JournalTOCs

International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology
Number of Followers: 11

This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 2046-0430 - ISSN (Online) 2046-0449
Published by Elsevier

[3203 journals]

Discussion of “Queue Storage Design for Metered On-Ramps” by
Zhongren Wang
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 10 March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Guangchuan Yang This article presented a discussion on a research paper entitled “Queue Storage Design for Metered On-Ramps”, published by the International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology on March 2013 (Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 47–63). This discussion first summarized the contributions of the paper under discussion, and emphasized a critical insight presented by the paper under discussion that designing queue storage length as a percentage of peak hour on-ramp demand. Then, this article discussed the potential factors that may affect queue length estimation results, including different traffic flow arrival patterns between arterial-to-freeway ramps and freeway-to-freeway connectors, queue length as a function of demand-to-capacity ratio instead of on-ramp traffic volume, and errors caused by the stochastic nature of traffic flow when using field measured queues. Lastly, this article outlined methods to solve these limitations, and presented preliminary insights into the development of metered on-ramp queue storage length design guidelines considering the impacts of ramp geometric features and signal timing schemes of the upstream intersection.
An automated approach from GPS traces to complete trip information
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Ali Yazdizadeh, Zachary Patterson, Bilal Farooq Recent advances in communication technologies have enabled researchers to collect travel data based on ubiquitous and location-aware smartphones. These advances hold out the promise of allowing the automatic detection of the critical aspects (mode of transport, purpose, etc.) of people’s trips. Until now, efforts have concentrated on one aspect of trips (e.g. mode) at a time. Such methods have typically been developed on small data sets, often with data collected by researchers themselves and not in large-scale real-world data collection initiatives. This research develops a machine learning-based framework to identify complete trip information based on smartphone location data as well as online data from GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) and Foursquare data. The framework has the potential to be integrated with smartphone travel surveys to produce all trip characteristics traditionally collected through household travel surveys. We use data from a recent, large-scale smartphone travel survey in Montréal, Canada. The collected smartphone data, augmented with GTFS and Foursquare data are used to train and validate three random forest models to predict mode of transport, transit itinerary as well as trip purpose (activity). According to cross-validation analysis, the random forest models show prediction accuracies of 87%, 81% and 71% for mode, transit itinerary and activity, respectively. The results compare favorably with previous studies, especially when taking the large, real-world nature of the dataset into account. Furthermore, the cross validation results show that the machine learning-based framework is an effective and automated tool to support trip information extraction for large-scale smartphone travel surveys, which have the potential to be a reliable and efficient (in terms of cost and human resources) data collection technique.
A multinomial logit model of pedestrian-vehicle crash severity in North
Carolina
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Zhen Chen, Wei (David) Fan This article develops a multinomial logit (MNL) model to investigate and identify significant contributing factors that determine the pedestrian-vehicle crash severity in North Carolina, United States. Pedestrian-vehicle crash data from Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) database from 2005 to 2012 are collected and used in this study. Crash injury severities are classified into five categories: no injury (property damage only), injury class 3 (possible injury), injury class 2 (evident injury), injury class 1 (disabling injury), and fatality. A preferred multinomial logit model is developed using SAS PROC MDC procedure and marginal effects are also calculated. The results show that the factors that significantly increase the probability of fatalities and disabling injuries include: driver’s physical condition (bad condition), vehicle type (motorcycle and heavy truck), pedestrian age (26–65 and over 65), weekend, light condition (dawn, dusk and dark), roadway characteristics (curve), roadway surface (water), roadway class (NC route) and speed limit (35–50 mph and above 50 mph). The developed model and analysis results provide insights on developing effective countermeasures to reduce vehicle-pedestrian crash severities and improve traffic system safety performance.
