

Today, the focus is on a report that reviews the literature on health aspects of traffic calming. Among several surprising points is that traffic calming is usually aimed at and has benefits related to reduced speed as a prime factor for injuries or fatalities from collisions. But many traffic calming techniques, such as speed humps, cause a variation in speed- a temporary slowing followed by rapid acceleration and THIS results in a doubling of vehicle emissions and lower air quality near the road. The message is to take both pollution impacts and speed impacts into consideration when implementing traffic calming.

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Estimated Short-Term Effects of Coarse Particles on Daily Mortality in Stockholm, Sweden (27 page pdf, Kadri Meister, Christer Johansson, Bertil Forsberg, Environ Health Perspect, Dec. 19. 2011)

The focus today is on the short term health impacts from coarser particles that come from traffic and roads other than through emissions- an aspect not as well studied as the impacts from fine particles. For a number of reasons, both these types of particle and the health impacts from them  are highest in the winter and spring.

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Also discussed here: Why Boom Times Kill (Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias,  Dec. 19, 2011)

We know that the elderly are more vulnerable to health impacts from air pollution than other age groups but a further complication is the impact on how well these people are cared for during cycles in the economy. Today’s review is on an analysis of the link between unemployment rates and the care for the elderly in nursing homes and shows that lower unemployment generally results in fewer nursing assistants being available- at least in the USA where the study was based. In addition, because more elderly in nursing homes are women, the impact is greater for them. The broader point is that taking steps to improve air pollution during boon times would have specific health benefits for women.

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