Lehigh University
IN-26: Innovation C

During rush hour traffic in the city of Bethlehem, there is frequently a build up of traffic on and near the two existing bridges, which brings idling or slowly moving vehicles in close proximity to pedestrians who are crossing the river on the downwind/eastern side of the Fahy Bridge, or on either side of the Hill to Hill Bridge. To assess the extent of exposure to black carbon particulate matter pedestrians could avoid if they did not have to traverse these high-traffic areas, students conducted simultaneous monitoring of black carbon levels in the area where pedestrians walk on the northern end of the Fahy Bridge, and just upriver from this location, on Sand Island, where the northern landing of a proposed pedestrian bridge could be located. There was significantly less black carbon recorded in the area of the proposed pedestrian bridge than there was on the vehicle bridge. This report on black carbon exposure in Bethlehem is part of a course that focuses on laws and policies that have been established to protect the environment. Students in the course learn about the different political institutions that shape environmental policies at the federal level in the United States and the relative responsibilities of state and local governments to protect the environment closer to home. The course also considers the political nature of environmental issues and the social forces influencing environmental protection in different areas of domestic environmental policy, such as climate change, toxic waste disposal and natural resources conservation.