Study on Influencing Factors of Vehicle Exhaust Emissions at Signal-Controlled Intersections

Authors

• TU Shengwen, School of Materials and Architectural Engineering, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, ChinaFollow
• GUO Wenyu, School of Materials and Architectural Engineering, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, China
• LEI Meimei, School of Materials and Architectural Engineering, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, China

Abstract

To reveal the main factors influencing vehicle exhaust emissions at signal-controlled intersections and their action mechanisms, a professional software system for analyzing intersection vehicle fuel consumption and emissions, SIDRA INTERSECTION, was used as the research tool in this paper. The influencing factors and their variation laws of the exhaust emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC) in the intersection area were explored from the aspects of traffic flow characteristics, signal cycles, and signal timing schemes. The research results indicate that:① The average vehicle exhaust emissions at road intersections increase with the rise in traffic volume, and a greater total traffic volume at the intersection means a larger increment in average vehicle exhaust emissions;② As the signal cycle increases, all types of exhaust emissions first decrease sharply, reach a minimum value, and then they show a slow upward trend. Meanwhile, a larger total traffic volume means a longer signal cycle when the exhaust emissions reach the lowest value;③ Among the four types of exhaust gases, the sensitivity of NOx emissions to cycle changes is lower than that of the other three types of exhaust gases;④ When the traffic volume on the approach exceeds 800 veh/h, the vehicle pollutant emissions under the split phasing strategy at the intersection show a significant upward trend, and their emission levels are significantly higher than those of the two release methods of the left-turn protection strategy under the same conditions;⑤ The magnitude of the traffic volume at the intersection significantly affects the correlation between the proportion of left-turn vehicles and vehicle pollutant emissions, and with the increase in the total traffic volume at the intersection, the effect of the left-turn proportion on exhaust emissions becomes more prominent.

Publication Date

4-24-2026

DOI

10.14048/j.issn.1671-2579.2026.02.029

First Page

272

Last Page

279

Submission Date

April 2026

Recommended Citation

Shengwen, TU; Wenyu, GUO; and Meimei, LEI (2026) "Study on Influencing Factors of Vehicle Exhaust Emissions at Signal-Controlled Intersections," Journal of China & Foreign Highway: Vol. 46: Iss. 2, Article 29.
DOI: 10.14048/j.issn.1671-2579.2026.02.029
Available at: https://zwgl1980.csust.edu.cn/journal/vol46/iss2/29

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