Abstract
External costs that are associated with air pollution, climate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and noise are among the most important environmental externalities that are generated by road transport, which have been well monetized. This paper theoretically investigates the effects of different traffic conditions on the environmental external costs of urban roads where traffic flow is more complicated than un-interrupted traffic flows. A Monte Carlo method is used to theoretically simulate traffic speed in different traffic conditions. Subsequently, the emitted carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and noise were estimated in each of the theoretically simulated traffic conditions. Finally, the environmental external costs in each traffic condition were calculated taking the EU average costs values into account. The results showed that, when compared to free-flow condition, the total air pollutant and GHG external costs (€2010) have been increased by 6%, 31%, 44%, 50%, and 93% in under-saturated flow, accelerated flow, decelerated flow, congestion, and over-saturated congestion, respectively. Furthermore, the total noise cost (€2010/year/person exposed), as compared to free-flow condition, has been decreased by 2%, 11%, 12%, 36%, and 69% in accelerated flow, under-saturated flow, congestion, over-saturated congestion, and decelerated flow, respectively.
Highlights
Road transport plays an important role in growing the economy, it may negatively affect society [1]
The first category includes the externalities that have been best quantified and monetized (i.e., impacts from air pollution, climate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and noise), and they are relevant for quantitative analysis
The effects of different traffic conditions on urban road environmental external costs that are related to the first category (i.e., air pollution, climate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and noise) are theoretically investigated
Summary
Road transport plays an important role in growing the economy, it may negatively affect society [1]. Externalities (In this paper, the term “externalities” refers to negative externalities) generated by road transport, such as environmental damage, road damage, road accidents, and congestion damage [2], are among the examples by which transport negatively affect society. These externalities impose a cost upon society that is generally not borne by transport users and do not have any impact on their travel decision-making, in contrast to the benefits. The environmental externalities from road transport can be divided into two main categories. The first category includes the externalities that have been best quantified and monetized (i.e., impacts from air pollution, climate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and noise), and they are relevant for quantitative analysis
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