Assessment of the Impact of Road Transport Change on the Security of the Urban Social Environment

Abstract

In the context of accelerating urbanisation, cities must ensure a viable economy, social well-being, and a healthy environment. Transport is one of the key conditions for economic development and meeting the needs of countries, regions, and cities. However, transport must meet not only the physiological but also the social needs of society, one of which is environmental security. Urban transport accounts for around 40% of CO2 emissions and 70% of other pollutants from road transport. Thus, one of the most difficult issues for any city to address when building bypasses is the growing number of cars in the city, traffic congestion, and the reduction of all greenhouse gas emissions. The documents adopted in July 2020 aim to revitalise the EU’s economy by moving towards a green economy and sustainability. In addition to the systematic and comparative analysis of concepts published in the scientific literature, the article also presents an analysis of the concepts of the sustainable city and sustainable transport, as well as a study of the social impact of bypasses and the assessment of the security of the social environment in the Baltic capitals. The aim of the article is to assess the impact of the growing number of vehicles on the security of the city’s social environment. Research results show that the number of pollutants and a direct dependence between the number of pollutants and the driving speed were established. Therefore, it needs to make investments in the transport sector: improving roads, the construction of bypasses, and the technical parameters of purchased cars.