Cyclists Experience Routes, Not Locations: A Simulation-Based Exposure Assessment
Two cycling routes connecting the same origin and destination may expose cyclists to substantially different levels of traffic-related air pollution. However, the extent to which alternative cycling routes lead to different cumulative pollution exposure remains insufficiently explored.
This study uses microscopic traffic simulation to estimate a proxy-based cyclist exposure indicator derived from simulated PM-emissions and cyclists’ travel time along the route. Traffic dynamics are simulated using PTV Vissim, and emission factors are applied based on fleet composition and traffic volumes on Munich’s road network. The resulting emission estimates are combined with cyclists’ travel time to approximate cumulative exposure along the route.
The analysis compares exposure levels between a motor-traffic-adjacent cycling route and green corridor cycling alternative, and examines differences between rush-hour and off-peak conditions.
In addition, route-based exposure estimates are contrasted with stationary air-quality measurements. While stationary sensors capture pollution levels at specific locations, cyclists experience exposure along their routes. This perspective highlights potential limitations of point-based monitoring for understanding cyclists’ actual exposure.
The study demonstrates how simulation-based exposure proxies can support the design of future field measurement campaigns by identifying routes and time periods with potentially large exposure differences. In future work, the simulation-based estimates will be validated with real-world measurements.