Safety ramifications of a change in pedestrian crosswalk law: A case study
of Oregon, USA
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Yue Ke, Konstantina Gkritza Pedestrians are some of the most vulnerable road users as they are not protected by safety devices, and must also share the road with vehicles traveling at dangerous speeds, particularly during road crossings. In 2011, the state of Oregon changed their traffic laws to be more accommodating to pedestrians by giving right of way to pedestrians using a crosswalk, regardless if whether the crosswalk is marked or unmarked. This paper estimates a panel logit model to evaluate the efficacy of the law in preventing pedestrian fatalities. Pedestrian fatalities are shown to decrease over time, with smaller likelihood of a fatality outcome in the years following the change in pedestrian crossing laws. To the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time panel logit models have been used in evaluating pedestrian safety. Results indicate that panel logit models are an alternative to using Box-Tiao intervention models to analyze the long term effects of policy changes, as they allow for the consideration of crash exposure factors as well as temporal effects.
Impacts of connected vehicles in a complex, congested urban freeway
setting using multi-resolution modeling methods
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Jeffrey Shelton, Jason Wagner, Swapnil Samant, Ginger Goodin, Tim Lomax, Ed Seymour Determining the effect automated and connected vehicles could have on traffic flow would – ideally – require testing the vehicles themselves in a real-world environment. In the absence of large-scale, real-world testing, researchers used traffic modeling software to develop and test a vehicle mimicking the behaviors of several automated and connected vehicle (CV) applications in a congested and complex urban network. The algorithm behind the CV ran a suite of mobility-focused applications, inspired by cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC), speed harmonization, and queue warning applications. The CV was first tested on a small sample network, consistent with approaches obtained from a review of the literature. The research team then sought to understand the potential effects of CV technology on congestion and mobility in a DTATexas context by modeling the traffic impacts of CVs at varying market penetrations on a twelve-mile section of I-35 in Austin, running from south of Riverside Dr. to Parmer Ln at 2035 population levels. Researchers used a multi-resolution modeling (MRM) methodology, which incorporates macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic models.
Evaluating the impact and clearance duration of freeway incidents
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Henrick J. Haule, Thobias Sando, Richard Lentz, Ching-Hua Chuan, Priyanka Alluri Transportation agencies use incident duration to report the performance of their incident management programs. Most agencies use the incident clearance duration, which in most cases refers to the duration from the reporting of an incident to the time the incident is cleared. This measure may not necessarily reflect how different types of incidents and various factors affect traffic conditions. The duration at which the incident influences traffic conditions could vary – shorter than the incident duration for some incidents and longer for others. This study, for the first time, introduced a performance measure called incident impact duration and demonstrated a method that was used for estimating it. Also, this study investigated the effects of using incident impact duration compared to the traditionally incident clearance duration in incident modeling. Using hazard-based models, the study analyzed factors that affect the estimated incident impact duration and the incident clearance duration. Results indicate that incidents detection methods, the number of responders, Traffic Management Center (TMC) operations, traffic conditions, towing and emergency services influence the duration of an incident. Moreover, the study assessed the predictive accuracy of the models resulted from both durations. It was observed that the incident impact duration provides a better prediction accuracy than the incident clearance duration.
Real-time optimal intersection control system for automated/cooperative
vehicles
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Youssef Bichiou, Hesham A. Rakha Automated vehicles (AVs) are an emerging technology in the automotive industry. The numerous research efforts that are being dedicated to the development of these systems makes them achievable in the near future. The need to make this technology mature is justified by potential safety gains from the elimination of human error, the enhancement of mobility through the reduction of congestion, and the protection of the environment through the reduction in vehicle emissions. Algorithms are needed to deliver optimal and/or sub-optimal solutions for situations and/or scenarios that AVs would encounter in the field. In this paper, an attempt to optimize the movement of AVs through intersections is developed. The developed model is a real-time optimization problem subjected to dynamic constraints (i.e., ordinary differential equations governing the motion of a vehicle) and static constraints (i.e., maximum achievable velocities). By virtue of the Lagrangian formulation used in Pontryagin’s minimum principle and convex optimization, the solution that minimizes the trip time is obtained. This logic is simulated and compared to the operation of a roundabout, an all-way stop sign, and a traffic-signal-controlled intersection. The results demonstrate that a 55% reduction in delay is achievable compared to the best of these three intersection control strategies, on average. An interesting byproduct of this new logic is a 43% reduction in fuel consumption (reduction from an average of 200 mL to 115 mL) and CO2 emissions (a reduction from 445 g for the roundabout to 265 g).
