United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air
Region H Office
26 Federal Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10278
NEW YORK CITY
CARBON MONOXIDE
TRAFFIC SITE SURVEY
1981-89
Environmental Protection Agency
Region II

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NEW YORK CITY
CARBON MONOXIDE
TRAFFIC SITE SURVEY
1981-89
This report was prepared by
Environmental Protection Agency
Region II Office
Air & Waste Management Division
Air Programs Branch

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New York City Carbon Monoxide Traffic Site Survey
1981-89
Carbon monoxide (CO) data in New York City was reviewed to
evaluate trends and compliance status at various monitoring locations.
The data shows a strong and general trend toward fewer violations of
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The reasons
for this improvement may be due to a variety of conditions.
With traffic volume into Manhattan growing in the 1948-1988 time
period, at an average rate of 2% per year (Figure 1 and Table 1), it
can be assumed that the decline in CO levels is due to the continuing
drop in CO emissions per vehicle. The older and higher emitting
vehicles are being replaced by newer and better controlled vehicles.
In addition, gasoline vapor pressure reductions beginning in 1989
reduced combustion chamber HC/02 ratios, particularly during start-
up. This may also play a role in reducing the amounts of CO
produced, particularly during the warmer months. Beginning in
1990, oxygen containing organic compounds were being added to the
gasolines, and this may account for additional reductions in CO
emissions per vehicle.
Review by Site
A) 45th Street Post Office - Eight hour exceedances were
down to two (Figure 2 & 3 and Table 2), when the monitor
was discontinued in July of 1989. This monitor was
located in a commercial area and no exceedances occurred
on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. There is a limit to
what this site is considered to represent, since it was
primarily affected by a minor cross street and subject to
exhausts primarily from parked postal vehicles.

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B)	Canal Str^pf - It appears that the diminution of carbon
monoxide violations has been partially offset by the
continuing commercial growth of the Chinatown and
SOHO areas, since violations still occur (Figure 4 & 5 and
Table 3). The 45th Street monitor has fallen to two
exceedances in the same time period.
C)	Downtown Brooklyn - Relatively large numbers of (daily)
multiple exceedances are observed (Figure 6 & 7 and Table
4), and the numbers of exceedances were greater than the
number of exceedance days. When eight hour exceedances
occurred during the 1984-1987 period there were, in many
instances, two daily non-overlapping eight hour periods.
This indicated that there was heavy traffic in the AM and
PM rush hours. The most exceedances occurred on
Fridays which may indicate that this is a heavy congestion
period perhaps due to the start of the weekend. Violations
on weekends have been rare in recent years.
D)	Alpyanfters. 59th Street - The largest number of
exceedances have been recorded at this site (Figure 8 & 9
and Table 5). There were many instances when two non-
overlapping eight hour exceedances were recorded on the
same day. This indicated that there was heavy traffic in
the AM and PM rush hours. As the number of total eight
hour exceedances has decreased, so has the number of days
when there were two non-overlapping eight hour
exceedances. There have also been a few days when the
whole 24 hour period was in violation. This indicated that
heavy traffic existed from early AM to well into the
evening. Violations were predominant on business days;
generally, Tuesday through Thursday.
In 1989 and the first quarter of 1990, exceedances occurred on
days when non-summer temperatures were above normal,
suggesting that gasoline vapor pressures may be a factor (See

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Table 6). Gasoline vapor pressures are much higher during the
winter to improve driving ability and are not limited by the
recent limits. In addition, air stagnation tends to develop on the
warmer winter days.
Another factor in the decline of violations is improved east-
bound traffic flow on 59th Street due to more traffic agents on
duty at 59th Street and Second Avenue.
General Discussion
From the attached graphs it appears that the reductions in carbon
monoxide emissions per vehicle have been reflected in the
improvement in air quality for the periods of record. In 1989, only
the Alexanders site showed an appreciable number of exceedances
(Figure 8 & 9 and Table 5).
The question that is of most interest is whether the continued
improvement in vehicle emissions in combination with all other factors
including increasing vehicle usage can result in attainment at all sites.
Cursory review of 1990 data shows this to be a possibility.

