Truck Parking and Idling is Having an Impact on Disadvantaged Communities in California

Under California Assembly Bill 617 (Garcia, 2017),local and state agencies are working to reduce airpollution exposure in low income communities. These communities—often referred to as AB 617 communities—are disproportionately impacted by air pollution due to their proximity to transportation corridors, industrial installations, and logistics centers. A research team at the University of California, Davis investigated the impact of truck parking related activities on air quality in California’s AB 617 communities in Kern County, including truck idling, time spent searching for parking, and parking locations in communities. Searching for parking involves trucks driving extra miles to find available parking spaces, which leads to additional fuel consumption and increased emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10). Once parked, prolonged or illegal parking can exacerbate congestion, noise, and localized pollution. These combined activities heighten exposure to harmful emissions in AB 617 communities,potentially leading to health issues (e.g., asthma and cardiovascular diseases).