scholarly journals Potential Analysis of E-Scooters for Commuting Paths

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Fabian Edel ◽  
Simon Wassmer ◽  
Mira Kern
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Technical Specification ◽  
Ecological Perspective ◽  
End User ◽  
User Survey ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Mobility Behavior ◽  
Specific Distance

The mobility needs of society are constantly increasing, resulting in congested urban areas. New mobility concepts such as e-scooters can help to reduce traffic. In particular, commuting paths, which generally remain within a specific distance, are short and manageable via an intermodal travel chain. In combination with public transport, commuting paths could be beneficial. To evaluate the potential of e-scooters used with commuting paths, a literature research focusing on mobility behavior and characteristics was conducted. In addition, an end-user survey was used to identify the ecological and economical potential for typical work routes. The research results indicate that both the mobility preferences of the users, e.g., acceptance of intermodal travel, and the technical specification of e-scooters, e.g., speed and range, meet the needs of commuting. The assessment of typical work routes shows that the use of e-scooters for the first and last mile, in combination with public transport, is highly beneficial. Furthermore, e-scooters have the potential to provide individual advantages in the areas of travel time and costs. From an ecological perspective, CO2-equivalent emissions may also be reduced for some users depending on the substituted modes.

scholarly journals Informal park-and-ride behaviour

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-13
Author(s):  
Jelena Simićević ◽  
Vladimir Molan ◽  
Nada Milosavljević
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Park And Ride ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Parking Management

Sustainable parking management in central urban areas typically involves implementation of restrictive parking measures. Discouraged by parking measures users seek for an alternative option. Some of them self-initiatively found a way not to completely abandon driving: they drive and park outside the central area and reach the final destination by public transport. This travel pattern is known as “informal Park-and-Ride“ (PnR), and should be estimated as relatively positive because the critical “last mile” is travelled by public transport. As PnR demand grows, policy-makers should consider its formalisation and integration into the urban transport policy. This paper aims to identify informal PnR users in Belgrade and to investigate their motives, requests and preferences towards this option. The findings should be of importance when planning and developing formal PnR sites, which can largely increase user willingness to accept restrictive parking measures, i.e. to adopt more sustainable travel behaviour.

scholarly journals Encouraging the Sustainable Adoption of Autonomous Vehicles for Public Transport in Belgium: Citizen Acceptance, Business Models, and Policy Aspects

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 921
Author(s):  
Pol Camps-Aragó ◽  
Laura Temmerman ◽  
Wim Vanobberghen ◽  
Simon Delaere
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors

Several mobility-related issues persist in and around urban areas. Autonomous vehicles promise substantial environmental, safety, and economic benefits but may also cause unintended adverse effects that stem from single-passenger mobility becoming more affordable and accessible. While using them for public transport (i.e., autonomous shuttles) can help avoid such downsides, there are many challenges to their adoption, particularly ones that are related to citizen acceptance and economic aspects. Based on a novel survey of Brussels’ citizens, we provide insights from user opinions on last-mile autonomous shuttle services and analyze the effect of various attitudinal and socio-demographic factors affecting such acceptance. Our respondents exhibit an overall positive acceptance albeit with a limited willingness to pay for it. In addition, based on expert interviews, we provide a discussion on appropriate business models and policy recommendations to help ensure the timely adoption of AVs in Belgium that adapts to mobility needs and policy goals.

scholarly journals iBikeSafe: A Multi-Parameter System for Monitoring, Evaluation and Visualization of Cycling Paths in Smart Cities Targeted at Cycling Adverse Conditions

Smart Cities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1058-1086
Author(s):  
Franklin Oliveira ◽  
Daniel G. Costa ◽  
Luciana Lima ◽  
Ivanovitch Silva
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Large City ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Parameter System ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Real Scenario

