|
Why
HEAVEN?
Increasingly, large urban areas
are affected by traffic-related air and noise pollution.
Urban planners, traffic engineers, environmental
and health officers have made often independent efforts to
address these problems, using novel technologies and new policies.
In particular, urban transport policies frequently aim to
reduce the negative environmental effects of traffic.
Furthermore, modern systems can provide a
significant amount of valuable real-time traffic and environmental
data, which support identification of the appropriate transport
management strategies.
However, are these different information
sources interlinked? What are the likely environmental impacts
of urban transport policies? Integration of information sources
in a user-friendly way will allow the assessment of the environmental
impacts of urban transport policies by urban decision-makers,
transport managers and citizens!
Objectives
HEAVEN is a project that will develop
and demonstrate new concepts and tools to allow cities to
estimate emissions from traffic in near-real time. This will
enhance the identification and evaluation of the best strategies
for transport demand management. Ultimately, it will aid in
the reduction of air and noise pollution in Europe.
The key objective of HEAVEN is to:
- Develop a Decision Support System (DSS)
which will provide integrated and near real-time information
on air and noise pollution and a comprehensive overview
of the current transport situation.
HEAVEN will:
- Assist cities in identifying Traffic
Demand Management Strategies which reduce the impact of
traffic on the environment;
- Develop innovative noise modelling systems
in anticipation of the implementation of the forthcoming
EU Directive on Noise;
- Inform key actors (including the public)
on the state of transport and its related air and noise
pollution level; and
- Investigate the data needs of health
experts and the potential implementation of a valid data
exchange platform with health authorities.
What
are the expected benefits?
The HEAVEN products demonstrated
will provide:
- Better description of the current urban
environmental situation;
- Enhanced environmental scenario analysis;
- Ability to make traffic management decisions
based on the current environmental situation;
- Improved access and quality of environmental
information;
- Better institutional co-operation of transport,
environment, and health agencies;
- Increased environmental information to
support strategic planning and decision making.
HEAVEN will provide cities with the tools
to make more environmentally friendly decisions concerning
the management of traffic and to better comply with EU Directives
and national legislation on air quality and noise.
|
