In situ measurements of the environmental footprint of freight vehicles in Switzerland

Eureka Logchain Footprint is an ongoing European cooperative project aimed at developing methods to identify road and rail vehicles through their environmental “footprint” as characterised by their dynamic load, noise, ground borne vibrations, and gaseous emissions. Part of the project involves the installation of road and rail footprint monitoring stations throughout Europe. This paper reports the results of the first road station built on the A1 motorway in Switzerland on a flexible asphalt pavement. Individual vehicle data on weigh in motion, noise and vibration sensors were measured in situ. Methods for the incorporation of gaseous emissions from vehicles are discussed. The results indicate that the various footprint parameters need to be assessed separately to determine the environmental impact of heavy vehicles.