Urban Transportation

One of the most important problems occurring while designing public transport vehicles consists in providing an effective control of the door opening systems. The methods of carrying out the investigations presented in the paper include structural and kinematic analysis of the door opening mechanisms and simulation of their operation in applied software. The paper analyses the design and operational peculiarities of the turning-and-shunting mechanism of door opening of electric public transport. The corresponding design of the mechanism is proposed. It is suggested to be driven by pneumatic drive. The simplified diagram of the mechanism is constructed. Structural and kinematic analysis of the mechanism is performed, and the analytical dependencies for describing the motion of its links during the door opening/closing are derived. The main kinematic parameters of the studied mechanism are investigated on the basis of the derived analytical dependencies in MathCAD software, as well as by means of simulating the motion of the solid-state model of the mechanism designed in SolidWorks software. The conclusions about the agreement of the results of theoretical investigations performed on the basis of numerical solving the obtained motion equations and of the virtual experiment (motion simulation in SolidWorks software) are drawn. The analysis of energy efficiency of the investigated turning-and-shunting door opening mechanism of electric public transport is carried out. Prescribing the resistance force acting on the door leaf and calculating the corresponding door motion speed during its closing, the dependency of the nominal power supply of the mechanism drive as a function of corresponding generalized coordinates was deduced. Analyzing the obtained results, the authors have established that the necessary nominal power of the turning-and-shunting mechanism drive is almost twice larger than the necessary nominal power of the widely used leaning-and-shunting mechanism. Further investigations on the subject of the paper can be performed in the direction of developing different control systems providing safe and reliable operation of the considered door opening mechanism driven be electric and pneumatic actuators.

Transport in India is both a necessity as well as convenience. Public transport still remains the primary mode of transport for most of the population and India’s public transport system are among the most heavily utilized in the world. India being a developing economy, road transport deserves a high priority as it forms the backbone of both the passenger transport and freight movement. The private sector operators are also occupying a part in the passenger services in the country. Share auto-rickshaws are mostly found only in capital cities until one decade ago. Now it is a common sight that even in semi-urban areas share auto-rickshaws are plying connecting the network of rural areas. The present article has drawn its strength from such a social background and thus assumed a greater social relevance to-day.

Economic theory recognises equity dimensions of social welfare as well as efficiency issues. This paper examines three measures of equity-horizontal, vertical and locational-analysing data .from the toll collections on the New
Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Policy implications are provided.

NB: This is the Final Report submitted by Dana Carlisle in "Innovating the Built Environment: How the Law Responds to Disruptive Change," a two-credit course that was part of the Seattle University School of Law's June 2020 Summer Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SITIE2020). Because academia.edu will not allow me to upload student papers to my page without showing me as an author, I appear as such. While I employ a very collaborative approach in working with all of my students, and provided guidance and input to Dana throughout this course, from project conception through to the Final Report, this document is the intellectual property of this student.

The research presented in this Final Report explores the intersection between high-capacity transit and development, that intersection being Transit Oriented Development, or TOD.  The Final Report covers the advent of TOD, TOD public policy, and how TODs contribute to regional equity using TOD case studies from Sound Transit, the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority operating in Snohomish, King and Pierce Counties. The Final Report concludes with a discussion about metrics that can be used for equitable TOD.

