The environmental impact of scooters in the municipality of Enschede; a GIS based approach

Abstract

In this research the spatial environmental impact of scooters is assessed. In the recent years scooters become more popular in the Netherlands. They offer a quick, independent and affordable solution in urban congested areas, play an important role in providing transport for those who are struggling with the economic crisis while independent mobility is becoming an important part of quality of life. Despite the fact that the contribution of scooters emissions is relatively small compared to total traffic related emissions, they can have a disproportionally large impact on its direct environment. They are so-called super-polluters. A methodology is created based on both a theoretical study and available secondary data sources. Possible routes between homes of scooter owners and work/shop/education locations are approximated. Based on those routes four coverages are generated and are analysed: major routes with highest likelihood of scooter presence, exhaust impact, noise impact and scooter related accidents. For the exhaust and noise impact, buffers are created around the roads, taking into account the number of scooters passing by on those roads. Both the total population within the impact areas, and the number of childcare facilities are estimated. For the future projections four different scenarios are assumed and analysed. The analysis of present scooter related accidents are used to predict the accident ‘hot spots’ in the future. It is found that the present exhaust impact of scooters is affecting at least 27% of the population in Enschede. In the future this proportion can increase to 31%–43%. The noise impact affects 36% of the population in the present situation, with an expected rise to 40%–52%. With regard to the scooter related accidents, most (88%) occur within 50 meters from junctions.