Research project CP/37 (Research action CP)
Context
Sustainable mobility at the local level, in cities, towns or districts, requires a balance between accessibility, livability and environmental quality. Despite technological progress and strict standards for new vehicles, a balanced local traffic plan is still needed to improve the quality of life and environment in our cities and communities. Local administrations are therefore in need of an integrated instrument to check the impacts of their plans with criteria for district accessibility, livability (including road safety, pedestrian cross-over possibilities, ...) and environmental quality (noise and air). We plan to create a methodology that takes the spatial characteristics, traffic situations and social functions of districts and streets into account.
Project description
Sustainable development, sustainable mobility and the balanced quality of life in mobile societies are the central themes of this project. The quality of life is determined by the possibility to travel (safely and reliably) with different modes of transport on one hand and by the control of the detrimental influences of transport on (other) people (safety, public health, noise nuisance) and their environment (e.g. accessibility, pedestrian cross-over possibilities).
The project deals with both economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainable mobility.
An integrated methodology for the evaluation of local traffic plans of cities and municipalities will be developed and demonstrated. Starting with the (modelled) traffic flow information, we assess several indicators for the quality of life (in relation to traffic; accessibility, pedestrian cross-over, accident risks) and environmental quality (air and noise). A special technique will be devised to integrate these different indicators so that different plans or options can be compared, tested against sustainability criteria and the optimal scenario chosen, taking into account the objectives of the local administration.
Objectives
a) Develop an integrated methodology for the evaluation of impacts of local traffic plans on accessibility, traffic livability, noise nuisance and air quality.
b) Develop and use new methods and models to evaluate all these impact categories at the district or street level and in more detail than before.
c) New recommendations for local policies related to mobility, environment, road safety and urban planning.
Methodology
The research is structured according to the DPSIR model, (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, Response). For the selected case study (town or city) we will calculate traffic flows (for different traffic plans) and analyse the vehicle fleet composition and speed profiles. This is the basis for the calculation of the environmental indicators:
- Accessibility : we estimate the accessibility of different functions and districts, with all transport modes (car, bus, bike, walking, ...).
- Air quality: we calculate emissions, dispersion, concentrations in the streets, exposure of people to pollutants and impacts on public health.
- Noise: we calculate emissions and propagation of noise, sound levels in the city and its streets, and quantify and interpret exposure and noise nuisance.
- Quality of life is evaluated with indicators describing the accident risks for different road users and the cross over facilities for pedestrians.
In the last step these indicators are integrated. An expert system works out bottlenecks and sticking points in terms of one indicator (e.g. noise nuisance) or for the whole aggregate of indicators.
Link with the International programmes:
1. European project DECADE
2. ExternE network. NewExt
3. WHO working group on the quantification of health impacts of exposure from air pollution
4. SETAC, Life cycle impacts assessment working group
5. European project on ISA: Prosper
6. COST Action 715: Meteorology applied to Urban Air Pollution Problems
7. EUROTRAC II subproject SATURN: Studying Atmospheric Pollution in Urban Areas
8. EU-project Transplus:
Expected results and/or products:
The major results of this project are:
- Emission factors and vehicle fleet data for local and slow traffic in the present and future situation (2010).
- A dispersion model that predicts hourly values for air quality parameters at the city and street levels with even more detail in the streets.
- A model that converts data on emission factors and traffic flows into noise levels at the street and city levels.
- An impact module that links population distributions to variations in noise and air quality levels. A detailed (in space and time) analysis of exposure for different population groups.
- A methodology to quantify accident rates, cross-over possibilities and spatial quality of major roads.
- Development of an instrument to estimate impacts on livability at the local level.
- A database of livability indicators linked to livability levels that depend on the type and function of a district.
- Recommendations to policy makers that take our new perspective of traffic impacts on cities’ livability into account. The integrated approach favors policy measures that score well for all aspects studied.
Partners
Activities
Vito, IES & RAP
Calculation of emissions, concentrations in the streets, exposure of people to pollutants and impacts on public health. Integration of different indicators for livability.
RUGent, INTEC, Contact: Dick Botteldooren
Calculation of noise emissions and sound levels in the city and streets, quantify and interpret exposure to noise and noise nuisance.
KULeuven, Contact: Steven Logghe
Modelling of the traffic flows in the city and selected streets. Estimate the accessibility of different functions and districts with all transportation modes
Langzaam Verkeer, Contact: Veerle Beyst
Evaluate the quality of life with indicators describing the accident risks for different road users and the cross over facilities for pedestrians.
Coordinates/Details
VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek - Flemish Institute for Technological Research) - Centre of expertise Integral environmental Studies (IES) in collaboration with CE Remote sensing and atmospheric Processes (RAP)
Contact: Luc Int Panis
Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol
Tel: +32 (0)14 33 58 87; Fax: +32 (0)14 32 11 85
luc.intpanis@vito.be
http://www.vito.be
Users Committee
- Robert Bougoignie - Stad Gent - Bewonersvertegenwoordiging (Ledeberg) - Gent
- Caroline De Geest - Vlaamse Milieu Maatschappij (VMM) - MIRA - Mechelen
- Marleen Govaerts - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - Departement Leefmilieu en Infrastructuur (LIN) - Mobiliteitscel - Brussel
- Lieven Lanoye - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - Departement Leefmilieu en Infrastructuur (LIN) - Afdeling Wegenbouwkunde - Brussel
- Jeannine Lees - FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer - Brussel
- Karin Meersman - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - Departement Welzijn, Volksgezondheid en Cultuur - Administratie Gezondheidszorg - Brussel
- Ann Plas - Stad Gent - Dienst Mobiliteit - Gent
- Greet Van Laer - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - AMINAL - Aminabel - Sectie Lucht - Brussel
- Tania Van Mierlo - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - Departement Leefmilieu en Infrastructuur (LIN) - Brussel
- Els Van Walsum - Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij (VMM) - MIRA - Mechelen
- Peter Vansevenant - Stad Gent - Stedelijk Administratief Centrum - Dienst Mobiliteit - Gent
- Nancy Verbeek - Stad Gent - Bewonersvertegenwoordiging (Gentbrugge) - Gent
- Gisela Vindevogel - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - AMINAL - Brussel
- Dirk Wildemeersch - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap - Administratie Gezondheidszorg - Vlaamse Gezondheidsinspectie - Brussel
- Patricia Willems - Provincie Vlaams-Brabant - Leuven
An integrated instrument to evaluate effects of local mobility plans on traffic viability and the environment : final report
De Nocker, Leo - Botteldooren, Dick - Immers, Ben ... et al. Brussels : Belgian Science Policy, 2006 (SP1580)
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