The primary objectives of this study are to develop two roundabout entry capacity models using a regression-based multiple non-linear regression model (MNLR) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based ANFIS (adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system) model under heterogeneous traffic conditions. ANFIS is the latest technique in the field of AI that integrates both neural networks and fuzzy logic principles in a single framework. Required data have been collected from 27 roundabouts in eight states of India. To assess the significance of these models and select the best model among them, modified rank index is applied in this study. The coefficient of determination (R 2) and Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient 'E' values are found to be 0.92, 0.91 and 0.98, 0.98 for the MNLR and ANFIS model, respectively. The ANFIS model is found to be the best model in this study. However, from a practical point of view, the MNLR model is recommended for determining roundabout entry capacity under heterogeneous traffic conditions. Sensitivity analysis reports that critical gap is the prime variable and shares 18.43% for the development of roundabout entry capacity. As compared with the Girabase formula (France), Brilon wu formula (Germany), and HCM 2010 models, the proposed MNLR model is quite reliable under low to medium ranges of traffic volumes. Roundabouts are a specialized form of an un-signalized intersection in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. Direction of traffic, according to left-hand or right-hand driving rules, depends on the specific country. Roundabouts have been used as an effective intersection control measure to improve safety and operational performance under low to high circulating traffic flow conditions. As compared with other, signa-lized, intersections, roundabouts have several basic advantages, such as speed reduction of vehicles, less delay, pedestrian safety, aesthetics, and reduction of conflict points. A signalized intersection has 32 conflict points, whereas a roundabout with two circulating and entry lanes has 8 and 16 conflict points, respectively. Because of the increase in the use of roundabouts, an assessment regarding operational performance needs to be undertaken. Evaluation of capacity at roundabouts is an important aspect of operational performance that describes the present traffic scenario, level of service, delay, accidents, operational cost, and environmental issues. Under heterogeneous traffic conditions, vehicles of various kinds have varying physical and operational characteristics. In developing countries, driver behavior, vehicular characteristics (size, engine efficiency, and years of usage), and intersection geometric design vary significantly. The vehicle fleet is composed of heavy vehicles (HV), light motor vehicles (LMV), motor cycles/ scooters (MC/S), bicycles (BC) and human-drawn vehicles (HDV). These vehicles share the main carriageway without any physical or marked segregation. When there are vehicles of different types with varying static and dynamic characteristics, follow-the-lane discipline and the follow-the-leader concept become irrelevant. Under constraints of flow and space, small-sized vehicles try to move into the circulating area without following lane discipline. Also, HV forcibly merge into the circulating stream of traffic. These points reflect that the rule of priority is not respected under such a heterogeneous traffic condition. In these circumstances, the study of

In many cities the growing popularity of bicycle-sharing schemes has added additional options to the transport regime. A significant amount of research has been stipulated by data recorded from lending and returning bicycles at geographically diverse stations. In this contribution, focus will be laid on the relationship that the bike-sharing system of the City of Vienna (CityBike Wien – CBW) has with its well developed public transport system. Does bike-sharing serve as competitor, relief or supplement? By surveying the total CBW trip data of 2015 – about 1 million records – we approach to answer this question. We cleanse and route all bicycle trips and compare them with routed alternative public transport trips in terms of travel time ratios. In interviews of 1,389 CBW users conducted in July and September/October of 2016, we ask about the purpose of their trip, the position of the CBW as part of their door-to-door trip, the role of CBW as substitute for other means of transport and the reasons for this substitution. The age group that has the highest number of users among CBW and the shares of tourists/visitors and locals using CBW is identified. Identifying the top 10 of trips from the cleansed dataset and mapping them emphasizes the role that we identify for Vienna's bike-sharing system in the inner city: A supplement to public transport.

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have the potential to make motorized transport safer and more sustainable, by integrating clean technologies and supporting flexible shared-mobility services. Leveraging this new form of transport to transform mobility in cities will depend fundamentally on public acceptance of AVs, and the ways in which individuals choose to use them, to meet their daily travel needs. Empirical studies exploring public attitudes towards automated driving technologies and interest in AVs have emerged in the last few years. However, within this strand of research there is a paucity of theory-driven and behaviourally consistent methodologies to unpack the determinants of user adoption decisions with respect to AVs. In this paper, we seek to fill this gap, by advancing and testing four conceptual frameworks which could be deployed to capture the range of possible behavioural influences on individuals’ AV adoption decisions. The frameworks integrate socio-demographic variables and relevant latent behavioural factors, including perceived benefits and perceived ease of use of AVs, public fears and anxieties regarding AVs, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and attitudinal factors covering the environment, technology, collaborative consumption, public transit and car ownership. We demonstrate the utility and validity of the frameworks, by translating the latent variables into indicator items in a structured questionnaire, and administering it online to a random sample of adult individuals (n = 507). Using the survey data in confirmatory factor analyses, we specify and demonstrate scale reliability of indicator items, and convergent and discriminant validity of relationships among latent variables. Ultimately, we advance four measurement models. These theory-grounded measurement models are intended for application in research aimed at understanding and predicting (a) AV interest and adoption intentions, and (b) user adoption decisions regarding three different AV modes: ownership, sharing and public transport.

