Multi-Criteria Assessment of crosswalk location on a corridor with roundabouts: Incorporating a Noise related Criterion

Abstract

Traffic noise is an important source of environmental stress that can damage human health. This phenomenon may be sensitive nearby roundabouts where noise levels may exceed exposure limits. However, the quantification about noise perceived by pedestrians at influence areas of roundabouts is lacking. This research assessed the characteristics of noise along an urban corridor with two roundabouts. A deeper understanding about the exposure to noise levels perceived by pedestrians is a contribution of the paper. The specific objectives are: 1) to characterize corridor-specific operations in terms of traffic and pedestrian performance, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, and noise; and 2) to explore the differences in the optimal crosswalk locations considering above-related criteria. Traffic and pedestrian volumes, vehicle dynamic and noise data were collected during morning and evening peak periods in the selected site. Traffic and pedestrian performance, and vehicular emissions were evaluated using VISSIM traffic model and Vehicle Specific Power (VSP), respectively. Traffic noise was estimated with a semi-dynamical model and an estimation of the corridor Source Power Level (SPL) was used as a distance-free parameter to be compared with other emissions. Finally, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) was applied to find optimal crosswalk locations. It was found that crosswalks nearby the present location (PC = 33 m) provided a good balance among traffic and pedestrian performance, emissions and noise, regardless of peak period. The inclusion of noise related-criteria resulted in some optimal locations next roundabout exit section (13-23 m) mostly due to low pedestrian volumes in the study locations.