By Simon Ng, Jimmy Fung, N.T. Lau, Alexis Lau
30 April 2015

In April 2015, Civic Exchange published a report on PM2.5 pollution along the tramway. To download the report, click on the link above.

In early 2013, an HKUST research team together with Civic Exchange engaged Hong Kong Tramways to explore a potential research project that would measure urban air quality on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island along the tramway. The idea was to install an air quality monitoring unit on a tramcar for year-round, real-time collection of air quality samples, with the objectives of measuring PM_2.5 concentrations along the tramway, and investigating the correlation between street-level air quality and urban morphology.

An air quality monitoring unit that mainly composed of an aerosol monitor and a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator was installed on one of the tramcars. PM_2.5 concentrations and GPS location information were collected every second, which were then fed into a database system managed by the HKUST team for processing and analysis. Actual PM_2.5 measurement began in August 2013, with the tramcar operating under normal condition from 6:00 in the morning until midnight, except on the planned maintenance days.

To examine the correlation between PM_2.5 concentrations and urban morphology, the HKUST study also used the plan area index and frontal area index to characterise urban and building morphology along the tramway and their impacts on urban wind ventilation and air pollution dispersion.

30 April 2015 – HKET – 電車沿線地區空氣污染全超標 團體促政府改善
30 April 2015 – RTHK – Air quality along tramway alarming, finds study
30 April 2015 – Bloomberg – Hong Kong’s Historic Trams Are Choking From Roadside Pollution
01 May 2015 – Ming Pao – PM2.5重災區 北角污染僅次中環銅鑼灣
01 May 2015 – HKET – 電車沿綫懸浮粒子 超世衞標準
01 May 2015 – Sun – 電車沿線德輔道中空氣污染最勁
01 May 2015 – TKP – 電車沿線空氣污染超標
01 May 2015 – WWP – 電車測PM2.5 多區空氣差
01 May 2015 – ODN – PM2.5濃度 德輔道中污染冠港島
01 May 2015 – SCMP – Air pollution in Central and Causeway Bay exceeds WHO levels 280 days in a year
01 May 2015 – SCMP – The grim picture of roadside air pollution on Hong Kong Island
12 May 2015 – Apple Daily – 監測站離地五米 難反映路邊實況 電車上測空氣污染 勁政府數據六成
12 May 2015 – SCMP – Pollution levels in Central are double WHO safety standard, study reveals
15 May 2015 – TVB Closer Look – 行人專區