Having a precise understanding of the determinants of transportation mode choices and decisions can be under the influence of regional and cultural aspects. This paper outlines such determinants in the Iranian city of Kerman as a representative of the similar Middle Eastern cities located in hot-arid climates and Moslem cultures. The descriptive analysis of the results derived from a short survey that was a part of a larger study conducted in the second half of 2013 indicated that adding to accessibility to public transportation and the convenience of using it can persuade people to shift from car driving to public transit use. The main barriers to bicycling are sociocultural aspects, while for walking the obstacles are physical and environmental. Increasing the quality of pedestrian infrastructure and spaces is a stronger deterrent than personal attitudes against walking. Such findings show slight dissimilarities from the results of some of the western studies that find the built environment more effective. Chi-square tests indicates that the four variables of gender, household size, age, and household car ownership significantly affect modal choice decisions. These findings can be a general guide for the Middle Eastern planners to promote walking, biking, and public transport use.

The study is conducted to explore the temporal and spatial variations of traffic pattern of Pabna Municipality based on data from field survey. Traffic Volume survey, Origin and Destination survey (O-D) and Household Interview survey (HIS) are the main methodological approaches for collecting data. The analysis of the data shows that the traffic flow is heavy during the peak hour and most of the trips are made by rickshaw, auto rickshaw and CNG in the selected study area. The result also indicates that the home based work trips (25.1%) contribute higher among the different trip purposes.The study also suggests that maximum trips are produced from higher income group.The study also tries to make the relationship among economic activities, transportation facilities, average monthly income and traffic pattern of the town. This study state the effects of these variables on traffic pattern to support the future planning of sustainable traffic management strategies for municipalities with similar profiles.

The aim of this study is to discuss potential long term effects of online shopping on transport (both passenger and freight) and urban land use planning (e.g. structure and location of retail) with a focus on the Swedish case. The explorative approach is conducted through a mixed method approach combining the analysis of planning documents and reports, interviews with planners/private actors for the Swedish context and a review of international research literature. The results of the study indicate that in Swedish planning documents the current understanding of the potential effects of increasing e-commerce is limited. E-commerce is typically viewed as an opportunity to address transport system related issues through substituting passenger travel with freight distribution. The review of literature reveals that e-commerce so far has done little to alter prevailing individual mobility habits while there is conclusive evidence that freight transport will increase and result in more dispersed transport patterns as home delivery becomes more important. There is also a potential conflict between consumer pressure for fast home deliveries of goods bought online and current approaches to addressing problems with urban freight through consolidation and coordination of distribution transports. Concerning location of retailing there are indications that e-commerce may be contributing to an ongoing transformation where the role of city centres as commercial areas are reduced. An important implication for urban planning is consequently that the continued trend towards e-commerce should not be regarded as an easy solution for an unsustainable transport sector. While increasing e-commerce can bring about changes that could support less car-dependent planning and thereby encourage policies for enhancing the transition towards a more sustainable society, it is far from obvious that this will be the case. To harness the potential benefits of increasing e-commerce there is a need for developing pro-active planning strategies that address the impacts of e-commerce fully. At the same time, this study indicates a lack of knowledge regarding the long term effects of e-commerce on the transport sector which can only be solved through more research carried out.