A Simple Model for Urban Background Pollution

A simple urban background pollution model is presented. Contributions from the individual area sources, subdivided into a grid net of a resolution of 2km × 2km, are integrated along the wind direction path assuming linear dispersion with the distance to the receptor point. Horizontal dispersion is accounted for by averaging the calculated concentrations over a certain, wind speed dependent wind direction sector, centred on the average wind direction. Formation of the nitrogen dioxide due to oxidation of nitrogen monoxide by ozone is calculated using a simple chemical model based on assumption of a photochemical equilibrium on the time scale of the pollution transport across the city area. The rate of entrainment of fresh rural ozone is governed by this time scale. The model is suitable for calculations of urban background when the dominating source is the road traffic. For this source the emissions take place at ground level, and a good approximation is to treat the emissions as area sources, but with an initial vertical dispersion determined by the height of the buildings.     

杭州市交通干线空气中挥发性有机物研究

研究了杭州市四季交通干线空气中挥发性有机物分布和浓度特征,得出汽车尾气是市区交通干线空气中挥发性有机物的主要污染来源,且有机物浓度与交通干线繁忙程度成正比,杭州市交通干线空气中挥发性有机物污染以春季最为严重,秋季最轻。     

重庆市道路交通噪声分布规律及控制措施研究

监测重庆市主城区道路旁居民住宅不同楼层昼间交通噪声等效声级,并分析其垂直分布规律。结果表明,随测点与地面高差的增加,噪声呈先增加后减小的趋势。隔声效果监测结果表明,隔声屏在重庆典型山城的地理环境下隔声效果较差,隔声窗具有较好的隔声效果,且测点距离越近隔声效果越明显。     

浅析美国和澳大利亚及新加坡道路交通噪声管理与监测

简要介绍了美国、澳大利亚及新加坡在道路交通噪声控制管理与监测技术方面的现状,分析了其经验和特点,结合我国道路交通噪声监测与评价现状提出了相应的建议。     

匀速行驶小型载客汽车噪声频谱研究

系统测量了5辆小型载客汽车分别以20~100 km/h匀速行驶时的车外噪声频谱,得到了低、中、高各频段声压级随车速的变化关系,进一步与城市道路交通噪声频谱相比较,为从声源上控制城市道路交通噪声提供有力的参考依据。     

石家庄市道路交通环境NO_x污染水平及ARMA模型预测

选择石家庄市区代表性路段作为研究对象,对其交通环境空气中NOx的污染水平进行现状监测。基于Matlab软件建立拟合模型,对下一时期的NOx污染趋势进行预测。结果表明,石家庄市交通环境中NOx小时浓度介于0.047~0.237 mg/m3之间,呈早晚高,且下午明显低于上午的日变化规律;NOx日均浓度介于0.076~0.211 mg/m3之间,其浓度与车流量呈明显的正相关性。利用matlab软件建立的ARMA模型能够较好地预测道路交通环境空气中NOx的浓度变化趋势。     

城市节假日前后碳通量特征及其与车流量关系

全球变化背景下,城市作为主要的碳源,对其碳循环的研究成为陆地生态系统碳循环的重点内容之一。以上海市奉贤区为研究对象,基于涡度相关技术,结合定点连续观测的车流量数据,分析节假日（元旦）前后CO2浓度和碳通量的变化特征,及其与车流量的关系。结果表明,CO2浓度和通量日变化呈现明显的双峰型曲线,节假日CO2浓度（385.6mg/L）平均值低于工作日（401.1 mg/L）。在本研究时段内该系统表现为碳源,尽管在白天的某些时段是碳汇,表明城市系统碳通量受自然和人为2个因素共同作用,自然因素比如该系统中的香樟、雪松等常绿植物的光合作用,人为因素由人类活动造成。基于车流量与交通流量的线性回归分析表明,机动车量碳排放对于碳通量变化产生18%的贡献。     

Impact of helmet use on traumatic brain injury from road traffic accidents in Cambodia

Objective: Rapid urbanization and motorization without corresponding increases in helmet usage have made traumatic brain injury due to road traffic accidents a major public health crisis in Cambodia. This analysis was conducted to quantify the impact of helmets on severity of injury, neurosurgical indication, and functional outcomes at discharge for motorcycle operators who required hospitalization for a traumatic brain injury following a road traffic accident in Cambodia.

