01551495

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2503-05

Recently, roundabouts in a series have been installed along corridors to enhance road safety. However, the benefits of this traffic-calming technique on traffic performance and pollutant emissions compared with other forms of intersections, such as traffic lights and stop-controlled solutions, are not properly known. This study used a microscopic approach to evaluate the effects of a corridor with four roundabouts on traffic performance and emissions, in comparison with traffic lights and stop-controlled solutions. Average travel time and number of vehicle stops were used as measures of traffic performance; carbon dioxide, monoxide carbon, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter were used to quantify emissions. The traffic and emissions performance of each solution was evaluated on three levels: (a) arterial, (b) intersection, and (c) morning peak versus evening peak periods. It was found that, regardless of the time period, traffic lights in corridors at the arterial level produced higher total emissions (> 6%), while stop-controlled intersections produced lower emissions (≈12%) compared with roundabouts, mainly because of unbalanced traffic flows between main and minor roads. The results for traffic performance showed advantages in implementing roundabouts when the main concern was the number of vehicle stops. At the intersection level, an emissions improvement (between 2% and 14%) was observed at traffic lights on four-leg intersections.

01578185

15-1527

English

pp 39–50

2015

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309295802

Print

Figures (5) ; Photos; References (35) ; Tables (4)

Carbon dioxide; Carbon monoxide; Environmental impact analysis; Exhaust gases; Hydrocarbons; Multiway stop signs; Nitrogen oxides; Particulates; Roundabouts; Signalized intersections; Traffic measurement; Transportation corridors; Travel time

Energy; Environment; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I15: Environment; I73: Traffic Control

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 12:34PM

• Analysis of Vehicles’ Daily Fuel Consumption Frontiers with Long-Term Controller Area Network Data
• Characterization of Real-World Particle Number Emissions During Reignition Events from a 2010 Light-Duty Hybrid Electric Vehicle
• Developing Vehicle Classification Inputs for Project-Level MOVES Analysis
• Development of the Worldwide Harmonized Test Procedure for Light-Duty Vehicles: Pathway for Implementation in European Union Legislation
• Effects of Pavement Surface Roughness and Congestion on Expected Freeway Traffic Energy Consumption
• Emergence of Electric-Powered Two-Wheelers on Asian Roads: Curse or Blessing from a Sustainable Transport Perspective?
• Fusion of Vehicle Weight and Activity Data for Improved Vehicle Emission Modeling
• Hybrid Model for Prediction of Carbon Monoxide and Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations near a Road Intersection
• Incorporating Vehicle Emissions Models into the Geometric Highway Design Process: Application on Horizontal Curves
• Influence of Fuel Injection System and Engine-Timing Adjustments on Regulated Emissions from Four Biodiesel Fuels
• Integrating Truck Emissions Cost in Traffic Assignment
• Measurement and Evaluation of Real-World Speed and Acceleration Activity Envelopes for Light-Duty Vehicles
• Model System to Evaluate Impacts of Vehicle Purchase Tax and Fuel Tax on Household Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Networkwide Impacts of Vehicle Ecospeed Control in the Vicinity of Traffic Signalized Intersections
• Real-Time Emissions Modeling with Environmental Protection Agency MOVES: Framework Development and Preliminary Investigation
• Transportation Activities Associated with High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Operations in the Marcellus Shale Formation: Analysis of Environmental and Infrastructure Impacts