Analysis of harmful emissions generated by road traffic in the city of Zagreb and proposals of measures

Abstract

The total number of registered road motor vehicles in Croatia in 2008 was 2,021,936 out of which 20.5% were registered in the city of Zagreb. Due to improper engine operating conditions, relatively low speeds (below 80km/h), large number of vehicles, high percentage of defective vehicles, poor fuel quality, the highest effect on air pollution in the city of Zagreb is generated by road motor vehicles. If air pollution in the city is analyzed from 2001 to 2009, it may be concluded that the biggest problem lies in the pollution by nitrogen oxides, airborne particles and ground-level ozone, which means that taking these pollution parameters in consideration the air was of Category II, i.e. moderately polluted. The most endangered city areas are the industrial zones and traffic nodes. Numerous European cities have been undertaking activities in order to reduce air pollution, which include also the introduction of new standards for new vehicles, improvement of fuel quality, fuel and vehicle taxing, usage of alternative fuels, etc. The city of Zagreb is no exception and since the current traffic system has not been solved in an optimal manner and since there is a lot of room for improvements in technical, technological and ecological sense, this paper will analyze the impact of road traffic on air pollution and offer proposals of measures to establish a sustainable traffic system of the City of Zagreb. Some of the proposals for reducing the harmful emissions from road traffic in the city of Zagreb include: reconstruction of the road network (emphasis on intersections), introduction of the traffic-dependent control of light signalized intersections, usage of intelligent transport systems for guiding and better organization of traffic, “Park-and-ride” system, etc. The traffic system of the city of Zagreb can be optimized without the construction of new roads by introducing intelligent traffic control with possible organizational changes and introduction of an accompanying system for control and management, thus significantly contributing to the reduction of the pollutants. The best practice, e.g., of the implemented measures of the transport policy on the CIVITAS pattern of 36 European cities, however, clearly suggest development guidelines for urban transport and can be entirely implemented in modelling the development of urban public transport in Croatia