To uncover the main factors influencing vehicle exhaust emissions at signal-controlled intersections and their mechanisms, the professional intersection vehicle fuel consumption and emission analysis software system SIDRA INTERSECTION was used as a research tool. The factors affecting the exhaust emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC) in the intersection area were explored in terms of traffic flow characteristics, signal cycle, and signal timing plans. The research results show that on one hand, the average exhaust emissions per vehicle at road intersections increase with the rise in traffic volume, and the greater the total traffic volume at the intersection, the larger the increase in average exhaust emissions per vehicle. On the other hand, as the signal cycle increases, all types of exhaust emissions first decrease sharply, reach a minimum value, and then show a slow upward trend. Moreover, the larger the total traffic volume, the larger the signal cycle when the exhaust emissions reach the lowest value. Among the four types of exhaust, the NOx emission is less sensitive to cycle changes than the other three. The study also indicates that when the entrance road traffic volume exceeds 800 vehicles per hour, the vehicle pollutant emissions under the split phasing strategy at the intersection show a significant upward trend, with emission levels significantly higher than those of the two release methods of the left-turn protection strategy under the same conditions. Finally, the impact of the left-turn traffic proportion on vehicle exhaust emissions is related to the total traffic volume at the intersection, with the greater the total traffic volume, the more significant the impact of the left-turn traffic proportion on vehicle exhaust emissions.