Route planning for soft modes of transport : healthy routes

Abstract

The application of sustainability principles on the definition of policies and actions for urban mobility relies on the promotion of less pollutant, economic, and more equitable modes of transport, such as walking and cycling, also known as smooth modes of transport. In this paper, a methodology is presented and described under the concept of healthy route generation. This integrates the contamination of the smooth modes of transport network, according to the noise levels and air pollution indices of the urban environment in which it is located, with the main objective of reducing the exposure level and the risk of development of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Healthy routes can be applied to attract and promote the use of smooth modes of transport in a regular basis in urban environments.