Vehicular emissions contribute significantly to poor air quality in urban areas. An integrated modelling approach is adopted to estimate microscale urban traffic emissions. The modelling framework consists of a traffic microsimulation model, a microscopic emissions model, and two dispersion models. This framework is applied to a traffic network in downtown Toronto to evaluate summer time morning peak traffic emissions during weekdays for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The model predicted results are validated against sensor observations with a reasonably good fit. Availability of local estimates of ambient concentration is useful for accurate comparisons of total predicted concentrations with observed concentrations. Both predicted and observed concentrations are significantly smaller than the National Ambient Air Quality Objectives established by Environment Canada. Sensitivity analysis is performed on a set of input parameters and horizontal wind speed is found to be the most influential factor in pollutant dispersion.

Vehicular emissions contribute significantly to poor air quality in urban areas. An integrated modelling approach is adopted to estimate microscale urban traffic emissions. The modelling framework consists of a traffic microsimulation model, a microscopic emissions model, and two dispersion models. This framework is applied to a traffic network in downtown Toronto to evaluate summer time morning peak traffic emissions during weekdays for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The model predicted results are validated against sensor observations with a reasonably good fit. Availability of local estimates of ambient concentration is useful for accurate comparisons of total predicted concentrations with observed concentrations. Both predicted and observed concentrations are significantly smaller than the National Ambient Air Quality Objectives established by Environment Canada. Sensitivity analysis is performed on a set of input parameters and horizontal wind speed is found to be the most influential factor in pollutant dispersion.

As the number of vehicles on our roads increases, the problems related to this phenomenon emerge more dramatically. These problems include car accidents, congestions and CO2 emissions production, increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. In order to minimize these impacts and to use the road infrastructure eff ectively, the use of traffic simulators can come in handy. Thanks to these tools, it is possible to evaluate the evolution of a traffic flow with various initial states of the simulation and thus know what to do and how to react in different states of the real-world traffic situations. This thesis deals with acceleration of microscopic urban traffic simulation using OpenCL. Supposing it is necessary to simulate a large network traffic, the need to accelerate the simulation is necessary. For this purpose, it is possible, for example, to use the graphics processing units (GPUs) and the technique of GPGPU for general purpose computations, which is used in this work. The results show that the performance gains of GPUs are significant compared to a parallel implementation on CPU.

O transporte urbano de cargas tem importÃncia fundamental dentro do processo de urbanizaÃÃo, o qual requer um modo de transportar seus bens e mercadorias. Entretanto, esse deslocamento, em uma percepÃÃo geral, contribui, de forma significativa, para problemas de congestionamento, poluiÃÃo, ruÃdo, dentre outros. Esta dissertaÃÃo tem por objetivo avaliar o impacto do uso de um VeÃculo Urbano de Cargas (VUC) sobre a operaÃÃo do trÃfego em Ãrea urbana, fazendo uso de uma ferramenta de microssimulaÃÃo de trÃfego, atravÃs da elaboraÃÃo e comparaÃÃo de cenÃrios propostos, tomando por base a Ãrea central do municÃpio de Fortaleza. O modelo inicial utilizou parÃmetros calibrados de um estudo em ambiente rodoviÃrio e foram criados trÃs cenÃrios alternativos que permitiram a anÃlise dos impactos do VUC na Ãrea estudada. Os resultados obtidos na simulaÃÃo apontam que a adoÃÃo de um VUC nÃo contribui de forma significativa na reduÃÃo do atraso e dos tempos de viagem, entretanto, apresenta melhoras quando associada à proibiÃÃo de estacionamento em via pÃblica. / Urban transport cargo is paramount within the urbanization process, which requires a way to transport their goods and merchandise. However, this displacement in a general sense, contributes significantly to problems of congestion, pollution, noise, among others. This paper aims to assess the impact of using a vehicle on Urban Freight traffic operation in an urban area, making use of a microsimulation tool traffic through the development and comparison of proposed scenarios, based on the central area the city of Fortaleza. The initial model used calibrated parameters of a study on road environment and three alternative scenarios were created that allowed the analysis of the impacts of VUC in the study area. The simulation results indicate that the adoption of a VUC not show performance gains in traffic, however, shows improvement when combined with prohibition of parking on public roads.

