Are Low Emission Zones Effective in Reducing Emissions and Ambient Air Pollution?

Hyesop Shin; Eric Silverman; Alison Heppenstall; Nick Malleson; Mario Ilic; Sonali Abeysinghe; Tabea Sonnenschein

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-88017-9_3

Are Low Emission Zones Effective in Reducing Emissions and Ambient Air Pollution?

Hyesop Shin^*
, Eric Silverman
, Alison Heppenstall
, Nick Malleson
, Mario Ilic
, Sonali Abeysinghe
, Tabea Sonnenschein

^*Corresponding author for this work

University of Glasgow
The University of Auckland
University of Leeds
Technical University of Munich

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Glasgow, a major city in the UK, faces ongoing challenges with traffic congestion and high levels of air pollution. In response, Glasgow City Council introduced Scotland’s first Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in June 2023. This study investigates the potential impacts of the LEZ on traffic flow, emissions and public health outcomes using an agent-based modelling approach. Using the SUMO traffic simulator, the work in-progress model simulates the complexity of urban traffic dynamics and the associated emissions. Preliminary results highlight emissions fluctuations influenced by traffic congestion and vehicle stops, with significant emissions reductions observed under LEZ-compliant scenarios. The study also identifies critical challenges, including traffic collisions due to inadequate infrastructure and limitations of real-time traffic data. These findings highlight the need for calibrated traffic patterns and infrastructure improvements to maximise the effectiveness of the current LEZ simulation.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Multi-Agent-Based Simulation - 25th International Workshop, MABS 2024, Revised Selected Papers
Editors	Jason Thompson, Ivana Stankov
Publisher	Springer
Pages	28-36
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-031-88017-9
ISBN (Print)	978-3-031-88016-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88017-9_3
Publication status	Published - 6 Apr 2025
Event	25th International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation, MABS 2024 - Auckland, New Zealand Duration: 6 May 2024 → 6 May 2024

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume	15583 LNAI
ISSN (Print)	0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)	1611-3349

Conference

Conference	25th International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation, MABS 2024
Country/Territory	New Zealand
City	Auckland
Period	6/05/24 → 6/05/24

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Keywords

Air Quality
Emission
Glasgow
Low Emission Zone (LEZ)
Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO)
Traffic Simulation

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-88017-9_3

978-3-031-88017-9_3Final published version, 2.07 MBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

Shin, H., Silverman, E., Heppenstall, A., Malleson, N., Ilic, M., Abeysinghe, S., & Sonnenschein, T. (2025). Are Low Emission Zones Effective in Reducing Emissions and Ambient Air Pollution? In J. Thompson, & I. Stankov (Eds.), Multi-Agent-Based Simulation - 25th International Workshop, MABS 2024, Revised Selected Papers (pp. 28-36). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science; Vol. 15583 LNAI). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88017-9_3

@inproceedings{8416a9718a584c0d815c07132b1105e0,

title = "Are Low Emission Zones Effective in Reducing Emissions and Ambient Air Pollution?",

abstract = "Glasgow, a major city in the UK, faces ongoing challenges with traffic congestion and high levels of air pollution. In response, Glasgow City Council introduced Scotland{\textquoteright}s first Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in June 2023. This study investigates the potential impacts of the LEZ on traffic flow, emissions and public health outcomes using an agent-based modelling approach. Using the SUMO traffic simulator, the work in-progress model simulates the complexity of urban traffic dynamics and the associated emissions. Preliminary results highlight emissions fluctuations influenced by traffic congestion and vehicle stops, with significant emissions reductions observed under LEZ-compliant scenarios. The study also identifies critical challenges, including traffic collisions due to inadequate infrastructure and limitations of real-time traffic data. These findings highlight the need for calibrated traffic patterns and infrastructure improvements to maximise the effectiveness of the current LEZ simulation.",

keywords = "Air Quality, Emission, Glasgow, Low Emission Zone (LEZ), Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO), Traffic Simulation",

author = "Hyesop Shin and Eric Silverman and Alison Heppenstall and Nick Malleson and Mario Ilic and Sonali Abeysinghe and Tabea Sonnenschein",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.; 25th International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation, MABS 2024 ; Conference date: 06-05-2024 Through 06-05-2024",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1007/978-3-031-88017-9\_3",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-3-031-88016-2",

series = "Lecture Notes in Computer Science",

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Shin, H, Silverman, E, Heppenstall, A, Malleson, N, Ilic, M, Abeysinghe, S & Sonnenschein, T 2025, Are Low Emission Zones Effective in Reducing Emissions and Ambient Air Pollution? in J Thompson & I Stankov (eds), Multi-Agent-Based Simulation - 25th International Workshop, MABS 2024, Revised Selected Papers. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 15583 LNAI, Springer, pp. 28-36, 25th International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation, MABS 2024, Auckland, New Zealand, 6/05/24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88017-9_3

Are Low Emission Zones Effective in Reducing Emissions and Ambient Air Pollution? / Shin, Hyesop; Silverman, Eric; Heppenstall, Alison et al.
Multi-Agent-Based Simulation - 25th International Workshop, MABS 2024, Revised Selected Papers. ed. / Jason Thompson; Ivana Stankov. Springer, 2025. p. 28-36 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science; Vol. 15583 LNAI).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review