This paper describes the characteristics of an urban traffic environment model (UTEM). It is a model that can be used to estimate the total rate of emissions of a pollutant emitted by vehicles moving along a signalised urban arterial road segment. In the model, the total rate of emissions is determined as the addition of emissions in four operating modes - cruising, acceleration, deceleration and idling - all of which depend on the traffic, control and geometric conditions of a segment. The model incorporates some unique features such as the ability to: (i) estimate flow rate per lane under different possible traffic and geometric conditions, (ii) deterioration factors based on the age and maintenance level of vehicles and (iii) the results of possible traffic control strategies for a segment. Finally, the model has been designed to be user-friendly and sensitive to any pollutant emitted by vehicles in traffic.
Samenvatting