Car Tunnels as a Climate Neutrality Factor for a Large City

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15802/stp2025/345002

Keywords:

city planning, underground construction, climate neutrality, СО2 emission, car tunnels, city traffic, system analysis, transport model

Abstract

Purpose. Determining the development priorities for a network of car tunnels envisioned in the Kyiv city General Plan, considering the city’s climate neutrality problem; systemic evaluation of a car tunnel’s impact on the city’s functioning, traffic change, and ecological (climate) indicators. Methodology. Modified morphological analysis method for urbanized territories, considering the groups of structural and functional, and ecological (climate) factors and risks, including: air pollution (car exhaust fumes), route length, traffic jams, dynamic noise etc. The transport model for Kyiv was introduced as a combination of two components – the transport supply model (consisting of the city’s traffic system elements: road network, different public transport routes, stations etc.), and the transport demand model (which characterizes the purposes for the choice of modes and routes for movement, population mobility parameters etc.). The synthesis of these methodologies is considered by the authors as an important process of converting scientific methods into management decisions. Findings. A systemic decision support model was developed for evaluating priorities, and ranking (advisable queueing) of tunnel construction in Kyiv considering the climate neutrality factor; a comparative assessment was made, and the highest-ranking tunnel was determined (the track from Galytska square to the start of the Brovarskyi avenue). Testing the scenario that incorporates said tunnel into the transport model of Kyiv allowed to assess the overall expected traffic change, and demonstrated the capacity to reduce overall СО2 exhaust by 4 % of the total city’s emission. Originality. The novel construction of a morphological model for evaluating a system of car tunnels considering their impact on key risk factors that allowed to assess alternative configurations (scenarios) taking into account different priorities (weights) of a certain risk, particularly those impacting СО2 emission; a quantitative correlation was revealed between the tunnel’s track, its impact on the city traffic, and reduction of СО2 exhaust. Practical value. The paper demonstrates the high impact of car tunnels on the reduction of greenhouse gas emission (as well as mitigating a number of transport, territorial and safety issues) on the example of Kyiv city, providing the basis of considering the development of the underground traffic infrastructure as a constituent of achieving climate neutrality and sustainable development in big cities. Grant support. The research was conducted within the Horizon Europe frame program, project «Ukraine towards Carbon Neutrality (U_CAN)», grant agreement 101148374, and financed by the European Union.

References

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Published

2025-12-16

How to Cite

Haiko, H. I., Savchenko, I. O., Tarasiuk, V. P., & Bespalov, D. O. (2025). Car Tunnels as a Climate Neutrality Factor for a Large City. Science and Transport Progress, (4(112), 166–180. https://doi.org/10.15802/stp2025/345002

Issue

No. 4(112) (2025)

Section

TRANSPORT CONSTRUCTION

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