Search Results (81)

Road transport systems are central to sustainable mobility and the energy transition because they account for a large share of final energy use and remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels. With more than 90% of transport energy still supplied by petroleum-based fuels, improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in road networks has become a strategic priority. This review compares Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom to examine how road-design standards and emerging digital technologies can improve energy performance across planning, design, operations, and maintenance. Using Australia’s Austroads Guide to Road Design, Hong Kong’s Transport Planning and Design Manual (TPDM), and the UK’s Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) as core reference frameworks, we apply a rubric-based document analysis that codes provisions by mechanism type (direct, indirect, or emergent), life-cycle stage, and energy relevance. The findings show that energy-relevant outcomes are embedded through different pathways: TPDM most strongly supports urban operational efficiency via coordinated/adaptive signal control and public-transport prioritization; DMRB emphasizes strategic-network flow stability and whole-life carbon governance through managed motorway operations and life-cycle assessment requirements; and Austroads provides context-sensitive, performance-based guidance that supports smoother operations and active travel, with implementation varying by jurisdiction. Building on these results, the paper proposes an AI-enabled benchmarking overlay that links manual provisions to comparable energy and carbon indicators to support cross-jurisdictional learning, investment prioritization, and future manual revisions toward safer, more efficient, and low-carbon road transport systems. Full article

The article presents the development and results of emission studies conducted in Poland in the context of global real-driving emissions research. Although the European Union has continuously tightened exhaust-emission standards, road transport remains one of the major sources of air pollution. Several research centers in Poland—including Rzeszów University of Technology, Poznan University of Technology, and the Motor Transport Institute—have been conducting on-road emission measurements for many years across a wide spectrum of vehicles: conventional, hybrid (including plug-in hybrids), and fully electric. The findings show that emissions under real-world driving conditions often differ from those obtained in homologation tests, particularly for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Ambient temperature, road gradient, and driving phases (urban, rural, motorway) were also identified as influential factors. Polish research centers have developed analytical tools enabling comparison between laboratory and on-road tests and allowing real-driving emissions to be estimated based on chassis-dynamometer data. Studies on plug-in hybrids highlighted that these vehicles remain environmentally beneficial only when regularly charged; otherwise, their emissions can increase sharply. Overall, the research confirms that on-road testing is essential for a reliable evaluation of vehicle performance, and the results can contribute to designing more eco-friendly technologies and improving future emission regulations. Full article

Road transport constitutes a crucial element of the European economy, but it also generates significant external costs. In the process of reducing the impact of road transport on the environment and society, numerous actions are being undertaken to implement the concept of sustainable transport development in the Member States of the European Union. A key measure in this area is the introduction of low- and zero-emission propulsion systems in vehicles intended for passenger and freight transport. This article focuses on electric vehicles powered by battery energy storage systems. An essential component of these efforts is the development of alternative fuels infrastructure, which is expected to enable the operation of such vehicles by providing access to battery charging facilities. The development of infrastructure in the form of electric vehicle charging stations, initially concentrated in urban areas, has been extended to the network of European roads. The driving force behind this expansion is the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, which, on the basis of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), stimulate the development of alternative fuels infrastructure along the TEN-T network. The aim of the article is to present selected challenges related to the electrification of road transport infrastructure in the context of the sustainable transport development concept and the construction of alternative fuels infrastructure along the TEN-T network. The research focuses on forecasting the demand for alternative fuels infrastructure along the A1 and A2 motorways, which form part of the TEN-T network within the territory of Poland. The research process stems from the implementation of the AFIR in the EU Member States. Full article

The typical ranges available for electric vehicles (EVs) may be considered by users to be inadequate when compared to long, real-life trips, and charging operations may need to be planned along journeys. To evaluate the compatibility between vehicle features and charging options for realistic journeys performed by car, a simulation approach is proposed here, using travel data collected from real vehicles to obtain trip chains for multiple consecutive days. Car travel activities, including stops with the option of charging, were simulated by applying an agent-based approach. Charging operations can be integrated into trip chains for user activities, assuming that they remain unchanged in the event that vehicles switch to electric. The energy consumption of the analyzed trips, disaggregated by vehicle type, was estimated using the average travel speed, which is useful for capturing the main route features (ranging from urban to motorways). Data were recorded for approximately 25,000 vehicles in the Turin Metropolitan Area for six consecutive days. Market segmentation of the vehicles was introduced to take into consideration different energy consumption rates and charging times, given that the electric power, battery size, and consumption rate can be related to the vehicle category. Charging activities carried out using public infrastructure during idle time between consecutive trips, as well as those carried out at home or work, were identified in order to model different needs. Full article

