Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Traffic Congestion and Traffic Emissions for Urban Expressway

The quantitative analysis of traffic conditions can provide valuable insights for effective traffic operations and management. Existing studies have predominantly focused on analyzing traffic congestion on highways, with limited emphasis on evaluating traffic conditions on urban arterial roads. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to utilize field data from the expressways in Shenzhen, China, for quantifying traffic congestion and estimating traffic emissions. Three traffic congestion indicators are employed to assess the levels of traffic congestion. Based on the research findings, it is observed that these indicators effectively reflect the traffic congestion situation on urban expressways using the measured data. Threshold analysis for traffic congestion is also conducted based on the measured data, along with an exploration of the spatio-temporal distribution of traffic emissions.