01624228

Component

Transportation is on course of becoming the number one contributor of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, which is in turn the main accountant for the change of climate that will reportedly persist for the decades to come. Road transportation in particular, appears to be the leading sector among those whose emissions have increased since the late 1980s, acting as a barrier of a further reduction of emissions. Against this background, the present work aims at quantifying the potential of coordinating and adjusting traffic signals towards minimizing traffic- induced CO₂ emissions as a way for mitigating climate change. The paper addresses research and practice oriented questions in regard to the extent that traffic signals’ timing adjustment and coordination can contribute to CO₂ emissions reduction. The assessment is conducted at a test area consisting of an urban arterial road with three intersections at predefined distance spacing, reflecting traffic conditions of an urban arterial in Thessaloniki, Greece. The assessment is following an integrated modelling approach of combining a traffic microscopic simulator with an instantaneous speed-based emission model. Results reveal significant reduction of emissions when traffic lights’ cycle length increases as well as when green light coordination is applied.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC20 Standing Committee on Transportation and Air Quality.

01618707

17-04402

English

14p

2017

Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Arterial highways; Carbon dioxide; Greenhouse gases; Pollutants; Traffic signal timing; Traffic signals; Traffic simulation; Urban highways

Thessaloniki (Greece)

Environment; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2017 Paper #17-04402

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 8 2016 11:41AM