An Integrated Microscopic Simulation Model for Estimating Potential Emissions Impacts of Truck-involved Transportation Policies

Abstract

This paper presents an integrated microscopic simulation model that would be applicable for examining potential emissions impacts of truck-involved transportation policies in urban freeway system. Basic idea of the model is to integrate an emission model into existing microscopic traffic simulation framework. Considering truck-only lane policies, the effectiveness and applicability of the integrated model was evaluated with an application to the Long Beach freeway (I-710), a main corridor for freight transportation that provides regional access to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in the United States. The case study shows that the proposed model is useful in that when considering alternative policies of truck-only lane, it enables transportation planners to evaluate potential emissions impacts and traffic conditions simultaneously without real implementation of each alternative.