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Empirical Analysis on the Relationship Between Air Pollution and Traffic Flow Parameters


The increasing problem in vehicle-attributed air pollution in Metro-Manila necessitates transportation planners and air quality analysts to work more closely than ever, both in providing mobility and improving air quality. However, this requires needed information and tools to bridge the gap between local transportation and air quality issues. This paper seeks to initiate a step to what will be a ladder of empirical model that estimates the ambient concentrations of air pollutant in roadside environment. The present form of the model applies only to mid-block of a straight road section. The model is expressed in terms of traffic flow parametners such as traffic volume and traffic speed and a simple metereological parameter, wind speed at a particular direction. Calibration and validation were done using carbon monoxide measurements from two different sites. Results of the performance test hinted at the possibility of the model's applicability to other sites of different road type and traffic composition. The conduct of the sensitivity analysis identified traffic volume, followed by wind speed, as the most significant parameters affecting pollutant concentration. Combinations of traffic level and metereological conditions that will bring about critical levels of carbon monoxide were also established. In addition, the study made an assessment of the ambient air quality of the study area, identified general air pollution problems, and cited workable abatement strategies. The model is also envisioned to include pollution source and receptor locational parameters and maybe extended to cover different road layouts in the near future.

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