Transportation means such as passenger cars, light and heavy trucks are major sources of noise and air pollution in urban areas within the city. In many developed as well as developing countries, road traffic noise and air pollution are considered the most widespread form of environmental pollution. Noise has a subjective impact on people’s health causing annoyance, nuisance, dissatisfaction; interference with activities such as speech, sleep, learning; and physiological impacts such as hearing loss or sudden distress. Similarly, vehicles contribute to the emission of harmful gases such as CO2 and other suspended particles into the air. Due to the heavy vehicular traffic on arterial and sub-arterial roads, high levels of harmful pollutants are continuously emitted and concentrated on these road ways and nearby areas. This project addresses the major problem of noise as a product of road traffic congestion as well as the resulting air pollution, both of which diminish the quality of life of the citizen and the environment. As cities grow in Saudi Arabia, road journeys and traffic congestion increase leading to noise and air pollutants levels often exceed acceptable limit values. The objective of this study is to devise a monitoring and assessment procedure for both noise and air pollution of road traffic in major (arterial) roads in urban areas within cities in the kingdom and to formulate a decision-assisting framework employing state-of-the-art technology of computer-aided modeling, prediction and mapping of noise and air pollution levels as a result of road traffic.

Keywords: Traffic Noise Pollution, Vehicle Traffic, Road Air Pollution, Arterial Roads, Environmental Pollution,
                       Noise and Air Pollution Monitoring and Mapping, Impact Assessment, Mitigation Measures