Bucharest’s Old Town, most polluted area in the city

According to a iVelo and Aerlive campaign backed by the Municipality of Bucharest, the central Old Town district is the most polluted area in Bucharest, among 10 monitored areas.

As part of the iVelo and Aerlive project, supported by the local budget of the Municipality of Bucharest, the Green Revolution Association, through the iVelo bikesharing system, and the environmental organization Ecopolis through the air monitoring platform Aerlive, monitored air quality at 10 iVelo stations in Bucharest from August to November 2023. The campaign's objective was to increase awareness of the city's air quality and the impact sustainable means of transportation can have on it.

The monitored stations were Presei Square (City Gate), the Arch of Triumph, Charles de Gaulle Square, Opera Square, Revolutiei Square, the Old Town, Kaufland Barbu Văcărescu, Alba Iulia Square, Barbu Văcărescu (Sky Tower), and Libertății Boulevard. The data could be consulted in real-time on the iVelo and Aerlive applications.

All 10 monitoring stations recorded a PM2.5 pollution level exceeding the annual average allowed by law, and two of them registered PM10 exceedances. The peak pollution during the analyzed period was on October 21, 2023, for most monitoring stations.

The same data revealed that the Old Town was the station with the highest level of PM2.5 and PM10 pollution, followed by the station on Barbu Văcărescu and the one on Libertății Boulevard. During October 19-21, the PM2.5 level at the Old Town station exceeded 200% of the maximum allowed value.

The 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM time interval is the most polluted period with PM2.5 and PM10, signaling that heavy traffic is the main source of pollution in Bucharest.

Beyond the useful information that helps cyclists be informed about the air quality in the mentioned areas, the objective of this partnership is to promote cycling as an essential factor for decarbonizing transport and reducing car traffic.

“Using bicycles as a form of transportation within the city actively and substantially contributes to better air quality and the lives of citizens. Moreover, the economic benefits of bicycles are multiple and should generate integrated public policies for their promotion. Furthermore, the target set by the European Commission for a 90% decarbonization of urban transport by 2050 is not achievable without fully integrating bicycles into the urban mobility mix,” said Raluca Fiser, president of the Green Revolution Association, in the press release.

"By monitoring air quality in ten ultra-central and busy points for cars and pedestrians in Bucharest, we obtain relevant data on pollutant quantities that can be correlated with car traffic. Suspended particles are dust particles loaded with toxic substances, including those from car traffic, especially generated during braking. These significantly affect human health, especially that of children. We will continue to monitor and advance specific solutions for these areas, and we hope the project will extend to all iVelo stations," said Oana Neneciu, executive director of Ecopolis.