Methods: The medical records of 491 motorcycle operators who presented to a major tertiary care center in Cambodia with traumatic brain injury were retrospectively analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results: The most common injuries at presentation were contusions (47.0%), epidural hematomas (30.1%), subdural hematomas (27.9%), subarachnoid hemorrhages (12.4%), skull fractures (21.4%), and facial fractures (18.5%). Moderate-to-severe loss of consciousness was present in 36.3% of patients. Not wearing a helmet was associated with an odds ratio of 2.20 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–4.22) for presenting with moderate to severe loss of consciousness compared to helmeted patients. Craniotomy or craniectomy was indicated for evacuation of hematoma in 20.0% of cases, and nonhelmeted patients had 3.21-fold higher odds of requiring neurosurgical intervention (95% CI, 1.25–8.27). Furthermore, lack of helmet usage was associated with 2.72-fold higher odds of discharge with functional deficits (95% CI, 1.14–6.49). In total, 30.1% of patients were discharged with severe functional deficits.

Conclusions: Helmets demonstrate a protective effect and may be an effective public health intervention to significantly reduce the burden of traumatic brain injury in Cambodia and other developing countries with increasing rates of motorization across the world.     

Evaluation of countermeasures for red light running by traffic simulator–based surrogate safety measures

Objective: The conflicts among motorists entering a signalized intersection with the red light indication have become a national safety issue. Because of its sensitivity, efforts have been made to investigate the possible causes and effectiveness of countermeasures using comparison sites and/or before-and-after studies. Nevertheless, these approaches are ineffective when comparison sites cannot be found, or crash data sets are not readily available or not reliable for statistical analysis. Considering the random nature of red light running (RLR) crashes, an inventive approach regardless of data availability is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of each countermeasure face to face.

Method: The aims of this research are to (1) review erstwhile literature related to red light running and traffic safety models; (2) propose a practical methodology for evaluation of RLR countermeasures with a microscopic traffic simulation model and surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM); (3) apply the proposed methodology to actual signalized intersection in Virginia, with the most prevalent scenarios—increasing the yellow signal interval duration, installing an advance warning sign, and an RLR camera; and (4) analyze the relative effectiveness by RLR frequency and the number of conflicts (rear-end and crossing).

Results: All scenarios show a reduction in RLR frequency (?7.8, ?45.5, and ?52.4%, respectively), but only increasing the yellow signal interval duration results in a reduced total number of conflicts (?11.3%; a surrogate safety measure of possible RLR-related crashes). An RLR camera makes the greatest reduction (?60.9%) in crossing conflicts (a surrogate safety measure of possible angle crashes), whereas increasing the yellow signal interval duration results in only a 12.8% reduction of rear-end conflicts (a surrogate safety measure of possible rear-end crash).

Conclusions: Although increasing the yellow signal interval duration is advantageous because this reduces the total conflicts (a possibility of total RLR-related crashes), each countermeasure shows different effects by RLR-related conflict types that can be referred to when making a decision. Given that each intersection has different RLR crash issues, evaluated countermeasures are directly applicable to enhance the cost and time effectiveness, according to the situation of the target intersection. In addition, the proposed methodology is replicable at any site that has a dearth of crash data and/or comparison sites in order to test any other countermeasures (both engineering and enforcement countermeasures) for RLR crashes.     

Survey regarding the 0.05 blood alcohol concentration limit for driving in the United States

Background: On May 14, 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) proposed that states lower the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) illegal limit from 0.08 to 0.05 g/dL (also referred to as the 0.08 law and the 0.05 limit, respectively). In March 2017, this recommendation was signed into law in the State of Utah.

Objective: The objective of this survey is to investigate perceptions regarding enforcement of the 0.05 g/dL BAC limit.

Method: Opinions of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and defense attorneys were obtained through a series of questionnaires and focus groups.

Results: Survey data were collected from 32 law enforcement officers, 20 prosecutors, and 4 defense attorneys. The participants rated the usefulness of the NHTSA's driving while intoxicated (DWI) driving cues lower for the 0.05 limit than for the 0.08 law. Some of the participants believed that training would be needed in regard to sobriety testing under the 0.05 limit. Participants also stated that adequately preparing for prosecution of drunk drivers would be more difficult under the 0.05 limit. In addition, it was believed that drunk driving cases are more likely to be withdrawn and fewer plea agreements and guilty pleas are likely under the 0.05 limit. Prosecutors were concerned that the 0.05 limit would result in poorly investigated cases and overburden the court system. Defense attorneys were concerned about the social and economic costs of a 0.05 limit.

Discussion: Overall, it appears that the 0.05 limit is viewed as enforceable and it will save lives; however, the usefulness of the NHTSA DWI Detection Guide and of the standardized field sobriety tests need to be established for lower BACs, and efforts must be made to educate people regarding the relationship between BAC and impairment and impairment and driving with the risk of injury and death.

Conclusion: Though the 0.05 limit offers promise in saving lives, the following issues associated with changing the limit to 0.05 need to be resolved prior to implementation: Validating the sobriety tests for the 0.05 limit; if needed, modifying the sobriety tests to make them effective and valid at the 0.05 limit; and training law enforcement personnel and educating the public regarding the 0.05 limit.