Simulating the Air Quality Impacts of Traffic Calming Schemes in a Dense Urban Neighbourhood

In this study, the effects of isolated traffic calming measures and area-wide calming schemes on air quality in a dense neighborhood in Montréal, Canada are estimated using a combination of microscopic traffic simulation, emission, and dispersion modeling. The results indicate that traffic calming measures do not have as large an effect on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations as the effect observed on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Changes in emissions can result in highly disproportional changes in pollutant levels due to daily meteorological conditions, road geometry and its orientation with respect to wind direction. The authors observe that average NO2 levels increase between 0.1% and 10% with respect to the base-case while changes in NOx emissions vary between 5% and 160%. Also, the effects of wind speed and direction are investigated in this study. The results show that higher wind speeds decrease NO2 concentrations on both sides of the roadway. As the wind becomes more orthogonal to the roadway, the difference in NO2 levels between the leeward and windward sides increases. Among the traffic calming measures, speed bumps produce the highest increases in NO2 levels.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC20 Transportation and Air Quality. Alternate title: Simulating Air Quality Impacts of Traffic Calming Schemes in a Dense Urban Neighborhood
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Ghafghazi, Golnaz
  • Hatzopoulou, Marianne
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air quality; Neighborhoods; Nitrogen oxides; Pollutants; Traffic calming; Traffic simulation; Urban areas
• Geographic Terms: Montreal (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I15: Environment; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01515510
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-4052
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 24 2014 8:43AM