Delayed effects of air pollution on public bike-sharing system use in Seoul, South Korea: A time series analysis

Eun-Hye Yoo ¹, John E Roberts ², YongHun Suh ³

⁰Department of Geography, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, USA.

Social Science & Medicine (1982) +

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June 9, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

High air pollution levels, including PM2.5, PM10, ozone, and NO2, were linked to a reduction in public bike-sharing usage the following day. This indicates air quality impacts sustainable mobility choices.

Area Of Science

Environmental Health
Urban Mobility Studies
Public Health

Background

Public bike-sharing systems offer sustainable urban mobility and health benefits.
Little is known about how ambient air pollution affects bike-sharing usage.

Purpose Of The Study

To assess the short-term impact of daily exposure to PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 on public bike-sharing system (PBS) usage in Seoul, South Korea.
To investigate potential effect modification by age, seasonality, and COVID-19.

Main Methods

A quasi-Poisson generalized linear model combined with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used for data from 2018-2021.
Models were adjusted for meteorological factors, day of the week, holidays, and long-term trends.
Stratification analyses were performed to examine effect modification.

Main Results

A negative association was observed between daily air pollution and PBS usage the next day for all four pollutants.
High pollution days (95th percentile) correlated with a 0.86% to 0.92% reduction in cycling behavior compared to low pollution days (25th percentile).
No significant effect modification was found for seasonality, age groups, or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

Elevated ambient air pollution concentrations are associated with decreased public bike-sharing usage on the subsequent day.
Air quality is a significant factor influencing the adoption of sustainable transportation modes like bike-sharing.

Keywords:

Air pollution Cycling behavior Distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) Public bike-sharing system (PBS)