The fast transformation of the urban centers, pushed by the impacts of climatic changes and the dramatic events of the COVID-19 Pandemic, will profoundly influence our daily mobility. This resulted scenario is expected to favor adopting cleaner and flexible modal solutions centered on bicycles and scooters, especially as last-mile options. However, as the use of bicycles has rapidly increased, cyclists have been subject to adverse conditions that may affect their health and safety when cycling in urban areas. Therefore, whereas cities should implement mechanisms to monitor and evaluate adverse conditions in cycling paths, cyclists should have some effective mechanism to visualize the indirect quality of cycling paths, eventually supporting choosing more appropriate routes. Therefore, this article proposes a comprehensive multi-parameter system based on multiple independent subsystems, covering all phases of data collecting, formatting, transmission, and processing related to the monitoring, evaluating, and visualizing the quality of cycling paths in the perspective of adverse conditions that affect cyclist. The formal interactions of all modules are carefully described, as well as implementation and deployment details. Additionally, a case study is considered for a large city in Brazil, demonstrating how the proposed system can be adopted in a real scenario.

scholarly journals Social distancing in public transport: mobilising new technologies for demand management under the Covid-19 crisis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hörcher ◽  
Ramandeep Singh ◽  
Daniel J. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
New Information ◽  
Occupancy Rates

AbstractDense urban areas are especially hardly hit by the Covid-19 crisis due to the limited availability of public transport, one of the most efficient means of mass mobility. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, public transport operators are experiencing steep declines in demand and fare revenues due to the perceived risk of infection within vehicles and other facilities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of implementing social distancing in public transport in line with epidemiological advice. Social distancing requires effective demand management to keep vehicle occupancy rates under a predefined threshold, both spatially and temporally. We review the literature of five demand management methods enabled by new information and ticketing technologies: (i) inflow control with queueing, (ii) time and space dependent pricing, (iii) capacity reservation with advance booking, (iv) slot auctioning, and (v) tradeable travel permit schemes. Thus the paper collects the relevant literature into a single point of reference, and provides interpretation from the viewpoint of practical applicability during and after the pandemic.

Mandatory urban rainwater harvesting: learning from experience

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1200-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Gabe ◽  
Sam Trowsdale ◽  
Diveshkumar Mistry
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Marginal Utility ◽  
Empirical Knowledge ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Learning From Experience ◽  
End User ◽  
User Perspective ◽  
The Social ◽  
Semistructured Interviews

Rainwater harvesting is effectively mandated in several urban areas of New Zealand. To understand the costs and benefits of rainwater harvesting from an end-user perspective, semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 homeowners in northern Auckland affected by these regulations. Residents report differences in four aspects of urban rainwater infrastructure – security of supply, water quality, the learning process and financial costs – that could represent key values for public acceptance. When responses are examined from the perspective of experience that has built empirical knowledge, participants explained how their satisfaction with rainwater harvesting increased over time. We hypothesise that for those lacking experience, urban rainwater consumption is a function of empirical knowledge and has initially rising marginal utility. Regulation that recognises the costs of social learning is likely to be a more effective pathway towards maximising the social benefits associated with integrated urban water management.

scholarly journals Impacts of COVID-19 on Transport Modes and Mobility Behavior: Analysis of Public Discourse in Twitter

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110299
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ahsanul Habib ◽  
Md Asif Hasan Anik
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Transportation Services ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Mobility Behavior ◽  
Transport Modes ◽  
Online Schools

This study proposes a framework to analyze public discourse in Twitter to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on transport modes and mobility behavior. It also identifies reopening challenges and potential reopening strategies that are discussed by the public. First, the study collects 15,776 tweets that relate to personal opinions on transportation services posted between May 15 and June 15, 2020. Next, it applies text mining and topic modeling techniques to the tweets to determine the prominent themes, terms, and topics in those discussions to understand public feelings, behavior, and broader sentiments about the changes brought about by COVID-19 on transportation systems. Results reveal that people are avoiding public transport and shifting to using private car, bicycle, or walking. Bicycle sales have increased remarkably but car sales have declined. Cycling and walking, telecommuting, and online schools are identified as possible solutions to COVID-19 mobility problems and to reduce car usage with an aim to tackle traffic congestion in the post-pandemic world. People appreciated government decisions for funding allocation to public transport, and asked for the reshaping, restoring, and safe reopening of transit systems. Protecting transit workers, riders, shop customers and staff, and office employees is identified as a crucial reopening challenge, whereas mask wearing, phased reopening, and social distancing are proposed as effective reopening strategies. This framework can be used as a tool by decision makers to enable a holistic understanding of public opinions on transportation services during COVID-19 and formulate policies for a safe reopening.

