Studies on the Social Costs of Urban Road Transport (Noise and Pollution) : Report of the Eighteenth Round Table on Transport Economics Held in Paris on 13-14 April 1972

142 Pages·1972·1.89 MB·English

by  OECD

ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE
REPORT OF THE EIGHTEENTH ROUND TABLE
ON TRANSPORT ECONOMICS
Held in Paris, on the following topic :
studies on the social costs
of urban road transport
(noise and pollution)
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT
REPORT OF THE EIGHTEENTH ROUND TABLE
ON TRANSPORT ECONOMICS
Held in Paris, on the following topic:
studies on the social costs
of urban road transport
(noise and pollution)
EUROPEENNE
DES MINfSTKES DES TRANSPORTS
33, Rue de Franqueville
75775 PARIS CEDEX 16
Tel. : [phone]
(13th-14th April, 1972)
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS . (cid:9) . (cid:9) ii
STUDIES ON THE SOCIAL COSTS
OF URBAN ROAD TRANSPORT
(NOISE AND POLLUTION) (cid:9) . (cid:9) . . (cid:9) . (cid:9) 1
A. LASSIERE and P. BOWERS
SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSION (cid:9) (cid:9) (cid:9) 115
(Round Table debate on the Report)
86862
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Professor Dr. R. WILLEKE Chairman
Direktor
Institut fur Verkehrswissenschaft
an der Universitat zu Koln
Universitatsstrasse, 22
5 KOLN - LINDENTHAL (Germany)
Mr. A. LASSIERE Rapporteur
Department of the Environment
2 Marsham Street
LONDON SW1 P 3 EB (United Kingdom)
Mr. P. BOWERS Rapporteur
Department of the Environment
2 Marsham Street
LONDON SW1 P 3 EB (United Kingdom)
Professor M. E. BEESLEI
London Graduate School
of Business Studies
Sussex Place
Regent's Park
LONDON NW1 4SA . (United Kingdom)
Mr. Dag BJ0RNLAND
Research Leader
Institute of Transport Economy (T0I)
Stasjonsveien 4
OSLO 3 (Norway)
Professor Rolf FUNCK
Institut fur Wirtschaftspolitik
und Wirtschaftsforschung
der Universitat Karlsruhe
Kollegium am Schloss, Bau IV
75 - KARLSRUHE 1 (Germany)
Drs. R. HUETING
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
2 Oostduinlaan
LA HAYE (Netherlands)
Dr. Jan Owen JANSSON
The Economic Research Institute
Stockholm School of Economics (EFI)
Sveavagen 65
STOCKHOLM VA (Sweden)
M. le Professeur Zvonimir JELINOVIC
Economic Faculty
Zagreb University
Vrbaniceva 37/111
41000 ZAGREB (Yugoslavia)
Mr. Peter J. MACKIE
Centre for Transport Studies
The University of Leeds
LEEDS LS2 9JT (United Kingdom)
M. M. SAUVEZ
Ingenieur de Recherche
Institut de Recherche des Transports
Division des Transports Urbains
2 Av. du General Malleret-Joinville
94 - ARCUEIL (France)
Professor Dr. Hellmuth St. SEIDENFUS
Direktor
Institut fiir Verkehrswissenschaft
an der Universitat Munster
Am Stadtgraben 9
44 MUNSTER (Germany)
M. Antonio VALDES Y GONZALEZ ROLLAN
Ingenieur des Ponts et Chaussees
De'legue' de Circulation et Transports
de la Minicipalite'
Plaza de la Villa, 4
MADRID (Spain)
Dr. Noel WHELAN
Assistant General Manager
(Research and Development)
Coras Iompair Eireann
Heuston Station
DUBLIN 8 (Ireland)
M. Ariel ALEXANDRE
Administrator
Directorate of the Environment
O.E.C.D.
Secretariat: MM. A. DE WAELE
J. H. REES
STUDIES ON THE SOCIAL COSTS
OF URBAN ROAD TRANSPORT
(NOISE AND POLLUTION)
A. LASSIERE and P. BOWERS
Department of the Environment
London
Note: The statements and opinions expressed in this paper are the
responsibility of the authors; they should not be taken to
represent the official policy of the Department of the
Environment.
THE SOCIAL COSTS OF URBAN ROAD TRANSPORT
CONTENTS
Page
1 . Summary (cid:9) 5
2. Introduction (cid:9) 6
3. Externalities and Charging (cid:9) 7
4. Statement of Method (cid:9) 16
5. Noise (cid:9) 18
6. Exhaust fumes (cid:9) 33
7. Visual Effects (cid:9) 39
8. Pedestrian vehicle conflict (cid:9) 47
9. The Coventry Case Study (cid:9) 52
10. Methods of Evaluation (cid:9) 57
10.1 Housing Market Studies (cid:9) 58