Reputation assessment mechanism for carpooling applications based on
clustering user travel preferences
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Athanasios Salamanis, Dionysios D. Kehagias, Dimitrios Tsoukalas, Dimitrios Tzovaras One way to ensure sustainable and environmental friendly mobility is the use of less vehicles for carrying more passengers, and carpooling is a means to achieve this goal. One major concern in carpooling services is related to trust, as carpooling users need to either share their vehicles, if they act as drivers, or travel with strangers if they act as passengers. One way to tackle trust concerns is the utilization of user reputation assessment mechanisms, whose objective is to provide ranking of users with respect to their behavior, based on feedback provided by other users. This paper presents a newly introduced reputation assessment mechanism for carpooling applications, which, in addition to feedback provided by other users, takes into account user travel preferences. Preliminary experimental results have shown that the proposed mechanism is robust against attacks by malicious users, on their attempt to jeopardize the trustworthiness of the system, as it preserves the real reputation scores of the users, when the penetration rate of malicious users increases.
Traffic lights synchronization for Bus Rapid Transit using a parallel
evolutionary algorithm
- Abstract: Publication date: March 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 1Author(s): Sergio Nesmachnow, Renzo Massobrio, Efraín Arreche, Christine Mumford, Ana Carolina Olivera, Pablo Javier Vidal, Andrei Tchernykh This article presents a parallel evolutionary algorithm for public transport optimization by synchronizing traffic lights in the context of Bus Rapid Transit systems. The related optimization problem is NP-hard, so exact computational methods are not useful to solve real-world instances. Our research introduces a parallel evolutionary algorithm to efficiently configure and synchronize traffic lights and improve the average speed of buses and other vehicles. The Bus Rapid Transit on Garzón Avenue (Montevideo, Uruguay) is used as a case study. This is an interesting complex urban scenario due to the number of crossings, streets, and traffic lights in the zone. The experimental analysis compares the numerical results computed by the parallel evolutionary algorithm with a scenario that models the current reality. The results show that the proposed evolutionary algorithm achieves better quality of service when compared with the current reality, improving up to 15.3% the average bus speed and 24.8% the average speed of other vehicles. A multiobjective optimization analysis also demonstrates that additional improvements can be achieved by assigning different priorities to buses and other vehicles. In addition, further improvements can be achieved on a modified scenario simply by deleting a few bus stops and changing some traffic lights rules. The benefits of using a parallel solver are also highlighted, as the parallel version is able to accelerate the execution times up to 26.9× when compared with the sequential version.
Implementing a pavement management system: The Caltrans experience
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 15 February 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Zhongren Wang, Tom Pyle In this paper, the fundamental characteristics of PaveM—the pavement management system for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is introduced first, together with the various beta-testing efforts to validate and customize the engineering configuration of the software. The implementation of PaveM to support the development of the pavement asset ten-year management plan is then described. The tools and methods implemented to facilitate total investment determination and individual project evaluation and selection are presented in detail. In the end, lessons learned and future initiatives are presented.
Application of permeable pavements in highways for stormwater runoff
management and pollution prevention: California research experiences
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 2 February 2019Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Masoud Kayhanian, Hui Li, John T. Harvey, Xiao Liang In the future, permeable pavements including the full depth permeable pavement (FDPP) will be part of an integrated sustainable transportation program. When designed properly, FDPP can be used as an alternative best management practice (BMP) for stormwater runoff management. From a practical point of view, FDPP must maintain specific characteristics throughout the life of the pavements: (1) have adequate subgrade reservoir capacity to capture runoff volume, (2) surface pavement remain highly permeable and unclogged, (3) allowing minimum permeability of subgrade soil to infiltrate the captured runoff, and (4) assuring no adverse impact on underground water. During the past ten years the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC) conducted numerous research studies to address some of the above critical questions related to the application of permeable pavement with respect to the highway stormwater runoff management. The focus of this paper is to discuss and summarize the major findings of these collective studies related to: (1) hydraulic performance evaluation of permeable pavement, (2) permeability measurement of porous asphalt and pervious concrete paved surfaces, (3) clogging evaluation of permeable pavement surfaces, and (4) water quality and pollution control issues.