nÃo hà / A modelagem do trÃfego veicular em grandes Ãreas urbanas à uma ferramenta fundamental na anÃlise do desempenho de novas estratÃgias e polÃticas de gerÃncia e controle de trÃfego, idealizadas para potencializar a eficiÃncia do sistema de transportes. Com o uso de simuladores de trÃfego à possÃvel realizar estudos sobre os impactos de diferentes alternativas de intervenÃÃo, tais como a implementaÃÃo ou duplicaÃÃo de vias, alteraÃÃes na circulaÃÃo viÃria, entre outras aplicaÃÃes. Entretanto, os simuladores mais utilizados foram desenvolvidos em outros paÃses e geralmente nÃo representam o comportamento do trÃfego das redes viÃrias urbanas brasileiras, sendo, portanto necessÃria a calibraÃÃo dos seus parÃmetros. Com a evoluÃÃo tecnolÃgica dos modelos de microssimulaÃÃo de trÃfego, o processo de calibraÃÃo tornou-se ainda mais difÃcil devido ao maior nÃvel de complexidade dos modelos, o que implica no aumento do nÃmero de parÃmetros a serem calibrados. Diante do exposto e a fim de permitir a utilizaÃÃo de microssimuladores de trÃfego na modelagem de malhas viÃrias urbanas brasileiras, torna-se indispensÃvel o uso de mÃtodos computacionais de otimizaÃÃo que garantam, de forma eficaz, a calibraÃÃo simultÃnea de uma grande quantidade de parÃmetros. Essa dissertaÃÃo de mestrado busca verificar a aplicabilidade de algoritmos genÃticos para calibraÃÃo de modelos de microssimulaÃÃo do trÃfego veicular em malhas viÃrias urbanas como as encontradas no cenÃrio nacional. Ao final dessa pesquisa, concluiu-se que o mÃtodo de calibraÃÃo utilizado revelou-se eficiente considerando os resultados atingidos no estudo de caso realizado. AlÃm disto, acredita-se que a metodologia aqui proposta juntamente com os valores encontrados para os parÃmetros do microssimulador e do algoritmo genÃtico possam ser utilizados em outras malhas viÃrias urbanas, desde que estas apresentem caracterÃsticas semelhantes as da malha viÃria aqui simulada. / Traffic simulation modeling of mid-sized and big cities is a fundamental tool to analyze the performance of strategies idealized to maximize efficiency of urban transport systems. Traffic microsimulation models allow for foreseeing the impacts of different alternatives of solution, such as creation or duplication of lanes, reversion of flow direction, and implementation of priority lanes for public transport. However, the main microsimulation software packages available were developed in other countries, what means that they usually do not suit traffic behavior found in Brazilian urban centers, so parameter calibration is necessary to better adjust the models to local reality. Advances in computational capabilities have allowed traffic microsimulation models incorporate greater amount of parameters to be calibrated, so the process of calibration has become relatively more complex. Therefore, the use of computational methods to optimize the parametersâ values simultaneously is indispensable. This Masterâs thesis aims to verify the applicability of genetic algorithms to calibrate microsimulation traffic models in urban Brazilian networks. At the end of this study, it was concluded that the calibration method used proved to be efficient. It is believed that the proposed methodology to calibrate the microsimulation software and the genetic algorithm, as well as the final configuration of the genetic algorithm selected, may be applied to other urban networks, provided that they present similar characteristics to the studied network.

