The impact of traffic flow on fuel consumption increase in the urban environment

Abstract

Over 70% of the European population lives in urban areas. This puts pressure on urban transport systems, leading to increased environmental impacts. Such impacts are particularly large in cases where the traffic caused by vehicles with internal combustion engines is repeatedly braking and accelerating due to poorly planned traffic flow. We have evaluated an increase in fuel consumption in the real case of a road section in Celje caused by the difference in traffic flow between the 'green' and 'red' wave of traffic lights. Based on the obtained results, we are able to estimate the factor of pollution increasing caused by accelerating. By adding the estimates of pollution caused by braking, we get an overall picture of the importance of ensuring a steady flow of traffic to reduce pollution in urban environments.