Ecosystem Informatics Inc. (ESI) has contributed to the smart cities’ transformation with a comprehensive study on the 2041 Regional Transportation Plan (2041 RTP) for one of the major cities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). ESI has conducted pollution analysis for a specific roadway corridor where the said city was examining three proposed scenarios to accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic flow through the corridor by the year 2041. The main objective of the study was to assess the pollution levels due to varying vehicular emissions in three different future scenarios.
Scenario 1: No lane expansion along the study corridor – road remains 4 lanes.
Scenario 2: 6 lanes along the study corridor with one HOV/Transit lane added in each direction.
Scenario 3: 6 lanes along the study corridor with one general purpose lane added in each direction.
To understand the impact of these scenarios on future pollution levels along this corridor, a total study area of approximately 5km in length, that included ten major intersections was taken. The intersections along the study corridor cover residences closer to the roadway as well as critical receptors such as schools and major highways. Pollution levels were estimated at all major intersections along the study corridor as well as the stretches of road between the intersections. The estimates were made for two times of the day which were considered as peak travel times: AM Peak (7am-8am) and PM Peak (5pm-6pm).
The approach used to arrive at future projections was to use the US EPA (Environment Protection Agency) MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) tool to simulate vehicular emissions for the different scenarios and analyze the output data to obtain insights and conclusions. To use the MOVES tool efficiently and to the highest degree of detail, the stretch of the corridor was studied at the intersection level. The tool was used to simulate vehicular emissions at each of these 10 intersections as well as the stretches of road between them. The observations and data from each intersection was combined to form a holistic picture of the entire 5 km stretch.
The normalized output for seven pollutants for an intersection in the corridor, grouped scenario wise, for AM peak is shown below.
