To further reduce air pollution in highly polluted streets and urban areas of Berlin and to promote the mobility turnaround are the declared goals of the eUVM project on extended eco-sensitive traffic management.
An environmentally sensitive traffic management system (UVM) is a data based traffic management system to adjust traffic control in urban areas depending on pollution levels dynamically. Activities in this field have been underway in Berlin for several years. For example in the Invalidenstrasse, some traffic lights already switch depending on the current air pollution.
Activities from various areas are now expanded and aligned for the future. This is a necessity by now due to new governmental requirements such the Berlin Mobility Act. In the various sub-projects, the eUVM project will analyse potential actions based on a comprehensive database and implement a range of measures. The project also aims to familiarise the public with the complex interplay between traffic and the environment and how to integrate it into their daily mobility.
January 2021 – December 2024
The second update of Berlin’s Clean Air Plan was adopted in July 2019 and includes not only numerous measures to improve vehicle technology but also above all, measures to reduce and prevent traffic. Furthermore, it aims to make traffic steadier and direct it in order to relieve highly polluted streets and promote the use of environmentally friendly transportation.. The focus of clean air efforts is nitrogen dioxide, as it is particularly harmful to health.
Route-related speed restrictions and driving bans for diesel vehicles apply on those roads where exceedances of the air pollution limits issued for the protection of human health were exceeded in the past and cannot be ruled out in the future. This already led to an improvement in the air pollution situation.
With the help of this extended environmentally sensitive traffic management (eUVM), the air pollution load in highly polluted roads and urban sub-areas is be to reduced and a further emission reduction effect achieved. The prerequisite for these measures is the provision of up-to-date, high-quality traffic and air quality data for the traffic road network. The data collection is an important part of this project (sub-projects: traffic data analysis, parking data analysis and air pollution forecast).
Using a modern communication strategy, the awareness of road users for the topic of air pollution due to traffic is to be further improved. In addition, this should also influence the choice of means of transport and strengthen walking, cycling and public transport. Information on current air pollution levels in road traffic and traffic jam forecasts should motivate road users to use these means of transport.
The extended environmentally sensitive traffic management aims to reduce private car use permanently through a consistent promotion of environmentally friendly transportation. In addition to reducing air pollution on an annual average, particularly highly polluted days are to be defused. Berlin wants to test in real terms, which measures to implement without polluting other areas or extending travel times or distances too much. This project collects important information on how motorised private transport can be reduced for many other large cities, but also for smaller municipalities. The measures introduced will be evaluated in terms of their effect and acceptance. Furthermore, a comprehensive validation of the emission reduction effect is to take place.
The project “Establishment and operation of an extended environmentally sensitive traffic management system in Berlin (eUVM)” is funded with 5.45m € by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) as part of the funding guideline “Digitalisation of municipal traffic systems” as part of the immediate programme Clean Air.
The aim of the eUVM project is to reduce air pollution in highly polluted streets and urban subareas and to promote the mobility turnaround by establishing and expanding environmentally sensitive traffic management. We will aim to achieve this goal through the synergies of the different subprojects. The first four sub-projects have already started (status 03/22), detailed information on all work items are going to be available on this website in the course of the project.
Based on the results of the analysis of the traffic situation, the project examines traffic management actions. In addition, starting points for the participation and communication strategy will be identified in order to develop reduction potentials through an environmentally sensitive choice of means of transport and the use of clean vehicles.
The project is accompanied by a timely and effective communication strategy. The project findings will be used to identify and strategically implement measures to raise awareness and encourage citizens to choose alternative means of transport.
An important line of communication is the integration of data into widely used routing systems in order to be able to generate routes according to the target parameter “lowest pollutant emission”. As a result, the option “most ecological route” could be provided in addition to the existing options “fastest route” and “shortest route”.
Based on the extensive traffic data collected in this project, emissions are to be continuously calculated and regularly compared with suitable comparative data. This allows for a timely evaluation of the measure, shows options for improvement and allows for a continuous optimisation of environmentally sensitive traffic management.
News from the test bed are regularly published here. An overview of all contributions and news about our projects can be found in the logbook. An overview of all contributions and news about our projects can be found in the logbook.
[November 2022] A lot of work has gone into expanding the Berlin mobility data platform over the past year. The mobility data platform “Digitale Plattform Stadtverkehr” (DPS) makes traffic and environmental data freely and digitally available to all interested parties.
