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Environmental Impact of Public Transit: Evidence from a Long Strike in Ottawa

Author

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  • Vincent Chandler
  • Nikolas Shymko

Abstract

This article takes advantage of an unusually long strike (51 days) in Ottawa to study the environmental impact of public transit. Overall, we find a robust significant increase in the concentration of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3) and a decrease in the concentration of nitrogen oxide (NO) during the strike on workdays between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The first two effects are probably due to an increase in car traffic during the strike, and the last one could be related to the absence of public buses with diesel engines. Interestingly, the concentration of PM and O3 decreased significantly during the last three weeks of the strike, suggesting that commuters eventually adapted to the lack of public transit by using environmentally friendly means of transportation. By only considering short strikes, previous studies may therefore overestimate the long-term environmental impact of public transit.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent Chandler & Nikolas Shymko, 2020. "Environmental Impact of Public Transit: Evidence from a Long Strike in Ottawa," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 46(1), pages 59-72, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:46:y:2020:i:1:p:59-72
    DOI: 10.3138/cpp.2019-035
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    Cited by:

    1. Champagne, Marie-Pier & Dubé, Jean & Barla, Philippe, 2022. "Build it and they will come: How does a new public transit station influence building construction?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Nicholas Rivers & Soodeh Saberian & Brandon Schaufele, 2020. "Public transit and air pollution: Evidence from Canadian transit strikes," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(2), pages 496-525, May.

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