This study presents a novel methodology for assessing emissions of air pollutant and greenhouse gases emitted from vehicles and associated environment costs in Seoul, considering the city's unique traffic characteristics. By incorporating recent advancements in traffic data collection and analysis, we have overcome limitations in conservational methods to provide a more realistic and up-to-date estimations. Our approach enables the quantification of emissions and environmental price for various vehicle emission standards, as well as the assessment of non-exhaust PM2.5 contributions. Leveraging Seoul's extensive Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, we shift the focus from vehicle registration data to actual traffic volumes, resulting in a more dynamic and granular analysis. Additionally, by adopting the latest European emission factors and environmental price estimates, our assessment reflects current global standards.
Key findings include a decreased significance of NOx and NMVOC emissions and their associated prices due to changes in Seoul's traffic patterns. Conversely, the importance of non-exhaust PM2.5 and greenhouse gas emissions has increased.
Our results can be applied to evaluate the environmental impacts of various transportation projects. For instance, by reducing idling time and increasing average vehicle speeds, specific projects can lead to substantial reductions in emissions and societal costs.
Further analysis suggests a need for targeted electric vehicle adoption policies, particularly for gasoline-powered large passenger cars and diesel SUVs. Additionally, a more granular analysis of emissions and costs within the "best" emission standard category is required to inform future, stricter emission regulations.