Assessment of environmental effects of road construction in Moscow: microgeographic analysis

Abstract

The article discusses the changes in the volume of emissions from vehicles along several streets (new and old) in the part of Ochakovo-Matveevskoye municipal district of Moscow. The large-scale assessment method included 3 stages: field observations of the intensity and structure of the traffic flow on selected streets, calculation of emission volumes and air pollution density in emission dispersion areas. In the article determines shifts in the factors of the spatial issues of the spread of pollution from vehicles. The defining characteristic is the transport and planning structure at the level of the city, district, local area. The solution of the transport problem through the transformation of the road network makes harder the using of innovative methods in solving the problem of air pollution in Moscow. Positive changes in the dynamics of traffic pollution are possible within the post-industrial trends in the development of various multifactorial approaches for different areas of the city. It is a fact that the construction of new highways improves the traffic quality, reduces the intensity of congestion, but at the same time creates new areas of pollution. Emission reductions are only achieved for gasoline light trucks and diesel heavy trucks. The main trend of recent years is the increase in the uniformity of pollution from vehicles. New housing construction programs and large-scale projects for the transformation of Moscow districts lead to more connectivity in the city’s and at the same time to equalize the density of motor traffic pollution. Administrative decisions of reducing the intensity of traffic in the central areas of the city and the construction of new roads in the peripheral areas of the city also contribute to the reduction of area differentiation of pollution that is a sign of the post-industrial stage of the city’s development.