Vehicle stacking estimation at signalized intersections with unmanned
aerial systems
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 31 December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Brian S. Freeman, Jamal Ahmad Al Matawah, Musaed Al Najjar, Bahram Gharabaghi, Jesse Thé Fleet composition and vehicle spacing on roads are important inputs to mobile source emission models and traffic planning. In this paper, we present a novel method that employs an unmanned aerial system (UAS) to capture imagery of stationary vehicle formations at two different intersections and times of the day. The imagery is processed through photogrammetric software to generate 3-dimensional (3D) models of the formations allowing for measurement of the stacking gaps and identification of individual vehicle types for fleet composition evaluation. Statistical tests were performed on the different flight results to assess traffic behavior (both composition and gaps) were similar and can be pooled. In both cases, the variation of fleet composition and gaps were similar. However, the stationary headway gaps followed a logarithmic distribution and had to be transformed after pooling. The final results of the fleet composition measured varied significantly from the estimated mix based on registered vehicles, while the average vehicle spacing was approximately 2.17 m and did not depend on vehicle type, location or time of day. These results were used to prepare a Monte Carlo Analysis model to estimate the total number and types of vehicles on a 1 km road section. The model was extended from stationary traffic to traffic moving up to 20 km/h by assuming a linear increase of the spacing gap. This research paper is one of the first of its kind to study the stacking spaces of mixed fleets at signalized intersections and shows that spacing is dependent more on individual driver behavior than vehicle type.
Simulation study on effect of permeable pavement on reducing flood risk of
urban runoff
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 15 December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Haoran Zhu, Mingming Yu, Junqing Zhu, Haizhu Lu, Rongji Cao Permeable pavement is part of the low impact development (LID) measurement, which can decrease urban surface runoff coefficient and flood peak flow. In this paper, a two-way, six-lane road in Nanjing was selected as the study area. Storm water management model (SWMM) was used to simulate the effect of different pavement structures (drainage surface, permeable pavement and permeable road) under different rainfall conditions on reducing surface runoff and controlling urban stormwater. The simulation results show that the drainage surface can reduce part of surface runoff, but it has no influence on the reduction and hysteresis of flood peak. The permeable pavement can reduce part of surface runoff and flood peak and can delay peak time. The permeable road has better effect on reducing runoff coefficient and flood peak, which can effectively reduce the pressure of urban drainage and reduce the risk of stormwater flood.
Executive, emotional and physiological functioning in older drivers with
mild cognitive impairment
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 12 December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Katerina Touliou, Maria Panou, Nikolaos Maglaveras, Evangelos Bekiaris Age-related changes and deterioration of cognitive skills affect older citizens’ attendance of everyday activities and considerably affect their independence and quality of life. Older people keep on driving for a long time and often even longer after deterioration occurs. Executive functioning is usually affected early in Alzheimer’s disease leading to the possibility that executive control might be affected before a probable diagnosis is possible. This study aimed to explore changes in executive control in drivers with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) by using an existing fitness-to-drive assessment for older drivers taking also in consideration their current emotional and physiological functioning. Statistically significant difference was found in mean reaction time (msec) between control and MCI participants (F(1, 99) = 4.514, p = .036) in correct colour response for letters (mean difference: 101 msec). As such, early cognitive issues seem to relate more with phonological rather than numerical information that sometimes have higher demand in working memory and visual attention. This result implies that higher demanding driving tasks have an increased possibility to be affected even at early stages of cognitive impairment leading to increased proneness to accidents in complex driving scenarios (e.g. non-signalled intersections), when no effect on existing driving skills is still apparent.
A state dependent mandatory lane-changing model for urban arterials with
hidden markov model method
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 4 December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Xiduo Wang, Yunlong Zhang, Jian Jiao The inherent intention and decision process of lane changes are complex. Though the external environment and traffic conditions are changing along the traveling direction, the drivers’ characteristics and preferences may lead to persistence of preferable lane choice. The lane-changing decision process is commonly separated into two steps after the decision to consider a lane change: lane choices and acceptance of available gaps, while the outcome of first step is unobservable. To better represent the mandatory lane-changing behaviors on arterials, a two-stage lane-changing model with Hidden Markov Model (HMM) method is proposed. The proposed model is estimated and validated using detail Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) vehicle trajectory data from an urban arterial. Comparison between generated lane position sequences and original trajectories validated the model’s capability of representing mandatory lane changes.