O presente trabalho trata da avaliação de medidas voltadas à distribuição urbana de cargas considerando ser essa uma etapa fundamental do processo de tomada de decisão, pois permite a análise dos possíveis resultados acerca dos objetivos pretendidos, os quais geralmente estão relacionados à diminuição dos congestionamentos de veículos e das emissões de gases poluentes. Considerando que grande parte dos problemas decorrentes da distribuição urbana ocorrem localmente, no nível desagregado, propõe-se um procedimento que dê subsídios ao desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para a avaliação de medidas através da microssimulação de tráfego. Isso porque a microssimulação permite um alto nível de detalhe na modelagem e na observação do comportamento dos veículos, o que é essencial para a quantificação dos possíveis impactos locais gerados pelos veículos de carga. A integração entre as coletas de dados e os modelos que compõem o procedimento forneceu os dados necessários à representação dos movimentos dos veículos de carga no VISSIM, onde foram simulados três diferentes cenários, cada um representando alterações impostas por diferentes medidas em avaliação. A aplicação do procedimento proposto, a modelagem no VISSIM e os resultados da microssimulação permitiram a ponderação sobre o uso dessa técnica para a avaliação de medidas voltadas à distribuição urbana de cargas, considerando suas vantagens e limitações. / The present research deals with the evaluation of urban freight policies, considering this is fundamental for the decision making process of a policy implementation. Evaluation allows an analysis of the possible policy effects compared to its intended objectives, which are generally related to reductions in traffic congestion and pollutant emissions. Whereas most of the problems caused by urban distribution occur locally, in the disaggregated level, we propose a procedure that supports the development of a methodology for evaluating freight policies through traffic microsimulation. That\'s because this technique allows a high level of detail in modeling and observation of vehicles\' behavior, which is essential for quantifying the likely local impacts generated by freight vehicles. The procedure is based on a set of integrated data collections and models, which provided the data for representing freight vehicles movement in VISSIM, were three different scenarios, each one representing changes imposed by different freight policies, were simulated. The application of the proposed procedure, the VISSIM\'s modeling process and the microsimulation results allowed the weighing for the use of this technique in evaluating urban freight policies, considering its advantages and limitations.

O presente trabalho trata da avaliação de medidas voltadas à distribuição urbana de cargas considerando ser essa uma etapa fundamental do processo de tomada de decisão, pois permite a análise dos possíveis resultados acerca dos objetivos pretendidos, os quais geralmente estão relacionados à diminuição dos congestionamentos de veículos e das emissões de gases poluentes. Considerando que grande parte dos problemas decorrentes da distribuição urbana ocorrem localmente, no nível desagregado, propõe-se um procedimento que dê subsídios ao desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para a avaliação de medidas através da microssimulação de tráfego. Isso porque a microssimulação permite um alto nível de detalhe na modelagem e na observação do comportamento dos veículos, o que é essencial para a quantificação dos possíveis impactos locais gerados pelos veículos de carga. A integração entre as coletas de dados e os modelos que compõem o procedimento forneceu os dados necessários à representação dos movimentos dos veículos de carga no VISSIM, onde foram simulados três diferentes cenários, cada um representando alterações impostas por diferentes medidas em avaliação. A aplicação do procedimento proposto, a modelagem no VISSIM e os resultados da microssimulação permitiram a ponderação sobre o uso dessa técnica para a avaliação de medidas voltadas à distribuição urbana de cargas, considerando suas vantagens e limitações. / The present research deals with the evaluation of urban freight policies, considering this is fundamental for the decision making process of a policy implementation. Evaluation allows an analysis of the possible policy effects compared to its intended objectives, which are generally related to reductions in traffic congestion and pollutant emissions. Whereas most of the problems caused by urban distribution occur locally, in the disaggregated level, we propose a procedure that supports the development of a methodology for evaluating freight policies through traffic microsimulation. That\'s because this technique allows a high level of detail in modeling and observation of vehicles\' behavior, which is essential for quantifying the likely local impacts generated by freight vehicles. The procedure is based on a set of integrated data collections and models, which provided the data for representing freight vehicles movement in VISSIM, were three different scenarios, each one representing changes imposed by different freight policies, were simulated. The application of the proposed procedure, the VISSIM\'s modeling process and the microsimulation results allowed the weighing for the use of this technique in evaluating urban freight policies, considering its advantages and limitations.

