Assessment of the noise level on arterial streets depending on traffic flow indicators

The intensity of traffic flows increases every year and intensifies its impact significantly on urban territory's ecologic situation and natural environment. In Ukrainian cities, the growth of noise pollution is quite a topical problem as it has a significant impact on the environment because of the increase in car numbers. Traffic flow intensity and densification of the built-up area cause the increase of the noise level. As analytical methods of calculation of determination of traffic noise level have several disadvantages, then for assessing the level of noise on arterial streets of Lviv city, research is carried out with consideration of traffic flow indicators. One of the critical criteria that have an impact on noise pollution in the urban environment is traffic flow composition. Conducted research indicates that the speed of traffic flow creates significant noise pollution, especially on those streets where cobblestone is a road pavement. Freight and passenger transport that moves along arterial streets causes the increase of noise level and increases its impact on the city territory. On sections of arterial streets in peak periods of the day with high values of volume-capacity ratio and general share of freight and public transport of more than 30% in a flow, the noise exceeds the acceptable norms and has a harmful impact on the environment. That is why it is necessary to assess noise pollution and the development of protection measures from noise during the planning and construction of some urban regions or residential areas. It is established that to lower the noise level on streets, it is necessary to consider existing intersections of arterial streets and the regime of movement on them. To lower transport noise, it is necessary to distribute freight and transit transport by city streets more rationally, use qualitative public transport, and limit the maximal speed regime on city streets. Further research on the road network will provide an opportunity to assess the noise level distribution of traffic flows in Lviv city. It will help to determine the problem places and propose methods of combating traffic noise.

New Lens to Reveal the Street Interface. A Morphological-Visual Perception Methodological Contribution for Decoding the Public/Private Edge of Arterial Streets

Streets have different forms that are not defined only by their partitions, furniture, and width, but also by their edges as vital features of their spatiality. The relationship between a street and a building impacts the street interface configurations, resulting in various topological characteristics. Thus, the street interface is a physical entity that is produced by the interrelationship between urban morphological elements (street and building), and the way it is formed and used affects the livability of the street. The methods used in the current study contribute to an empirical urban morphological–visual cognitive investigation of arterial street interface configurations, particularly on the ground floor level, to assess potential relations between variations in the physical configurations that influence pedestrian visual perception using mobile eye-tracking glasses. In conclusion, this study contributes to research into developing a spatial framework for arterial street liveability, addressing the pilot case study of Avenida da República in Lisbon.

Active Signage of Pedestrian Crossings as a Tool in Road Safety Management

The main objective of the study was to verify the effectiveness of active pedestrian crossings equipped with flashing lights activated automatically by detected pedestrians. A pilot study was conducted in two sites, where speed profiles of vehicles over the distance of 30 m before the crossing were analyzed. The study produced promising results in terms of reducing vehicle speeds so the next study investigated four other unsignalized pedestrian crossings. They were video-recorded for 48 h each, before, after and a year after installation. The ANOVA test was used to check the statistical significance of changes in selected indicators. Even after a year from the installation, the effect of the active signage remained significant. The average percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians was 77.4% higher and the average waiting time 25.2% lower than before the installation. The average speeds of vehicles were 3.53 km/h lower on collector and 2.60 km/h lower on arterial streets. A decline in the probability of a pedestrian being killed or severely injured (KSI) ranged from 6.3 pp (9.4%) on the arterial streets immediately after the installation up to 12.9 pp (31.7%) on the collector streets one year after.

Capacity increasing of arterial streets with controlled motion

The problem of capacity increasing of arterial streets with controlled motion is investigated in this paper. For investigation, sections between intersections on the road network of Lviv city were chosen at their different length and roadway width with most saturated traffic. Methods of capacity increasing of arterial streets with controlled motion and factors that have impact on the capacity reduction are analyzed. Capacity of intersections at different volume-capacity ratios is determined. The distribution of average speed for sections between intersections of different length is built. It is established that on sections of medium length between signalized intersections and the high volume-capacity ratio, the speed of traffic flow does not reach maximum values. It is possible to increase the speed and the capacity of sections between intersections by increasing their length, sufficient for flow acceleration to the maximal constant speed and further braking before the intersection. To determinate the recommended speed of movement on arterial directions, road conditions are taken into account, which are formed with simultaneous impact of several factors: volume-capacity ratio of intersection in braking zone, volume-capacity ratio of intersection in acceleration zone, the number of lanes, the length of the section between intersections and the average speed of the traffic flow. It is determined that the average speed of traffic flow on short sections between intersections (the length less than 300 m) is 27 – 33 km/h, on sections of medium length – 35 – 38 km/h/ Such speed will allow to traffic flow reaching the line of constant movement in given road conditions. Conducted research allows taking into account road traffic conditions while justifying the calculating speed of traffic flow, in result of which capacity of arterial streets of controlled motion increases.

Measuring Pedestrian Level of Stress in Urban Environments: Naturalistic Walking Pilot Study

Walking is the most basic and sustainable mode of transportation, and many jurisdictions would like to see increased walking rates as a way of reducing congestion and emission levels and improving public health. In the United States, walking trips account for 10.5% of all trips undertaken. To increase this rate, additional research on what makes people feel more comfortable while walking is needed. Research on pedestrian quality of service (QOS) has sought to quantify the performance of the pedestrian facilities from a pedestrian’s perspective. However, the impact of pedestrian safety countermeasures on pedestrian QOS for roadway crossings is largely unknown. The objective of this study is to discern pedestrian QOS based on physiological measurements of pedestrians performing normal walking activities in different traffic contexts. The naturalistic walking study described in this paper recruited 15 pedestrians and asked each to wear an instrumented wristband and GPS recorder on all walking trips for one week. Surprisingly, the findings from the study showed no correlation between participants’ stress levels and individual crossing locations. Instead, stress was associated with roadway conditions. Higher levels of stress were generally associated with walking in proximity to collector and arterial streets and in areas with industrial and mixed (e.g., offices, retail, residential) land uses. Stress levels were tempered in lower-density residential land uses, as well as in forest, park, and university campus environments. The outcomes from this study can inform how planners design urban environments that reduce pedestrian stress levels to promote walkability.

Revitalization of (Post-) Soviet Neighbourhood with Nature-Based Solutions

The neighbourhoods in the former Soviet Union were after the World War II often planned according to the self-consistent microdistrict concept similar to Clarence Perry's neighbourhood unit. Each residential district was based on the walkable community centre in the middle whereas the area itself was surrounded by arterial streets as the main transport routes with basic services. However, the recent situation of many of those neighbourhoods is rather dim – the bad condition of housing, faded public spaces and unorganised greenery systems are between the most crucial issues. The results of the research made on the case study of the Jubilejny district in the city of Mogilev, Belarus, show that population ageing is the main threat for these areas. Residents are dissatisfied with uncertain housing situation besides inappropriate parking options and lack of opportunities to spend a leisure time outside. Therefore, our proposal to the future development of the Jubilejny district includes short term improvements such as leisure activities within the public spaces or regeneration of green spaces as well as long-term designs regarding a community garden and other nature-based solutions.