Adaptive functional testing for autonomous trucks
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 2 December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): M. Elgharbawy, I. Scherhaufer, K. Oberhollenzer, M. Frey, F. Gauterin Long-distance trucks are predestined for automated driving due to their high driving performance and long monotonous routes. Automation has the potential to increase road safety, improve fuel efficiency, optimise vehicle utilisation, increase driver productivity and reduce freight costs. Although the widespread use of full automation is not imminent, the vision of accident-free driving accelerates the evolution of driver assistance systems to higher stages of automation on the global market. The status quo assessment refers to functional testing as one of the key challenges for an economical, reliable and safe deployment of autonomous driving in the series development of trucks. Therefore, systems engineering has established data- and knowledge-driven test methods to ensure the required reliability of its products. In this scheme, the evaluation of software releases must be carried out in various phases up to the start of production. Initially through XiL technologies, then through driving simulators, test drives with trained test supervisors on test tracks and public roads, test drives by intended users and finally the homologation of vehicle types. This paper quantifies the conflict of objectives between the requirements of the test concept. Thus, a trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness criteria is achieved through adaptive test coverage of these driving functions in truck product engineering. The basics of the adaptive functional testing are presented, including commonly used verification and validation procedures. The industry-proven framework facilitates the criteria for evaluating the performance of automated driving functions and the measures for achieving a sufficient degree of maturity within the software quality management process.
Econometric supply-and-demand models to analyze carbon pricing policies
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Ioanna Pagoni, Paraskevi Psaraki-Kalouptsidi In this paper, the introduction of a carbon pricing policy in air transport industry is investigated. The impact on ticket prices, airlines’ market shares and resulting network-wide carbon emissions is studied via a methodology which includes a supply and demand model and a method for estimating carbon emissions costs by airline and itinerary. The application of the carbon pricing policy at the U.S. domestic aviation network revealed that the policy could have some significant effects on ticket prices, air travel demand and resulting CO2 emissions for high carbon price. But, to achieve the aviation industry ambitious goal to reduce net aviation CO2 emissions by 50% until 2050, this paper suggests that airlines and policy makers need to adopt a multi-faceted approach with carbon pricing policies, technological, operational and infrastructure improvements to ensure economic and environmental sustainability.
Exploring the effects of economic crisis in road transport: The case of
Greece
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Tatiana Moschovou, Yannis Tyrinopoulos The transport sector is closely related to the economy of a country. This mainly applies to urban areas, which play an essential economic role in a country’s GDP. According to the EC’s Green Paper 2007 for urban mobility, approximately 1% of the EU’s GDP is annually lost due to the increased passenger and freight flow demands in city centres and its consequent impacts (e.g. pollution, delay, etc.). Since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008 the economies of many countries were affected and their transport sectors encountered a serious decline. On this basis, the principal aim of this paper is to explore the extent of the economic recession to the Greek passenger and freight road transport system. European transport data is exploited to compare the trends between the Greek transport system and the average European one. The analysis determines the key elements that influence road transport focusing on freight and passenger movement by identifying potential relationships between transport performance and socioeconomic factors.
Investigating the relation of highway design standards with network-level
walkability: The case study of Luxembourg
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Maurice Nilles, Ioannis Kaparias This study assesses the disparity between good street design practice and highway design standards with respect to walkability. Using an example local network in the commune of Lorentzweiler in Luxembourg, the study first performs a large-scale network-level walkability evaluation using the well-established Pedestrian Environment Review System (PERS) pedestrian audit method in order to identify design shortcomings around the network. Then, focusing on the shortcomings identified, the study evaluates the findings with respect to the existing highway design standards of Luxembourg, highlights gaps in the latter and proposes amendments and additions that would enhance the walkability element in the design of new schemes and the retrofitting of existing ones.