The transportation sector is responsible for the majority of airborne particles and global energy consumption in urban areas. Its role in generating air pollution in urban areas is even more critical, as many visitors, commuters and citizens travel there daily for various reasons. Emissions released by transport fleets have an exhaust (tailpipe) and a non-exhaust (brake wears ) origin. Both exhaust and non-exhaust airborne particles can have destructive effects on the human cardiovascular and respiratory systems and even lead to premature deaths. This dissertation aims to estimate the amount of exhaust and brake emissions in a real case study by proposing an innovative methodology. For this purpose, different levels of study have been introduced, including the subsystem level, the system level, the environmental level and the suprasystem level. To address these levels, two approaches were proposed along with a data collection process. First, a comprehensive field survey was conducted in the area of Buonconsiglio Castle and data was collected on traffic and non-traffic during peak hours. Then, in the first approach, a state-of-the-art simulation-based method was presented to estimate the amount of exhaust emissions generated and the rate of fuel consumption in the case study using the VISSIM traffic microsimulation software and Enviver emission modeler at the suprasystem level. In order to calculate the results under different mobility conditions, a total of 18 scenarios were defined based on changes in vehicle speeds and the share of heavy vehicles (HV%) in the modal split. Subsequently, the scenarios were accurately modelled in the simulation software VISSIM and repeated 30 times with a simulation runtime of three hours. The results of the first approach confirmed the simultaneous effects of considering vehicle speed and HV % on fuel consumption and the amount of exhaust emissions generated. Furthermore, the sensitivity of exhaust emissions and fuel consumption to variations in vehicle speed was found to be much higher than HV %. In other words, the production of NOx and VOC emissions can be increased by up to 20 % by increasing the maximum speed of vehicles by 10 km/h. Conversely, increasing the HV percentage at the same speed does not seem to produce a significant change. Furthermore, increasing the speed from 30 km/h to 50 km/h increased CO emissions and fuel consumption by up to 33%. Similarly, a reduction in speed of 20 or 10 km/h with a 100% increase in HV resulted in a 40% and 27% decrease in exhaust emissions per seat, respectively. In the second approach, a novel methodology was proposed to estimate the number of brake particles in the case study. To achieve this goal, a downstream approach was proposed starting from the suprasystem level (microscopic traffic simulation models in VISSIM) and using a developed mathematical vehicle dynamics model at the system level to calculate the braking torques and angular velocities of the front and rear wheels, and proposes an artificial neural network (ANN) as a brake emission model, which has been appropriately trained and validated using emission data collected through more than 1000 experimental tribological tests on a reduced-scale dynamometer at the subsystem level (braking system). Consideration of this multi-level approach, from tribological to traffic-related aspects, is necessary for a realistic estimation of brake emissions. The proposed method was implemented on a targeted vehicle, a dominant SUV family car in the case study, considering real driving conditions. The relevant dynamic quantities of the targeted vehicle (braking torques and angular velocities of the wheels) were calculated based on the vehicle trajectory data such as speed and deceleration obtained from the traffic microsimulation models and converted into braking emissions via the artificial neural network. The total number of brake emissions emitted by the targeted vehicles was predicted for 10 iterations route by route and for the entire traffic network. The results showed that a large number of brake particles (in the order of billions of particles) are released by the targeted vehicles, which significantly affect the air quality in the case study. The results of this dissertation provide important information for policy makers to gain better insight into the rate of exhaust and brake emissions and fuel consumption in metropolitan areas and to understand their acute negative impacts on the health of citizens and commuters.

