Impact of Car-Free Day activities in Dago area, Bandung, West Java in reducing CO and CO2 gas concentrations
Every Sunday between 06.00 to 10.00, the government of Bandung holds Car-Free Day (CFD) activities on Jalan Ir. H. Juanda (Dago) as a solution to reduce the impact of air pollution caused by vehicle emissions. In this study, we conducted observations that examine the difference in pollutant concentration values and their interactions with atmospheric boundary layer factors during CFD and the usual days in the Dago area. The observations were conducted on every Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays for five consecutive weeks (26 September - 26 October 2015). We made observations at three observation points, Dago Cikapayang (DCK), Dago Ganesha (DGN), and Dago Dayang Sumbi (DDS). The parameters we observed include potential virtual temperature, meridional wind velocity, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, and carbon monoxide (CO) concentration. The observations indicate that the virtual potential temperature drop is always followed by a decrease in CO2 concentration, but not vice versa. In addition, the data signify that CO concentration is more influenced by the number of vehicles and wind meridional rather than influenced by the virtual potential temperature. In conclusion, this study shows that CFD activities can decrease CO and CO2 gas concentrations in Dago area.