The Impact of Congestion Management on Air Pollution Emissions in Urban Freeways

The Impact of Congestion Management on Air Pollution Emissions in Urban Freeways

P. KOPELIAS K. VOGIATZIS A. SKABARDONIS 

Lecturer, University of Thessaly, Department of Civil Engineering, Greece

Ass. Professor, University of Thessaly, Department of Civil Engineering, Greece

Professor, University of California, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Berkeley

Page: 
400–412
|
DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.2495/SDP-V8-N3-400–412
Received: 
N/A
| |
Accepted: 
N/A
| | Citation

OPEN ACCESS

Abstract: 

Urban and semi urban transport contributes considerably to many environmental problems, e.g. air pollution and environmental noise. Congestion in motorways in particular, has a significant effect in traffic conditions and the atmospheric environment as well. In addition to delays and queues incidents also affect fuel consump- tion and air pollution. Athens Ring Tollway (“Attiki Odos” or “Attika Tollway” – “AT”) is a 70 km freeway centreline length in each direction and is used as a Ring Road for Athens, the capital of Greece. The harmoni- ous co-existence of the motorway with the environment has been a difficult task, but successfully achieved by Attica Tollway regarding environmental noise through the implementation of comprehensive management, including monitoring, assessment & implementation of the appropriate mitigation measures i.e. noise barriers & land use organization. In this article and in order to further calculate and evaluate the benefits of AT incident management which is given through Attica Tollway Patrol Service (ATPS), Freeway Service Patrol Evaluation Methodology (FSPE) is used. An FSPE model has been examined for the effect of ATSP in the total length of the freeway for the year 2009.

Keywords: 

Air pollution, Attiki Odos, fuel consumption, incident management, traffic congestion, urban freeways

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