[ES] La presencia de ciclistas deportivos en carreteras convencionales es un fenómeno habitual en la actualidad. Los ciclistas circulan individualmente y en grupo, compartiendo la vía con los vehículos motorizados e interaccionando con ellos. Debido a las diferencias en términos de velocidad, volumen y nivel de protección entre bicicletas y vehículos motorizados, la maniobra de adelantamiento es la interacción más frecuente y de mayor riesgo. Por tanto, la presencia de ciclistas en carreteras convencionales puede afectar tanto desde el punto de vista de la seguridad vial, como desde el punto de vista de la funcionalidad del tráfico. El principal objetivo de esta investigación es la caracterización del tráfico ciclista y su interacción con los vehículos a motor, en especial en maniobras de seguimiento y adelantamiento, a partir de observaciones naturalísticas del fenómeno, mediante el uso de bicicletas instrumentadas y de observaciones puntuales en tramos de estudio previamente seleccionados. El estudio se ha realizado considerando ciclistas circulando individualmente y en grupo por tramos de carreteras convencionales con diferentes características, tanto geométricas como de tráfico. Se han analizado un total de 2,135 maniobras de adelantamiento a ciclistas. La duración del adelantamiento se ha considerado un factor clave en cuanto a su efecto en la seguridad y en la funcionalidad del tráfico. En consecuencia, esta variable se ha analizado con especial interés, desarrollando un modelo predictivo de la duración del adelantamiento considerando factores relativos a la configuración de los grupos de ciclistas, a la carretera y a la propia maniobra de adelantamiento. A partir de las observaciones realizadas, se ha adaptado, calibrado y validado un modelo de microsimulación del tráfico que incorpora el tráfico ciclista en carreteras convencionales y su interacción con los vehículos motorizados. Mediante las observaciones y el uso del modelo de microsimulación se han obtenido medidas de desempeño que permiten caracterizar la influencia de la presencia de ciclistas en la funcionalidad del tráfico, mostrando una reducción de la funcionalidad del tráfico al aumentar el tráfico ciclista. Las medidas de desempeño relacionadas con el número de adelantamientos y la demora son las más sensibles a la presencia de ciclistas, seguidas de las medidas relacionadas con el seguimiento entre usuarios. Las carreteras con secciones más estrechas son más sensibles a la presencia de ciclistas, y en ellas la configuración de los grupos en paralelo mejora ligeramente la funcionalidad del tráfico al facilitar los adelantamientos. Los resultados de esta investigación permiten una mejor comprensión del fenómeno, a la vez que se traducen en recomendaciones para la mejora del diseño y/o explotación de carreteras convencionales con presencia ciclista. Asimismo, se han desarrollado herramientas específicas como son el modelo predictivo y el modelo de microsimulación que pueden ser usadas por los gestores de la infraestructura para analizar otras carreteras y proporcionar una integración más segura y operativa de los diferentes usuarios de la misma. / [CA] La presència de ciclistes esportius en carreteres convencionals és un fenomen habitual a l'actualitat. Els ciclistes circulen individualment i en grup, compartint la via amb els vehicles motoritzats i interaccionant amb ells. A causa de les diferències en termes de velocitat, volum i nivell de protecció entre bicicletes i vehicles motoritzats, la maniobra d'avançament és la interacció més freqüent i perillosa que es produeix entre ells. Per tant, la presència de ciclistes en carreteres convencionals pot afectar tant des del punt de vista de la seguretat viària com de la funcionalitat del trànsit. El principal objectiu d'aquesta investigació és la caracterització del trànsit ciclista i la seva interacció amb els vehicles a motor, especialment en maniobres de seguiment i avançament, a partir d'observacions naturalístiques del fenomen, mitjançant l'ús de bicicletes instrumentades i d'observacions puntuals en trams d'estudi prèviament seleccionats. L'estudi s'ha realitzat considerant ciclistes circulant individualment i en grup per trams de carreteres convencionals amb diferents característiques, tant geomètriques com de trànsit. S'han analitzat en detall 2,135 maniobres d'avançament a ciclistes. La durada de l'avançament s'ha considerat un factor clau pel que fa al seu efecte en la seguretat i en la funcionalitat del trànsit. En conseqüència, aquesta variable s'ha analitzat amb especial interès, desenvolupant un model predictiu de la durada de l'avançament considerant factors relatius a la configuració dels grups de ciclistes, a la carretera i a la pròpia maniobra d'avançament. A partir de les observacions s'ha adaptat, calibrat i validat un model de microsimulació del trànsit que incorpora el trànsit ciclista en carreteres convencionals i la seva interacció amb els vehicles