Although particulate matter (PM) pollution from vehicles’ exhaust has decreased significantly over the years, the contribution from non-exhaust sources (brakes, tyres) has remained at the same levels. In the European Union (EU), Euro 7 regulation introduced PM limits for vehicles’ brake systems. Regenerative braking, i.e., recuperation of the deceleration kinetic and potential energy to the vehicle battery, is one of the strategies to reduce the brake emission levels and improve vehicle efficiency. According to the regulation, the shares of friction and regenerative braking can be determined with actual testing of the vehicle on a chassis dynamometer. In this study we tested the regenerative capabilities of a plug-in hybrid vehicle, both in the laboratory and on the road, under different protocols (including both smooth and aggressive braking) and covering a wide range of driving conditions (urban, rural, motorway) over 10,000 km of driving. Good agreement was obtained between laboratory and on-road tests, with the use of the friction brakes being on average 7% and 5.3%, respectively. However, at the same time it was demonstrated that the friction braking share can vary over a wide range (up to around 30%), depending on the driver’s behaviour. Full article

Forests are increasingly under pressure due to rapid population growth, unplanned urbanization, and the conversion of forest land for non-forestry uses. In Istanbul, large-scale infrastructure projects—including a major airport, motorways, and a bridge—constructed in forested northern regions have led to significant land use change, generating complex social and environmental impacts. This study examines how local populations perceive the social consequences of these projects. Data were collected through 995 questionnaires across 25 neighborhoods and semi-structured interviews with 18 neighborhood headmen and 5 representatives from NGOs and professional organizations. Exploratory factor analysis was used to categorize perceptions, and Mann–Whitney U tests assessed differences based on proximity to project sites and project type. The findings indicate that both proximity and project type play a key role: residents living closer to the projects—and particularly those living near the airport—report more negative impacts, including feelings of insecurity, increased accident risk, limited employment opportunities, loss of forest, agricultural, and pasture lands, heightened environmental, noise, and air pollution, as well as adverse effects on physical and mental health. Measuring and mitigating these impacts during and after the projects is essential. Properly conducted, audited, and effective social impact assessments are of vital importance for the local people living around the project. Full article

In this paper, results are presented for an on-road measurement campaign for measuring the brake wear particles of disc brakes on a heavy-duty tractor trailer during the EU P012101 Pilot Project funded by the European Parliament. A novel approach was adopted using a fully open sampling system with minimal influence on air flow around the brake and brake disc temperatures. Models for brake disc heating and cooling were developed, as well as a model for the particle number emissions. It was concluded that brake wear emissions per kilometre were the highest on urban roads and the lowest on the motorway. Furthermore, when modelling heating during braking actions, the best results were seen when introducing dependencies on both the braking work and initial brake temperatures. When modelling the brake cooling, a non-linear dependence on the difference between the brake disc temperature and ambient air temperature was empirically observed. For the particle number emissions, a relationship was established between the braking work applied to the disc during the braking action and the particle number emissions of the braking action. Full article

In this work, an experiment was designed in which a defined route consisting of country roads, highways, and urban roads was driven by 20 subjects during the day and at night. The test vehicle was equipped with GPS and a camera, and the subject wore head-mounted eye-tracking glasses to record gaze. Gaze distributions for country roads, highways, urban roads, and specific urban roads were then calculated and compared. The day/night comparisons showed that the horizontal fixation distribution of the subjects was wider during the day than at night over the whole test distance. When the distributions were divided into urban roads, country roads, and motorways, the difference was also seen in each road environment. For the vertical distribution, no clear differences between day and night can be seen for country roads or urban roads. In the case of the highway, the vertical dispersion is significantly lower, so the gaze is more focused. On highways and urban roads there is a tendency for the gaze to be lowered. The differentiation between a residential road and a main road in the city made it clear that gaze behavior differs significantly depending on the urban area. For example, the residential road led to a broader gaze behavior, as the sides of the street were scanned much more often in order to detect potential hazards lurking between parked cars at an early stage. This paper highlights the contradictory results of eye-tracking research and shows that it is not advisable to define a holy grail of gaze distribution for all environments. Gaze is highly situational and context-dependent, and generalized gaze distributions should not be used to design lighting functions. The research highlights the importance of an adaptive light distribution that adapts to the traffic situation and the environment, always providing good visibility for the driver and allowing a natural gaze behavior. Full article

