<p>Resuspension of road dust (RD), a non-tailpipe emission, is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to traffic-related emissions in road microenvironments (MEs). This is a major concern in smaller Indian cities, where road infrastructure often exacerbates dust accumulation and resuspension. This study examines the benefits of paving unpaved road shoulders in tier II cities, focusing on reductions in PM exposure levels and respiratory deposition doses (RDD) in road MEs. RD varies with the type of road networks like unpaved shoulders surrounded paved roads (UPSr) surfaces, which relatively have more silt load than paved shoulder road types. PM emission estimated using RD before and after pavement of an unpaved shoulder, and PM concentration was measured in the road MEs of the same road network type. It is found that concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and PM₁ size particles in the road MEs of completely paved roads are 3-3.5, 1.6–1.7, and 1.1–1.2 times lower than UPSr, respectively. The reduction in PM levels is more pronounced for larger particle sizes than for smaller ones, as finer particles are primarily contributed by exhaust emissions. Furthermore, the study reveals substantial reductions of 94.2%, 83.9%, and 53.2% in RDD of PM under sitting, light, and heavy activity conditions, respectively, for individuals exposed in MEs of completely paved road networks compared to UPSr settings. The conversion of unpaved shoulders into paved surfaces yields additional benefits by further reducing RDD of PM for vehicle and urban commuters exposed in road microenvironments. Therefore, road infrastructure represents a critical sector for achieving substantial reductions in non-tailpipe emissions within the road transport sector.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>