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FIGURE 1
*
E
3
I
>.200
1.100
1,000
see
see
700
see
see
400
900
200
100
Daily Traffic Flow to Manhattan
Rll Faci Hties
194B-19BB
Growth Rate ¦ +2.0*
I I I

i I i i
I I I I I
i i I i i i i
i I i i i i I
i i i
50
55
60
65
70
75
ee
65
c
©
o>
c
•
a
c
&
3.0
2.7
2.4
2.1
1-B
1.5
1.2
.8
.6
.3
N.Y.C. Rnnual Subway Passengers
194B-19BB
Growth Rate
-1.5*
¦ ¦ I ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ 1 ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ J ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ I ¦ ¦ ¦-¦ I ¦ ¦ ¦ * I ¦ ¦ * ¦ ^ ¦ ¦ * ¦ l ¦ * *
50 55 60 65 70 75 60 V5

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TABLE 1
Manhattan Crossings
Traffic Growth Fate Trends
194b - 196b
East Fiver Bridges	 194b-1958 1953-1966 196b-197b 197b-1988
Brooklyn Eridge
46. 21
44.7%
4l.bfc

Manhattan Bridge
-1.2%
40.4%
-0.6%
40.6%
Queer.sbcro Eridqe
41.4%
42.6%
41.3%
41.9%
fcilliareburg Eridge
45.6%
-1.0%
41.5%
43.4%
Total
42.2%
41,7%
41.1%
42.2%
Harler Pivcr Bridges




Alexander Hamilton Bridge
K.ft.
M.K.
42.6%
42.2%
Broadway Bridge
42.6%
-0.2%
41.3%
42.0%
Ma coitus Dec. Eridge
45.7%
-3.7%
-1.1%
43.0%
Kadiscn Fverue Bridge
45.6%
-0.3%
4l.fc%
41.4%
Third Avenue Eridge
46.3%
-1.71
41.7%
41.6%
University Heights Eridge
45.2%
-4.6%
42.0%
41.6%
kashinotcn Erioge
44.3%
-5.6%
42.9%
43.5%
kill is Avenue Eridge
44.1%
41.4%
-1.2%
43.5%
146th Street Bridge
43.1%
-3.5%
-1.6%
42.5%
Total
44.b%
42.3%
41.3%
42.4%
T.E.?.?. Facilities




Erookiyn-Eattery lunnel
4«.U%
42.0%
-1.91
40.6%
Que ens-Kid town funnel
47.5%
41.6%
-0.3%
40.4%
Tribcrcugh (Kan) Lricge
4b.7%
42.1%
-1.2%
41.7%
Berry llucsor Eridge
43.6%
-3.2%
-4.7%
46.1%
Total
47.9%
40.bt
-1.7%
41.7%
Port ?utncritv Facilities




Hellene Tunnel
42.5%
-0.5%
41.9%
42.4%
Lincoln Tunnel
47.0%
41.6%
41.6%
42.2%
George Washington Eridge
4t.b%
47.5%
41.41%
42.5%
TotEl
46.4%
43.9%
41.9%
42.4%
Grand Total
44.9%
42.2%
40.9%
42.2%

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FIGURE 2
EIGHT HOUR CO EXCEEDANCES
45TH STREET POST OFFICE
1981-1989
NUMBER OF EXCEEDANCES
YEAR

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FIGURE 3
SECOND HIGHEST EIGHT HOUR MAXIMA
45TH STREET POST OFFICE
1981-1989
CONCENTRATION. PPM
YEAR

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Total Eight
Hour
Violations
Violation
Days
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Table 2
Distribution, Eight Hour Carbon Monoxide
NAAOS Violations, Microscale Traffic Sites
45th Street Post Office. Manhattan
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 TOTAL
52
42
8
10
9
8
7
0
0
21
21
5
2
5
5
4
0
0
19
18
5
5
4
1
3
0
0
23
23
4
6
4
3
6
0
0
3
3
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
122
111
22
24
24
17
24
0
0

