Impact evaluation of internal and external traffic in urban areas

Air quality in an urban area is conditioned by the impact of internal and external emission sources. Transport, in certain cities, is the main source of pollutant’s emissions, which must be added to the existing background levels. The assessment of the impact of internal and external traffic can be performed by numerical modeling using accurate emission factors, obtained from the type and intensity of vehicles during the different hours of the day. The same procedure allows evaluating the impact of future roads to be located in the territory, through estimations of use and according to the existing meteorology in the area where the construction is planned. In Figures 1 and 2 the results of applying numerical modelling for the assessment of the impact of PM10 derived from internal and external roads in inhabited areas are shown.