Theoretical Comparison of the Effects of Different Traffic Conditions on Urban Road Environmental External Costs

Mohammad Maghrour Zefreh and Adam Torok
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Mohammad Maghrour Zefreh: Department of Transport Technology and Economics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111 Budapest, Hungary

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: External costs that are associated with air pollution, climate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and noise are among the most important environmental externalities that are generated by road transport, which have been well monetized. This paper theoretically investigates the effects of different traffic conditions on the environmental external costs of urban roads where traffic flow is more complicated than un-interrupted traffic flows. A Monte Carlo method is used to theoretically simulate traffic speed in different traffic conditions. Subsequently, the emitted carbon dioxide ( C O 2 ), nitrogen oxides ( N O x ), carbon monoxide ( C O ), particulate matter ( P M ), sulfur dioxide ( S O 2 ), and noise were estimated in each of the theoretically simulated traffic conditions. Finally, the environmental external costs in each traffic condition were calculated taking the EU average costs values into account. The results showed that, when compared to free-flow condition, the total air pollutant and GHG external costs (€2010) have been increased by 6%, 31%, 44%, 50%, and 93% in under-saturated flow, accelerated flow, decelerated flow, congestion, and over-saturated congestion, respectively. Furthermore, the total noise cost (€2010/year/person exposed), as compared to free-flow condition, has been decreased by 2%, 11%, 12%, 36%, and 69% in accelerated flow, under-saturated flow, congestion, over-saturated congestion, and decelerated flow, respectively.

Keywords: environmental external cost; traffic condition; urban road; road traffic air pollution; road traffic noise; environmental externalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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