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Traffic flow and air pollution

By George Baumler

  Problems with air quality around the Louisville Metro region are blamed largely on automobile traffic.  The fact is that automobile traffic does account for a large share of air pollution.  A huge amount of that pollution is caused by vehicles unnecessarily being stalled in traffic due to poorly designed traffic arteries or being forced to stop-and-go behind some lumbering hulk of a public transit bus as it makes its scheduled stops.  Very little has been done to actually improve traffic flow on existing roadways other than increasing their width.  Busses traversing narrow two lane roads halt the traffic trapped behind them, causing motorists to use more fuel and ultimately causing more pollution than the half dozen or so passengers on the publicly funded transit could ever reasonably hope to offset. 

  The major traffic arteries such as Shelbyville Road, Bardstown Road and Hurstbourne Lane are cases in point.  These roads have been widened in recent in recent years as well they should have been to handle the increased traffic volume, but to offset the gain in volume the street planners have increased the number of traffic signals.  Traffic signals are not at fault in their own right and have their place in allowing traffic to take turns in crossing intersections of major roadways.  The proliferating traffic lights aren't even synchronized, making stop-and-go traffic unavoidable at any speed.  Every shopping center (that can afford the bribe) gets a traffic signal, which is great for turning left to get home with that new pair of shoes, but it halts the traffic on a major thoroughfare.  Glimmers of insight remain on Bardstown and Shelbyville Roads; remnants of some good road planning is still visible in the form of the routes that by passed the main streets in Buechel and Middletown.  Most of the intention of improved traffic flow has been undone only a couple hundred yards beyond the bypassed main drags. To understand the increased air pollution, it is only necessary to read the difference between city and highway mileage estimates on the sticker of any new car.

  A solution would be to designate certain roads as major thoroughfares, remove all unnecessary traffic lights and synchronize the remainder to optimize traffic flow.  Smaller roads paralleling the major arteries could allow access to the businesses that have located along these major roadways.  The use of overpasses and pedestrian bridges would also serve to help move the most traffic efficiently.  The constant proliferation of traffic obstacles is not in any way helpful in reducing air pollution generated by automobiles.  Modern vehicles help to reduce air pollution, but their advances are being undone at the traffic engineers’ offices.

  One other impediment to smooth traffic flow is slow moving, start and stopping bus traffic.  These large lumbering trucks designed to carry large numbers of people economically though not speedily, frequently stop and hold up traffic whether picking up or disgorging real or imaginary passengers.  The actual ridership of one of these hulks is far below the mass transit capacity of the lane of traffic it impedes.  The net result is more air pollution due to start and stop driving.  One simple and inexpensive solution to the problem these monsters present would be to have an area for busses to pull off the roadway when they make their stops.  Such areas would also facilitate the wreckers that frequently are obliged to service these behemoths.  After pulling out of the traffic stream, the busses could allow major motor traffic to pass largely uninterrupted, saving untold amounts of fuel and a significant amount of air pollution. 

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