Recommendations for Policy Changes Based on Project Research

1. Monitor and  Inspect Tour Buses

Tour buses,  especially older ones like the one pictured,  have shown to be heavy
 particulate  polluters.  As in this picture the bus will come within a few feet of the parklet 
on the right side  of the street. Our  highest readings with an AQI of 235 micrograms per cubic  meter
("very unhealthy" according to the EPA) took place when two older tour buses stopped  at a light
at the same  place.

2. Reduce stacking at stop lights -especially so that stacking does not  back up to eating areas. This particular 
stacking event is in front of three restaurants with outside eating areas and the city's parklet.

3. Reduce  commercial vehicle traffic on Columbus

4. Diners are eating within 6 feet of car tailpipes that are parked along the street. The city should consider bringing back the other 6 feet of sidewalk that was removed after WWII to make more room for cars. While our investigations found that the particulates didn’t disperse as  fast as we would have thought clearly keeping tailpipe exhaust more than 6 feet from someone eating should be a minimum goal.   

Design parking spaces with a different tailpipe orientation. Cars moving in and out of on-street parking spaces should not be directing their tailpipe emissions at diners sitting just a few feet away.

5.  Motorcycles have a high level of both noise and particle emissions. Yet, at the parklet in front of the El Greco Cafe, motorcycle parking is immediately adjacent to diners. Motorcycles should be moved away from dinning areas. When the motorcycles come or when they leave the produce very high levels of particulates. We have recorded AQI numbers of 120 and above when motorcycles run near the parklets.

Other recommendations may be coming as we continue to take measurements and study the environmental conditions along Columbus Avenue.

We plan to start monitoring other areas of interest as we continue our research.