01663967

Component

Dalhousie University, the largest university in the province of Nova Scotia, is a major trip generator that has a significant impact on regional traffic, as well as on the transport-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of the province. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it attempts to generate a 100% synthetic population for the entirety of Dalhousie commuters. Secondly, the authors estimate transport-related GHG emissions based on the population characteristics and living zone in relation to campus areas. In this study, five zones are defined for emission estimation: on-campus zone, inner-city, suburban-area, inner-commuter belt and outer-commuter belt. Two emission scenarios in respect to changes in transit ridership and auto driving are examined in order to illustrate how changing the primary travel mode can impact emissions volume. The Motor-Vehicle-Emission-Simulator (MOVES) 2014a is utilized as a simulation platform for estimating the major air pollutants, including carbon-dioxide (CO₂), carbon-monoxide (CO), nitrogen-oxide (NOₓ), particulate-matter (PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅), total-hydrocarbon (THC) and volatile-organic-compounds (VOC) for a typical weekday. The data used in this paper are obtained from a unique web-based travel-diary-survey at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. The survey considered all Dalhousie population segments, comprising undergraduate-students, graduate-students, faculty-members, and staff. Results show that staff contribute the highest amount of pollutants compared to other university groups. Interestingly, it is found that 25% increases in transit ridership could reduce emissions by around 60%. The insights gained from this study may provide helpful information for decision-makers to reduce GHG emissions not only at Dalhousie campuses, but on similar campuses elsewhere.

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

18-05690

English

16p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Automobile driving; Carbon dioxide; Carbon monoxide; Commuters; Commuting; Exhaust gases; Greenhouse gases; Hydrocarbons; Mode choice; Nitrogen oxides; Organic compounds; Particulates; Public transit; Residential location; Ridership; Simulation; Travel diaries; Travel surveys; Trip generation; Universities and colleges; Weekdays

Dalhousie University; Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES)

Nova Scotia, Canada

Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-05690

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 11:27AM