The expected growth of electric vehicle (EV) usage will not only increase the energy demand but also bring the requirement to provide the necessary electrical infrastructure to handle the load. While charging infrastructure is becoming increasingly present in urban areas, special attention is required for transit traffic, not just for passengers but also for freight transport. Differences in the nature of battery charging compared to that of classical refueling require careful planning in order to provide a resilient electrical infrastructure that will supply enough energy at critical locations during peak hours. This paper presents a hybrid simulation model for analyzing fast-charging demand based on traffic flow, projected EV adoption, battery characteristics, and environmental conditions. The model integrates a probabilistic model for evaluating the charging requirements based on traffic flows with a discrete-event simulation (DES) framework to analyze charger utilization, waiting queues, and energy demand. The presented case of traffic flow on Slovenian motorways explored the expected power demands at various seasonal traffic intensities. The findings provide valuable insight for planning the charging infrastructure, the electrical grid, and also the layout by anticipating the number of vehicles seeking charging services. The modular design of the model allowed replacing key parameters with different traffic projections, supporting a robust scenario analysis and adaptive infrastructure planning. Replacing the parameters with real-time data opens the path for integration into a digital twin framework of individual EV charging hubs, providing the basis for development of an EV charging hub network digital twin. Full article

This study explores the impact of road transport on the environment, focusing on noise pollution. Using high-resolution, one-minute data from a low-cost environmental sensor, this research examines traffic flow dynamics, meteorological influences, and their relationship to noise along a major transport corridor. The methodology combines cluster analysis and descriptive statistics to evaluate the effects of deploying a Smart Motorway Variable Speed Limit (SMVSL) system over a six-month monitoring period. Results indicate that SMVSL systems not only smooth traffic flow but also significantly reduce noise variability, particularly during peak hours, thus mitigating noise peaks associated with adverse health outcomes. LAeq values were found to differ modestly between day and night, with clustering revealing a reduction in extreme noise events (LAmax > 70 dB(A)) in SMVSL scenarios dominated by heavy goods vehicles. This study further identifies associations between unmanaged speed regimes and elevated noise levels, enriching our understanding of the environmental impacts of unregulated traffic conditions. These findings inform sustainable planning and policy strategies aimed at improving urban environmental quality and enhancing public health outcomes. Full article

Accurately predicting road traffic flows is a primary challenge in the development of smart cities, providing a scientific basis and reference for urban planning, construction, and traffic management. Road traffic flow is influenced by various complex features, including temporal and weather conditions, which introduce challenges to traffic flow prediction. To enhance the accuracy of traffic flow prediction and improve the adaptability across different weather conditions, this study introduced a traffic flow prediction model with explicit consideration of weather factors including temperature, rainfall, air quality index, and wind speed. The proposed model utilized grey relational analysis (GRA) to transform weather data into weighted traffic flow data, expanded input variables into a new data matrix, and employed one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to extract valuable feature information from these input variables, as well as bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) to capture temporal dependencies within the time-series data. Bayesian optimization was employed to fine-tune the hyperparameters of the model, offering advantages such as fewer iterations, high efficiency, and fast speed. The performance of the proposed prediction model was validated using the traffic flow data collected at an intersection in China and on the M25 motorway in the United Kingdom. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed model, achieving improvements of at least 9.0% in MAE, 2.8% in RMSE, 2.3% in MAPE, and 0.06% in R² compared to five baseline models. Full article

Urban air pollution, especially from heavy metal (HM) contamination, poses significant risks to human health and environmental sustainability. This study investigates the spatial and temporal distribution of HM contamination in Thessaloniki, Greece, using Syntrichia moss as a bioindicator to inform urban environmental management strategies. Moss samples were collected from 16 locations representing diverse urban activity zones (motorway, industrial, city center, airport) in March, May, and July 2024. The concentrations of 12 HMs (Al, Sb, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Ni, V, and Zn) were analyzed using ICP-MS, and the contamination factors were calculated relative to controlled moss samples. The results revealed significant spatial variation, with elevated levels of As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn, particularly in high-traffic and industrial zones, exceeding the background levels by up to severe and extreme contamination categories. Temporal trends showed decreases in Al, Ba, and Ni from March to July 2024, while Cr and Cu increased, suggesting seasonally varying sources. Multivariate analyses further distinguished the contamination patterns, implicating traffic and industrial activities as key contributors. Syntrichia effectively captures HM contamination variability, demonstrating its value as a cost-effective bioindicator. These findings provide critical data that can guide urban planners in developing targeted pollution mitigation strategies, ensuring compliance with the European Green Deal’s Zero Pollution Action Plan. Full article