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FIGURE 4
EIGHT HOUR CO EXCEEDANCES
CANAL STREET, DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN
1981-1989
NUMBER OF EXCEEDANCES
YEAR

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FIGURE 5
SECOND HIGHEST EIGHT HOUR MAXIMA
CANAL STREET, DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN
1981-1989
CONCENTRATION, PPM
1981	1983	1985	1987	1989
YEAR

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Table 3
Distribution. Eight Hour Carbon Monoxide
NAAOB Violations. Hicroacale Traffic Sites
Canal Street. Manhattan
	 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 TOTAL
Total Eight
Hour
Violations 25 19 9 12 3 7 1 4 2 82
Violation	24 17 8 11 2 6 1 4 2	75
Days
Mondays	312 011011	10
Tuesdays	5 2	0 2 0 1 0 0 0	10
Wednesdays	2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 l	6
Thursdays	5202000009
Fridays	632201010	15
Saturdays	242301010	13
Sundays	1	3	2	2	1	2	10	0	12

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FIGURE (
EIGHT HOUR CO EXCEEDANCES
FLATBUSH AVENUE. DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN
1984-1989
NUMBER OF EXCEEDANCES
YEAR

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FIGURE 7
SECOND HIGHEST EIGHT HOUR MAXIMA
FLATBUSH AVENUE. DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN
1984-1989
CONCENTRATION, PPM
YEAR

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Table 4
Distribution. Eight Hour Carbon Monoxide
NAAOS Violations. Microscale Traffic Bites
Downtown Brooklyn. Flatbush Avenue
	 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 TOTAL
Total Eight
Hour
Violations	59 29 38 19 5 3	153
violation	46 20 27 17 5 3	118
Days
Mondays
10
1
5
0
1
0
17
Tuesdays
4
4
1
3
0
0
12
Wednesdays
6
3
2
1
1
1
14
Thursdays
5
4
9
5
1
1
25
Fridays
12
8
8
7
2
1
38
Saturdays
5
0
1
1
0
0
7
Sundays
4
0
1
0
0
0
5

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FIGURE 8
EIGHT HOUR CO EXCEEDANCES
59TH STREET-LEXINGTON AVENUE. MANHATTAN
1985-1989
NUMBER OF EXCEEDANCES
100

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FIGURE 9
SECOND HIGHEST EIGHT HOUR MAXIMA
59TH STREET-LEXINGTON AVENUE MANHATTAN
1985-1989
CONCENTRATION, PPM
1985	1987	1989
YEAR

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Table S
Distribution. Eight Hour Carbon Monoxide
NAAOS Violations. Microacale Traffic 8ite3
Alexanders. 59th Street. Lexington-Third Avenues. Manhattan
	 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 TOTAL
Total Eight
Hour
Violations	79 33 70 25 14 221
Violation	71 28 59 21 13 192
Days
Mondays
9
3
12
5
2
31
Tuesdays
15
6
9
6
4
40
Wednesdays
13
7
10
3
3
36
Thursdays
13
3
10
2
2
30
Fridays
11
3
7
3
1
25
Saturdays
7
2
5
2
0
16
Sundays
3
4
6
0
1
14

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Table 6
Temperatures. New Yorfc Citv (Central Parle)
EXCEEDANCE
Davs-Alexanders*
MAX
MIN
MEAN
normal
MEAN

1989





1/23
51
32
42
31
1/23 inversion
3/15
69
46
58
41
day
3/28
82**
56
69**
46
3/29
76
50
63
46

4/3
58
44
51
48

4/4
67
45
56
48

7/20
74
68
71
77

8/22
84
69
77
75

8/24
83
64
74
74

8/29
76
70
73
73

8/30
89
71
80
73

10/27
76
52
64
54

10/29
76
57
67
53

1990





3/11
67
45
56
40

3/15
77
42
60
41

* Exceedances at Alexanders, CY-89 and First Quarter 1990
** Record high temperature

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