The Calculation of Pollution from Road Traffic
- The text on this page is taken from an equivalent page of the IEHIAS-project.
The CAR-International model (Calculation of Pollution from Road Traffic, international version) developed in the Netherlands is a Gaussion-based screening model.
Model description
Purpose
CAR has been developed to estimate air pollution levels around city streets
Boundaries
Field of model: Outdoor Air
Spatial:' Car calculates kerb level estimates
Temporal: Annual percentile values and average concentrations
Pollutants covered: non-reactive pollutants and NO2
Source types of emissions: Traffic only
Input
Annual average traffic density
Vehicle distribution and speed
Emission factors for 4 categories of traffic speed:
- motorways
- other roads around city
- 'normal' city traffic
- stagnating city traffic
Output
Pollutant concentrations at kerbside (between 5 and 30m away from the road).
Rationale
CAR is a spreadsheet-based model, providing estimates of air pollutant concentrations, primarily on the basis of empirically derived statistical relationships between measured pollution and source/environmental factors. It was initially developed in the Netherlands, where it has been widely tested and used as a screening tool for air quality management purposes. The models were subsequently adapted to provide an 'international version, whuch was designed to be more widely applicable.
References
- Boeft et al. 1996 CAR International: a simple model to determine city air quality. Sci Tot Env 189/190. 321-326