Are HOV/eco-lanes a sustainable option to reducing emissions in a medium-sized European city? Tânia Fontes a,⇑ , Paulo Fernandes a,1 , Hugo Rodrigues a,1 , Jorge M. Bandeira a,1 , Sérgio R. Pereira a,1 , Asad J. Khattak b,2 , Margarida C. Coelho a,1 a University of Aveiro, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation/Dep. Mechanical Engineering, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal b University of Tenessee at Knoxville, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, 322 JD Tickle Bldg., Knoxville, TN 37996, United States article info Article history: Received 28 November 2012 Received in revised form 4 March 2014 Accepted 10 March 2014 Keywords: Integrated simulation Microscopic traffic model Instantaneous emission model Emissions Eco-lanes HOV abstract Innovative traffic management measures are needed to reduce transportation-related emis- sions. While in Europe, road lane management has focused mainly on introduction of bus lanes, the conversion to High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) and eco-lanes (lanes dedicated to vehicles running on alternative fuels) has not been studied comprehensively. The objectives of this research are to: (1) Develop an integrated microscopic modeling platform calibrated with real world data to assess both traffic and emissions impacts of future Traffic Manage- ment Strategies (TMS) in an urban area; (2) Evaluate the introduction of HOV/eco-lanes in three different types of roads, freeway, arterial and urban routes, in an European medium- sized city and its effects in terms of emissions and traffic performance. The methodology con- sists of three distinct phases: (a) Traffic and road inventory data collection; (b) Traffic and emissions simulation using an integrated platform of microscopic simulation; and (c) Evaluation of scenarios. For the baseline scenario, the statistical analysis shows valid results. The results show that HOV and eco-lanes in a medium European city are feasible, and when the Average Occupancy of Vehicles (AOV) increases, on freeways, the majority of vehicles can reduce their travel time (2%) with a positive impact in terms of total emissions (38% NO x , 39% HC, 43% CO and 37% CO 2 ). On urban and arterial corridors, the reduction in emissions could be achieved only if the AOV increases from 1.50 to 1.70 passengers/vehicle. Total emissions of the corridor with an AOV of 1.70 passengers/vehicle can be reduced up to 35–36% for the urban route while the values can be reduced by 36–39% for the arterial road. With the introduction of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) it is pos- sible to reduce emissions, although the introduction of eco-lanes did not show significant reductions in emissions. When both policies are simulated together, an emissions improve- ment is observed for the arterial route and for two of the scenarios. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction and objectives The first objectives of Traffic Management Strategies (TMS) deployments were commonly focused on improving safety, relieving congestion and saving costs (Barth and Boriboonsomsin, 2009; Gkritza and Karlaftis, 2013a, 2013b; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2014.03.002 0965-8564/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +351 234 370 830; fax: +351 234 370 309. E-mail address: trfontes@ua.pt (T. Fontes). 1 Tel.: +351 234 370 830; fax: +351 234 370 309. 2 Tel.: +1 (757) 683 6701. Transportation Research Part A 63 (2014) 93–106 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Transportation Research Part A journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tra