Transport was responsible for 20% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Europe during 2011
(European Environmental Agency 2013) with road transport being the key contributor. To tackle
this, targets have been established in Europe and worldwide to curb transport emissions. This
poses a significant challenge on Local Government and transport operators who need to identify
a set of effective measures to reduce the environmental impact of road transport and at the same
time keep the traffic smooth. Of the road transport pollutants, this paper considers NOx, CO2 and
black carbon (BC). A particular focus is put on black carbon, which is formed through incomplete
combustion of carboneous materials, as it has a significant impact on the Earth’s climate system.
It absorbs solar radiation, influences cloud processes, and alters the melting of snow and ice
cover (Bond et al. 2013). BC also causes serious health concerns: black carbon is associated
with asthma and other respiratory problems, heart attacks and lung cancer (Sharma 2010; United
States Environmental Protection Agency 2012).
Since BC emissions are mainly produced during the decelerating and accelerating phases
(Zhang et al. 2009), ITS actions able to reduce stop&go phases have the potential to reduce BC
emissions. This paper investigates the effectiveness of combined ITS actions in urban context in
reducing CO2 and BC emissions and improving traffic conditions.