• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: Tailfins Take Flight
  • TikTok Reveals the Hottest EVs in the Industry
  • Millions of Older Hyundai, Kia Owners May Face Trouble Getting Car Insurance
  • Bugatti Chiron Profilée Sets New Auction Sales Record
  • Another Delay for VinFast Customers
  • Ford Making Return to Formula One for 2026 Season
  • Ford CEO Farley “Frustrated” by $2 Billion Loss for 2022
  • Hyundai Ioniq 6 Achieves EPA-Estimated 361-Mile Range
  • Nissan’s Virtual EV Convertible, the Max-Out Reappears in Sheet Metal Form
  • Honda Launching Hydrogen-Powered CR-V in 2024
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus GX 460 Black Line
    • A Week With: 2023 BMW X1 xDrive28i
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Niro EV
    • A Week With: 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Smog Down by as Much as 30%, Feds Find, But Traffic is on the Rebound

        Smog Down by as Much as 30%, Feds Find, But Traffic is on the Rebound

        Rising traffic driving up gas prices – and likely will cause air pollution to surge again.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        May 13, 2020
        Traffic had uncharacteristically light in the wake of the coronavirus, helping to lower pollution levels in many areas by as much as 30%.

        In the days after shelter-in-place orders went into effect in states like California, New York and Michigan, anyone still out on the road might have had a post-apocalyptic experience, traffic on many normally clogged roads like I-405 in Los Angeles all but vanished.

        With the vast majority of Americans working from home – if they still had jobs – during the past two months, traffic wasn’t the only thing to vanish. A preliminary report by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration indicates that air pollution in several parts of the country has diminished by as much as 30%.

        How long things will remain that way is uncertain, however. A handful of states have already lifted their lockdowns with most others set to follow within the next month. And, even with many restrictions still technically in place, traffic already appears to be rising in many parts of the country, though it likely will take time to reach pre-pandemic levels.

        (Despite lockdowns, Americans still count on their cars to cope with pandemic.)

        The COVID Air Quality Study was pulled together to take advantage of one of the rare, positive aspects of the coronavirus pandemic: the fact that millions of vehicles were suddenly taken off the road, eliminating one of the key sources of air pollution.

        cars in traffic
        While not nearly what they were pre-pandemic, traffic levels are on the rise around the country.

        Targeting the heavily populated Northeast, as well as Denver and the surrounding, high-growth region of Colorado, the study “offers a glimpse into a potential future of urban air quality, due to the ongoing electrification of the U.S. transportation fleet,” NOAA explained.

        Researchers have been using a variety of different monitoring systems, including those on the ground, in planes and mounted on satellites, to measure levels of key pollutants including smog-causing oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, greenhouse gases and volatile organic compounds.

        Initial data shows that the levels of those pollutants have dropped by anywhere from 25 to 30% since the lockdown began.

        The U.S. isn’t the only place where air quality has improved as a result of pandemic-related control measures. “Other parts of the world have also recorded improvements in air quality since the coronavirus outbreak, including the notoriously smog-filled Indian city of New Delhi and industrialized parts of northern China, a thin silver lining to a health crisis that has killed almost 290,000 people,” reported Reuters.

        (Silver lining? Coronavirus pandemic slashes traffic, sends gas prices tumbling.)

        How long this will last is far from clear. In China, factories across the country have largely started back up again, even in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus outbreak first was reported. Europe is beginning to open up again, as have several U.S. states, including Georgia. Michigan began allowing manufacturing to resume this week and Detroit’s Big Three automakers all plan to have factories running again on May 18.

        Traffic in Los Angeles was down to 44% of normal levels in April, but that number has jumped above 60% in May.

        Even with a sizable share of the U.S. still covered by shelter orders, traffic has begun to climb back up. Real-time and historic data provided by navigation service TomTom show levels in L.A. have remained relatively light at peak hours, reaching peak congestion of just 20% during Tuesday’s evening rush hour. That compared with 80% a year ago – but it was still a big increase from mid-April 2020 when there was virtually congestion anywhere or anytime in the LA region.

        The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, found that overall traffic was only 44% of normal levels during the first week of April. But it is now back above 60%.

        Detroit roadways are seeing similar increases, as are other cities across the country. On a miles-driven basis, traffic in Seattle was still just 53% of normal at the end of last week, but that was up from just 45% a month earlier.

        Those who are starting to get out and about might feel more encouraged to clock some extra miles – not just to shake off their cabin fever but because gas is cheaper than it has been in years. It’s currently averaging $1.86, according to tracking service GasBuddy.com. But the advantage could go to those that fill up soon.

        (Empty roads mean faster speeds.)

        With the end of a feud between Russia and Saudi Arabia that led to a global petroleum glut, and with increased demand from motorists, gas prices have begun to rise for the first time in months. According to GasBuddy.com, that gallon of self-serve regular now averages seven cents a gallon more across the U.S. than it did just a week ago – though it’s still 99 cents cheaper than it was on May 13, 2019.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: Tailfins Take Flight

        Yesterday
        2021 Porsche Taycan - charging

        TikTok Reveals the Hottest EVs in the Industry

        Feb. 03, 2023
        2018 Hyundai Sonata front

        Millions of Older Hyundai, Kia Owners May Face Trouble Getting Car Insurance

        Feb. 03, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: