Active Travel, pollution exposure and effect on health-developing an onboard bicycle monitoring and assessment device.

Urban spaces have been designed for many years for the commuter to get from A to B in the shortest time possible, with the majority of journeys completed by motorised vehicles. Motorised vehicles and population density in urban areas contribute to the high levels of air pollution found in such spaces (Colvile et al., 2001). Cyclists are often exposed to high levels of air pollutants since they share spaces beside or very close to motorised vehicles. When exercising an individual's breathing rate increases and this could increase individual exposure to pollutants (Brand et al., 2019). In Scotland, Transport Scotland is committed to increasing the number of individuals actively commuting (walking and cycling) and it is believed that this could have a positive influence on tackling urban air pollution whilst improving public health (Luengo-Oroz & Reis, 2019). Route choice is an important factor to consider when considering a cyclist's exposure to air pollution (Hankey & Marshall, 2015), such exposure can have adverse health in the form of respiratory and cardiovascular problems. In this project, we will look at ways to develop technology to actively capture this accurately, the active traveller's route choice and the influence of pollution exposure on human health.