The intensive development of road transport has resulted in a significant increase in air pollution. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable in urban areas. This creates the need for analyses and forecasts of the scale and extent of future emissions of harmful substances into the environment. The aim of this study was to estimate the costs of the emission of toxic components of exhaust gases generated by all users of conventionally propelled vehicles travelling on a section of urban road in the next 25 years. The traffic study was carried out on an urban traffic route, playing a key role for road transport in the dimension of a given urban agglomeration. The traffic forecast for the analysed road section was based on the results of our own measurements carried out in April 2023 and external data from the General Directorate for Roads and Motorways. The results of the observations concerned six categories of vehicles for the morning and afternoon rush hours. Based on the data obtained, the generic structure of the vehicle population on the analysed section and the average daily traffic were determined. Using the methodology contained in the Blue Book of Road Infrastructure, parameters were calculated in the form of annual indicators of traffic growth on the analysed section, travel speed, and annual air pollution costs for selected vehicle categories, remembering at the same time that the Blue Book-based methodology does not distinguish between unit costs in relation to the type of emissions. The results of the study confirmed that there was an increase in the cost of toxic emissions for each vehicle category over the projected 25-year period. The largest increases were seen for trucks with trailers and passenger cars. In total, for all vehicle categories, emission costs nearly doubled from 2024 to 2046, from EUR 3,745,229 to EUR 7,443,384, due to the doubling of the number of vehicles resulting from the traffic forecast. The analyses presented here provide an answer to the question of what pollution costs may be faced by cities in which road transport will continue to be based on conventional types of propulsion. In addition, the research presented can be used to develop urban mobility transformation plans for the coming years, within the scope of the widely promoted smart city concept and the idea of electromobility, by pointing out to local authorities the direct economic benefits of these changes. Full article

The recently introduced Euro 7 emissions standard regulation foresees the addition of abrasion limits for tyres sold in the European Union. The measurement procedures for tyre abrasion are described in the newly introduced Annex 10 of the United Nations (UN) Regulation 117. However, the limits are not yet defined as there is no data available regarding the new procedure. For this reason, a market assessment campaign is ongoing under the auspices of the UN Task Force on Tyre Abrasion (TFTA). Recent reviews on the topic also concluded that there is a lack of studies measuring the abrasion rates of tyres. In this study, we measured the abrasion rate of one tyre model at two different locations (Spain and China) with the aim of deep diving into possible influencing factors. Additionally, wear rates were studied separately for urban, rural, and motorway routes to get more insight into the impact of the route characteristics. The abrasion rates varied from 22 mg/km to 123 mg/km per vehicle, depending on the route (urban, rural, motorway) and ambient temperature. The overall average trip abrasion rates were 75 mg/km and 45 mg/km per vehicle at the two locations, respectively. However, when corrected for the different ambient temperatures, the rates were 63 mg/km and 60 mg/km per vehicle, respectively. The impacts of other parameters, such as driving dynamics and road surface, on the final results are also discussed. The average tread depth reduction was estimated to be 0.8–1.4 mm every 10,000 km. Full article

Energy consumption in electric vehicles is a key element of their operation, determining energy efficiency and one of its main indicators, i.e., range. Therefore, in this article, mathematical models were developed to evaluate the impact of selected factors on energy consumption in electric vehicles. The phenomenon of energy recuperation was also examined. The study used data from mileage measurements of the electric vehicle (EV) driving on a motorway and in built-up areas. The results obtained showed a strong correlation between acceleration, vehicle speed, battery power, and energy consumption. In urban conditions, engine RPM and vehicle speed had an additional impact on energy consumption. Findings from this study can be used to optimize vehicle acceleration control modules to increase their range, develop eco-driving styles for EV drivers, and better understand the energy efficiency factors of EVs. Full article