Taxis play an important role in traffic and the associate environmental problems in urban areas in Greece. The percentage of the use of taxis in the daily trips made by all transport modes in Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area (TMA) is 4.2% (1998-1999). The percentage of taxi in the overall traffic in central city intersections is in the area of 16-17%, while in the eastern part of the city the respective percentage is lower (12-13%). These figures show that any attempt to improve the air quality in the city must put emphasis in the case of taxis, taking into account the fact that the majority of taxis in TMA have diesel engines, which are responsible for suspended particulates, sulfur dioxide etc. Within the framework of this paper data concerning the characteristics of the taxi system in the city and their environmental impacts are presented and discussed. The traffic data come from the General Transportation Study, which was initiated by the OMPEPT. The influence of the taxi traffic on the air pollution, is based on data coming out from the air quality monitoring stations of the city network. (A)
Abstract