Benefits of transportation strategies to reduce on-road traffic pollution emissions: Evidence from Bogota, Colombia

Abstract

Air pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally, and it is a significant challenge to reverse the problem for low- and middle-income cities in the Global South. In most cities, traffic-related emissions are responsible for the highest percentage of air pollution problems. In Latin America, different strategies have been implemented to improve transportation and air quality, such as vehicle operation restrictions, vehicle fleet renewal incentives, less polluting fuels and vehicles, and infrastructure improvement strategies. However, there need to be more documentation on the benefits of transportation policies in developing cities. Our investigation aims to provide evidence of short-term emission benefits of implemented and future strategies in Bogota. We update the emissions inventory using a bottom-up approach, coupling a transportation model with COPERT emission factors adapted to typical traffic operating conditions and the technological distribution of Bogota’s vehicle fleet. We found that light vehicles contribute more than 70 % of CO and SO₂ emissions and more than 50 % of VOC and SO₂ emissions, while transit and inter-municipal buses contribute the highest PM_2.5 emissions. Additionally, we estimate short-term emission benefits of infrastructure improvement strategies compared to a scenario of no investment, obtaining a relative emission reduction of between 2 % and 4 % for criteria pollutants.