Pedestrian simulation: Theoretical models vs. data driven techniques
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): George Kouskoulis, Ioanna Spyropoulou, Constantinos Antoniou This paper presents a comparison and relative assessment of data driven techniques and conventional theoretical pedestrian simulation models. Data driven methods are applied for simulating phenomena without a priori knowledge of parameter connections, while indicating high modeling performance. In contrast, theoretical models rely on pedestrian kinematics principles and provide mathematical functions on model parameters. A comparison between locally weighted regression and a social force model in real data (collected by the authors within the framework of this research) suggests superior performance of the data driven model on modeling pedestrian movements. However, a more integrated comparative analysis should be conducted, to validate these preliminary observations. Additional contributions, presented in this research, include an algorithm for eliminating data noise, based on an Unscented Kalman filter and moving average extensions.
Rapid algorithm for finding the best combination of signaling phases using
optimization methods
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Eleni Papatzikou, Antony Stathopoulos Traffic signal optimization for both traffic plan design and signal timing is a task that demands significant time and computational resources. In this paper, we formulate a rapid algorithm for finding the best combination of signaling phases and their optimal timings which minimize the total delay of the entire period based on the multiple-period analysis proposed in Highway Capacity Manual 2010. The optimization problem is solved in MATLAB using two optimization algorithms: the genetic and the scatter search algorithms. Comparative evaluation of the algorithms in relation to their estimation time and their solutions was performed at a reference intersection. The estimated time-dependent delay was calibrated and validated in AIMSUN microsimulation software for the base conditions and the optimized plans. The comparison of the global optimal solution of the two algorithms and the true global optimal was performed through a computational experiment in a two approach intersection with proper discretization of the variables. The results showed that the scatter search algorithm is superior to the genetic algorithm with respect to the required runtime and the estimated optimal solution.
Advances in transportation modeling and policy in the modern era: Selected
papers from the 8th International Congress on Transportation Research
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Eleni Vlahogianni, Konstantinos Kepaptsoglous
Framework conditions of occupational safety: Comparing Norwegian maritime
cargo and passenger transport
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Tor-Olav Nævestad, Kristine V. Størkersen, Alexandra Laiou, George Yannis Seafaring is among the most hazardous occupations, and more knowledge is needed to inform preventive measures. One way of developing such knowledge is to compare different sub-sectors, to shed light on factors influencing occupational safety. Previous research has indicated a higher risk of serious occupational injuries in coastal cargo transport compared to passenger transport, hypothesizing that this could be due to the safety culture in coastal cargo transport. The aims of the present paper are to: (1) Compare organizational safety culture and working conditions in Norwegian cargo and passenger transport at sea, (2) Examine safety outcomes (safety behaviours and crewmember accidents) of safety culture and working conditions in the passenger and the cargo sector, and (3) discuss how safety culture and working conditions are influenced by the framework conditions of the the passenger and the cargo sector. The study is based on a small-scale survey to crewmembers on vessels registered in the Norwegian Ship Register (NOR), both at passenger vessels (N = 84) and coastal cargo vessels (N = 73). Results indicate that crew members in the coastal cargo sector experience more work pressure, and that they rate their organizational safety culture as lower than respondents in the passenger transport sector. Moreover, results indicate that work pressure and poor organizational safety culture are closely related to unsafe working behaviours, which in turn is associated with personal injuries on board. However, as a positive organizational safety culture is related to safer working behaviours, future research should examine how organizational safety culture can be employed to reduce the impact of negative framework conditions in maritime transport on occupational safety.
