48
M. L. de Barros Baltar et al.
reduction represents a 22% drop in CO 2 emissions. In addition, looking at the areas
represented on the map, it is identified that: (i) the greatest reduction in emissions
was observed in Transolimpica region; and (ii) a greater reduction in the sum of all
incidents was identified in Penha region, since the highest number of occurrences
recorded was in this region.
5 Discussion of Policies and Actions to Minimize Incidents
The establishment of public policies and mitigation actions that really control the
concentration of air pollutants in urban areas has been a major challenge for decisionmakers [32]. It happens because the process to develop efficient strategies, which
reduces pollutant emissions in the field of transportation, must consider the participation of all actors involved in the operation of the sector, such as public agencies,
transport planners, drivers, pedestrians, public transport concessionaires and logistics companies. However, as shown in the results discussed above, there is a need to
implement policies and actions to reduce the problem related to the increase in CO 2
emissions from road incidents.
According to Haque et al. [23], to increase traffic safety and thus reduce road
incidents such as traffic accidents, both drivers and pedestrians need to understand
their social responsibility and public institutions need to legislate to reach a higher
level of security. Therefore, Welle et al. [40] indicate actions that can be implemented
to create a safe mobility system on the roads presented as follow: (i) build compact
and connected cities; (ii) design more intelligent routes; (iii) offer a variety of secure
mobility options; (iv) keep speeds at safety levels; (v) enforce existing laws and
regulations; (vi) provide a better education for drivers and urban planners; (vii)
require universal vehicle safety standards; and (viii) accelerate emergency response.
Incident reduction initiatives may include the use of Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS), which allows, for example, a better coordination between those
responsible for the incident management and the use of mobile assistance services to
drivers on the roads. According to Chen et al. [12], energy efficiency and emissions
reduction have become essential arguments for investments in ITS. In addition, the
authors indicate that, for cities in developing countries, the focus of these investments
should be on basic infrastructure, including a coherent road network and basic traffic
management measures. Therefore, investment in ITS is an important strategy in order
to reduce the negative externalities generated by the incidents. We can focus on automatic incident detection systems, which have algorithms that detect the occurrence
of incidents by processing data related to traffic parameters, such as traffic flow,
average speed and occupancy rate [11].
Another measure that can be adopted, this time to reduce the total time of the
incident, is the repositioning of the service vehicles, as studied by Geroliminis et al.
[20], Ozbay et al. [34], Zhu et al. [43], Adler et al. [2] and Baltar et al. [5]. According
to Yuan and Cheu [41], the losses and the influence of an incident are proportional
to its duration, therefore, a quick detection and an effective service can considerably
M. L. de Barros Baltar et al.
reduction represents a 22% drop in CO 2 emissions. In addition, looking at the areas
represented on the map, it is identified that: (i) the greatest reduction in emissions
was observed in Transolimpica region; and (ii) a greater reduction in the sum of all
incidents was identified in Penha region, since the highest number of occurrences
recorded was in this region.
5 Discussion of Policies and Actions to Minimize Incidents
The establishment of public policies and mitigation actions that really control the
concentration of air pollutants in urban areas has been a major challenge for decisionmakers [32]. It happens because the process to develop efficient strategies, which
reduces pollutant emissions in the field of transportation, must consider the participation of all actors involved in the operation of the sector, such as public agencies,
transport planners, drivers, pedestrians, public transport concessionaires and logistics companies. However, as shown in the results discussed above, there is a need to
implement policies and actions to reduce the problem related to the increase in CO 2
emissions from road incidents.
According to Haque et al. [23], to increase traffic safety and thus reduce road
incidents such as traffic accidents, both drivers and pedestrians need to understand
their social responsibility and public institutions need to legislate to reach a higher
level of security. Therefore, Welle et al. [40] indicate actions that can be implemented
to create a safe mobility system on the roads presented as follow: (i) build compact
and connected cities; (ii) design more intelligent routes; (iii) offer a variety of secure
mobility options; (iv) keep speeds at safety levels; (v) enforce existing laws and
regulations; (vi) provide a better education for drivers and urban planners; (vii)
require universal vehicle safety standards; and (viii) accelerate emergency response.
Incident reduction initiatives may include the use of Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS), which allows, for example, a better coordination between those
responsible for the incident management and the use of mobile assistance services to
drivers on the roads. According to Chen et al. [12], energy efficiency and emissions
reduction have become essential arguments for investments in ITS. In addition, the
authors indicate that, for cities in developing countries, the focus of these investments
should be on basic infrastructure, including a coherent road network and basic traffic
management measures. Therefore, investment in ITS is an important strategy in order
to reduce the negative externalities generated by the incidents. We can focus on automatic incident detection systems, which have algorithms that detect the occurrence
of incidents by processing data related to traffic parameters, such as traffic flow,
average speed and occupancy rate [11].
Another measure that can be adopted, this time to reduce the total time of the
incident, is the repositioning of the service vehicles, as studied by Geroliminis et al.
[20], Ozbay et al. [34], Zhu et al. [43], Adler et al. [2] and Baltar et al. [5]. According
to Yuan and Cheu [41], the losses and the influence of an incident are proportional
to its duration, therefore, a quick detection and an effective service can considerably