scholarly journals Quality of Bus Services Performance: Benefits of Real Time Passenger Information Systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Monzon ◽  
Sara Hernandez ◽  
Rocio Cascajo
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Sustainable Transport ◽  
The Public ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
Bus Services

One of the main problems in urban areas is the steady growth in car ownership and traffic levels. Therefore, the challenge of sustainability is focused on a shift of the demand for mobility from cars to collective means of transport. For this purpose, buses are a key element of the public transport systems. In this respect Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems help people change their travel behaviour towards more sustainable transport modes. This paper provides an assessment methodology which evaluates how RTPI systems improve the quality of bus services performance in two European cities, Madrid and Bremerhaven. In the case of Madrid, bus punctuality has increased by 3%. Regarding the travellers perception, Madrid raised its quality of service by 6% while Bremerhaven increased by 13%. On the other hand, the users´ perception of Public Transport (PT) image increased by 14%.

scholarly journals An Examination of the Safety Impacts of Bus Priority Routes in Major Israeli Cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8617
Author(s):  
Victoria Gitelman ◽  
Anna Korchatov ◽  
Wafa Elias
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Bus Priority ◽  
Safety Level ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
Pedestrian Crashes ◽  
Crash Types ◽  
Increasing Trends

Bus priority routes (BPRs) promote public transport use in urban areas; however, their safety impacts are not sufficiently understood. Along with proven positive mobility effects, such systems may lead to crash increases. This study examines the safety impacts of BPRs, which have been introduced on busy urban roads in three major Israeli cities—Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. Crash changes associated with BPR implementation are estimated using after–before or cross-section evaluations, with comparison-groups. The findings show that BPR implementation is generally associated with increasing trends in various crash types and, particularly, in pedestrian crashes at junctions. Yet, the results differ depending on BPR configurations. Center lane BPRs are found to be safer than curbside BPRs. The best safety level is observed when a center lane BPR is adjacent to a single lane for all-purpose traffic. Local public transport planners should be aware of possible negative implications of BPRs for urban traffic safety. Negative safety impacts can be moderated by a wider use of safety-related measures, as demonstrated in BPRs’ operation in Haifa. Further research is needed to delve into the reasons for the negative safety impacts of BPRs under Israeli conditions relative to the positive impacts reported in other countries.

scholarly journals Data-Driven Analysis of Bicycle Sharing Systems as Public Transport Systems Based on a Trip Index Classification

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 4315
Author(s):  
Mark Richard Wilby ◽  
Juan José Vinagre Díaz ◽  
Rubén Fernández Pozo ◽  
Ana Belén Rodríguez González ◽  
José Manuel Vassallo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transport System ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Mathematical Framework ◽  
The Public ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Public Transport System ◽  
Specific Analysis ◽  
Last Mile

Bicycle Sharing Systems (BSSs) are exponentially increasing in the urban mobility sector. They are traditionally conceived as a last-mile complement to the public transport system. In this paper, we demonstrate that BSSs can be seen as a public transport system in their own right. To do so, we build a mathematical framework for the classification of BSS trips. Using trajectory information, we create the trip index, which characterizes the intrinsic purpose of the use of BSS as transport or leisure. The construction of the trip index required a specific analysis of the BSS shortest path, which cannot be directly calculated from the topology of the network given that cyclists can find shortcuts through traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, etc. to reduce the overall traveled distance. Adding a layer of complication to the problem, these shortcuts have a non-trivial existence in terms of being intermittent, or short lived. We applied the proposed methodology to empirical data from BiciMAD, the public BSS in Madrid (Spain). The obtained results show that the trip index correctly determines transport and leisure categories, which exhibit distinct statistical and operational features. Finally, we inferred the underlying BSS public transport network and show the fundamental trajectories traveled by users. Based on this analysis, we conclude that 90.60% of BiciMAD’s use fall in the category of transport, which demonstrates our first statement.

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