motoritzats. Mitjançant les observacions i l'ús de el model de microsimulació s'han obtingut mesures d'acompliment que permeten caracteritzar la influència de la presència de ciclistes en la funcionalitat del trànsit, mostrant una reducció de la funcionalitat del trànsit a l'augmentar el trànsit ciclista. Les mesures d'acompliment relacionades amb el nombre d'avançaments i la demora són les més sensibles a la presència de ciclistes, seguides de les mesures relacionades amb el seguiment entre usuaris. Les carreteres amb seccions més estretes són més sensibles a la presència de ciclistes, i en elles la configuració dels grups en paral·lel millora lleugerament la funcionalitat del trànsit al facilitar els avançaments. Els resultats d'aquesta investigació permeten una millor comprensió del fenomen alhora que es tradueixen en recomanacions per a la millora del disseny i/o l'explotació de carreteres convencionals amb presència ciclista. Així mateix, s'han desenvolupat eines específiques com el model predictiu i el model de microsimulació que poden ser utilitzats pels gestors d'infraestructures per analitzar altres carreteres i proporcionar una integració més segura i operativa dels diferents usuaris de les mateixes. / [EN] Nowadays, the presence of sport cyclists on two-lane rural roads is a common phenomenon. Cyclists ride individually and in groups, sharing the road with motorized vehicles and interacting with them. Due to the differences in speed, volume and level of protection between bicycles and motorized vehicles, the overtaking manoeuvre is the most frequent and dangerous interaction that occurs between them. Therefore, the presence of cyclists on two-lane rural roads can affect both road safety and traffic operation. The main objective of this research is the characterization of cycle traffic and its interaction with motorized vehicles, especially in follow-up and overtaking manoeuvres, based on naturalistic observations of the phenomenon, using instrumented bicycles and observations at the extremes of the study sections. The study has been carried out considering cyclists who circulate individually and in groups on sections of two-lane rural roads with different characteristics, both geometric and traffic. A total of 2,135 overtaking manoeuvres to cyclists have been analysed in detail. The duration of overtaking has been considered a key factor in terms of its effect on safety and traffic operation. Consequently, this variable has been analysed with special interest, developing a predictive model of the overtaking duration, considering factors related to the configuration of groups of cyclists, the road and the overtaking manoeuvre itself. Based on the observations, a traffic microsimulation model that incorporates cycle traffic on two-lane rural roads and its interaction with motorized vehicles has been adapted, calibrated and validated. Through observations and the use of the microsimulation model, performance measures have been obtained that allow characterizing the influence of the presence of cyclists on traffic operation, showing a reduction in traffic operation as cycle traffic increases. Performance measures related to the number of overtaking manoeuvres and delay are the most sensitive to the presence of cyclists, followed by measures related to users platooning. Roads with narrow cross-sections are more sensitive to the presence of cyclists, and on them the two-abreast configuration of groups of cyclists slightly improves traffic operation by facilitating overtaking. The results of this research allow a better understanding of the phenomenon as well as being translated into recommendations for improving the design and/or operation of two-lane rural roads with a cyclist presence. In addition, specific tools have been developed such as the predictive model and the microsimulation model which can be used by infrastructure managers to analyse other rural roads and provide a safer and more operational integration of the different road users. / Esta Tesis Doctoral forma parte del proyecto de investigación Bike2lane “Mejora de la seguridad y operación de carreteras convencionales con ciclistas”, con referencia TRA 2016-8089-R, subvencionado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. En el desarrollo de esta tesis también se han utilizado datos de parte del proyecto de investigación Safe4Bikes “Medidas para la Mejora de la Seguridad Vial en Carreteras Convencionales con Bicicletas Circulando en Grupo”, con referencia SPIP2017-022880, subvencionado por la Dirección General de Tráfico. Esta investigación ha sido realizada gracias a la Agencia Estatal de Investigación “Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores 2017”, con referencia BES-2017-080474, de la que la doctoranda es beneficiaria. / Moll Montaner, S. (2021). Análisis de la funcionalidad del tráfico en carreteras convencionales con presencia de ciclistas [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/179701