10.2 Analysis of Amenity-Improving
Expenditure (cid:9) 59
10.3 Gaming methods (cid:9) 62
10.4 Simulation techniques (cid:9) 68
10.5 Environmental Survey ......... 71
1 1 . Conclusions 74
12. Appendix I The Measurement of Noise (cid:9) 78
13. Appendix II The Measurement of Visual Intrusion
14. Appendix III Model of an economy with
externalities (cid:9) 97
15. References . 102
FIGURES AND TABLES
FIGURES Page
1 . Optimum output with externalities (cid:9) 9
2. Variation of 10 per cent noise level with traffic
flow and percentage of heavy vehicles (cid:9) 24
3. Variation of 10 per cent noise level with distance
from the kerb (cid:9) 25
4. Attenuation pattern of 10 per cent noise level for
houses parallel to a road; comparison of field data
and acoustic model results (cid:9) 30
Attenuation pattern of 1 0 per cent noise level for
road in cut (cid:9) 31
6 The solid angle principle (cid:9) . (cid:9) 41
7 Contours of equal visual intrusion (cid:9) 43
8 A room with a view (cid:9) 46
9 Noise distribution due to investment alternatives ... 54
10 Priority evaluator environmental variables (cid:9) 64
11 Priority evaluator accessibility variables (cid:9) 65
12 Realistic Environmental Assessment Laboratory (REAL) 70
13 Setting of environmental standards (cid:9) 73
14 Point noise source (cid:9) 83
15 Line noise source (cid:9) 83
16 Definition of 10 per cent noise level, L10 (cid:9) 85
17 The solid angle subtended by a road (cid:9) 87
18 Section of motorway in cut (cid:9) 89
19 Divergence between spherical and cylindrical
projection (cid:9) 89
20 Full-field photograph of elevated motorway (cid:9) 90
21 Normal photograph of elevated motorway (cid:9) 90
22 Photogrammetric grid (cid:9) 92
23 Visual intrusion - standard case (a) (cid:9) 94
24 Visual intrusion - standard case (b) (cid:9) 95
Page
25. Index for visual intrusion (cid:9) 96
TABLES
1 . Comparison of computer simulation data with field
measurements for multi-lane motorway (cid:9) 23
2. Traffic noise prediction (cid:9) 20
3. Time distributions of Carbon Monoxide
concentrations (cid:9) 36
4. Position factor values (cid:9) 44
5. Regression analyses of visual intrusion (cid:9) 45
6. Scales of traffic and pedestrian models (cid:9) 50
7. Elements in scheme or network comparisons (cid:9) 55
8. Scheme comparisons, including environmental impact 56
9. Priority evaluator results (cid:9) 66
10. Unweighted and weighted visual intrusion index for
motorway (cid:9) 93
THE SOCIAL COSTS OF URBAN ROAD TRANSPORT
1 . SUMMARY
The social costs of urban road transport in terms of noise,
air pollution, visual intrusion, pedestrian/vehicle conflict and
severance, are large and growing. A model of an economy is de¬
veloped in which negative external effects of this type occur,
and the tax on polluters required to reach a Pareto optimum is
derived. If the model is to be made operational, the disutilities
to those affected must be measured and valued. We discuss recent
research work on measurement for each environmental factor in
turn. The use of these predictive techniques to quantify the en¬
vironmental impact of roads and traffic in terms of numbers of
people affected, the duration and degree of impact, is described
with reference to a case study.
Five methods of environmental evaluation are being developed
concurrently in the United Kingdom. These are (1) analysis of
the housing market, (2) analysis of amenity - improving expendi¬
ture, (3) game methods, (4) simulation techniques, and (5) social
surveys. A review of these suggests that economic valuations of
environmental effects will not be obtained for some time. There
are thus both theoretical and practical difficulties in devising
a charging system to allow fully for all the social costs created
by vehicle users - but charges may nevertheless have a role to
play in the control of urban transport pollution.