Assessing Vehicle Emissions from a Multi-Lane to Turbo Roundabout Conversion Using a Microsimulation Tool

Maksymilian Mądziel,Tiziana Campisi,Paweł Woś,Artur Jaworski,Hubert Kuszewski

doi:10.3390/en14154399

Maksymilian Mądziel, Tiziana Campisi + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154399

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Abstract

The development of urban strategies for the reduction of environmental impacts and decarbonization requires ongoing monitoring from the local scale and further deployment of actions to improve transport demand (user characteristics and modal choice) and supply (infrastructure and services). The analysis of pollution sources and the evaluation of possible scenarios are preliminary to the mitigation of impacts. In particular, the study of geometrical and functional characteristics of infrastructures through micro-simulation allows understanding of which schemes can support the reduction of emissions and guarantee high levels of service (LOS), reducing the problem of vehicular congestion in urban areas. The present work focuses on the small-scale analysis of vehicular traffic emissions at a multi-lane roundabout road intersection and the comparison of geometric schemes (current and design) and use with a turbo roundabout scheme as traffic volumes changes. These volumes have plummeted due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the geometric-functional modification of the roundabout intersection from a multi-lane to a turbo-roundabout intersection allows a reduction of up to 30% of the emissions considering the current composition of the traffic fleet in the city of Rzeszow in Poland. The proposed comparative analysis methodology can contribute to the drafting of sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) proposing a set of investments for new road works and considering a number of scenarios with interventions that can be implemented in the medium and long term that can provide the incentive to reduce road congestion and vehicular emissions.

Highlights

Air pollution in general is among the causes contributing to climate change, causing an environmental risk to human health [1]
The aim of the research was to compare the emissions of CO2, NOx and PM10, which arise during peak hours for the standard working day before the pandemic and for a day selected from during the COVID-19 lockdown for Poland
The two roundabout geometric schemes were modelled using VISSIM software, while the vehicle traffic data were imported into the emission calculation model using the VERSIT+ tool

Summary

Introduction

Air pollution in general is among the causes contributing to climate change, causing an environmental risk to human health [1]. The main cause of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Many of these gases occur naturally, but human activity increases the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide (CO2 ). Other greenhouse gases are emitted by human activity in smaller quantities. The combustion of coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, among the main causes of emissions of these pollutants. This is closely linked to a number of sources including vehicle traffic [2]

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