A method for identifying exceedances of permissible NOX air pollutants by car traffic in a polish city

Abstract Urban traffic causes air pollution in the city, contributing to respiratory diseases. For this reason, the article aimed to identify places in the street network where nitrogen oxide (NOX) pollution exceeds the permissible value, i.e., 30 µg/m3, by Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament. The research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic during the period of the most significant restrictions in 2020, with most restrictions lifted in 2021. The article presents a method for identifying points with concentrations of air pollutants exceeding the standards in the example of a large Polish city. The research results allowed for precisely identifying places in the city’s street network with the worst air quality parameters. Hence, the article aimed to identify areas with the worst air quality parameters in terms of NOX emissions, which will enable actions that may reduce the pollutants examined. The research used the ADMS atmospheric dispersion modeling program, a road traffic database obtained from the Sydney Cooperative Adaptive Traffic System, and Geographic Information System programs. The number of identified points with NOX pollution exceeding the permissible EU standard in 2020 (during the Covid-19 pandemic) was in the range of 30.00–79.42 µg/m3 was 771, while after the pandemic it ranged from 30.06 to 97, 91 µg/m3 428. The proposed method for precise point identification of NOX pollutants caused by road traffic is a universal tool for detecting and analyzing pollutants in urban agglomerations.