Calculation of additional pollutant gas emissions and their social cost from transport congestion

As main part of the external benefit of urban transport congestion, the disposal cost of additional pollutant gases from motor vehicle grows sharply with urban transport congestion getting worse. Based on the definition research scope, this paper presented the emission factors of pollutant gases under congestion situation, and established congestion related additional pollutant gas emission calculation model. Using the model, taking one metropolitan in Northern China, combining with the statistical data including miles travelled by the motor vehicles in 2009, emission volumes of the three main pollutant gases containing CO, NO_x and HC were calculated. And also, the social cost of disposing these pollutant gases was estimated. The work done in this paper can be used as reference in treating traffic congestion and transport related environment pollution for decision making sections.