Assessing air transport socio-economic footprint
- Abstract: Publication date: December 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Volume 7, Issue 4Author(s): Dimitriou Dimitrios, Sartzetaki Maria Air transportation and economic development interact with each other as aviation makes significant direct and indirect contributions to the economy and increases the cycle of economic activity. Conventional wisdom is to provide an effective tool to provide quantitative estimations on the socioeconomic effects of air transport. This paper focuses on the estimation of the air transport footprint in terms of socioeconomic impacts in national economy. The socioeconomic effects assessment concept and methodology are given, providing an essential tool for planners, economists, analysts and researchers. The methodology concept and modelling approach provide essential benefits to support decisions on air transport infrastructures investments prioritization, fund allocation and sustainable strategic planning. The goal is to provide an essential decision support tool for strategic decisions about planning new air transport infrastructure, when resources are limited, in order to maximize the potential of social and economic development. The numerical application is Greece, which is a very attractive summer holiday tourist destination in southeast Mediterranean, suffering long time from economic stress. The results indicate that air transport is essential for Greece and thorough the last year’s economic downturn is resulting higher dependence to aviation mainly because the tourism and air transport linkage and the high spill-over effect of both industries to national economic model.
Reliability analysis on railway transport chain
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 29 November 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Rong Zhang, Lu Li, Wenliang Jian This paper divides the time of railway container transport chain into the drayage time by road, the storage time at departure station, the railway transit time and the storage time at arrival station according to operation procedure. Based on definition of the travel time reliability of railway container chain, the HL-RF algorithm in the field of structural engineering is introduced and travel time reliability of railway container chain evaluation model is built. Then railway container transport chain from Bengbu to Shanghai, China is considered for this study. On the basis of analysing the operation time distribution of each part of the transport chain, we imported five reliability evaluation indices namely time reliability, the average time for transportation chain, reserve time, buffer time and tolerable time boundary. Finally, the relationship between different influencing factors and reliability is quantified and various countermeasures for improving the management level of railway container transportation chain are proposed.
Traffic-related air pollution and the local burden of childhood asthma in
Bradford, UK
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 4 August 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Haneen Khreis, Tara Ramani, Kees de Hoogh, Natalie Mueller, David Rojas-Rueda, Joe Zietsman, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen Asthma is a burdensome disease which is often cited as the most common chronic disease in childhood. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) may be an important exposure in the development of childhood asthma. However, the burden of childhood asthma attributable to TRAP is poorly documented. Using a land-use regression (LUR) model, we estimated the childhood (birth-18 years old) population exposure to the following three air pollutants in Bradford, UK: Particulate Matter equal or less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), Particulate Matter equal or less than 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10) and Black Carbon (BC). We assigned exposures at the lowest census tract level: the ‘output area’. We extracted national and local childhood asthma incidence rates from the literature and used meta-analytic exposure-response functions to calculate the relative risk, population attributable fraction of childhood asthma in association with each pollutant and the number of childhood asthma cases attributable to each pollutant. We investigated the impacts of reducing air pollutants at each output area to comply with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines. At the output area level, the annual mean PM2.5, PM10 and BC concentrations were 10.40 µg/m3, 16.63 µg/m3 and 1.07 × 10−5 m−1, respectively. Depending on the pollutant, the estimated number of attributable childhood asthma cases varied between 279 and 612 annually, representing between 15% and 33% of all cases in the city. Between 7% and 12% of annual childhood asthma cases were specifically attributable to TRAP. Compliance with the WHO air quality guidelines prevented up to 29 cases. Using national versus local baseline childhood asthma incidence rates with differing underlying asthma definitions resulted in up to 322% as many attributable cases. Air pollution is estimated to cause a large, but preventable, childhood asthma burden. The burden of disease varied depending on the pollutant selected.
Transport accessibility for wheelchair users: A qualitative analysis of
inclusion and health
- Abstract: Publication date: Available online 19 May 2018Source: International Journal of Transportation Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Raquel Velho Using the case of wheelchair users who choose to use public transport in London, this paper highlights the experiences of a marginalized group within infrastructure to investigate how transport impacts their lives and well-being. This article first describes the barriers faced by wheelchair users in the transit network (from physical to social) and the largely negative emotions that these barriers bring out on these passengers. It then highlights how these users have developed problem-solving techniques to cope with the barriers they face. The article then discusses the impact that these barriers have on the lives of wheelchair users, not only regarding issues of access but also the ways in which it affects social inclusion. Lastly, this article considers how wheelchair users’ responses to barriers may be of consequence to the transport system itself, both as providing some interesting insight for transport engineers but also as potential harm to the network if improvements to access are not enacted.