Exploring the Patterns of Resident Resettlement in Rural and Suburban Areas and Their Influence on the Passenger Trip Generation

The region is a complex multi-element and heterogeneous dynamic system. Regional public transport systems are characterized by heterogeneity and incompleteness of information about the processes that take place in them. The factors determining the demand for public passenger transport services, the structure of suburban population transit and the economic consequences of changing this structure have not yet been sufficiently investigated. There is no quantitative assessment of the control factors’ influence on the results of the passenger transport system functioning in suburban traffic, which complicates the effective management in this field.In order to determine the mutual influence of objects with unclear functional connection, one of the methods of computational geometry is considered, which allows quantifying and obtaining tabulated functions of various components and parameters of settlements' interaction and centers of gravity. The numerical characteristics obtained by the described method are further used in the modeling of the processes of efficient functioning and collaboration of urban passenger transport with other external transport types, in particular at interchanges.As a result of the proposed operations, we obtain a tabulated function of the investigated parameter for the area of spatial interaction of infrastructure objects and visualize the calculated parameters in the form of graphical dependencies or in the form of a three-dimensional surface. Thus, using the method of computational geometry, with constructing a Voronoi diagram and executing the Delaunay triangulation, it is possible to obtain tabulated characteristic parameters for inhomogeneous zones of mutual influence where infrastructure objects with unclear functional connection are located.

Impact of Automated Vehicles Using Eco-Cruise Control on the Traffic Flow

The paper provides a detailed analysis of the impact of automated vehicles using eco-cruise control system on the traffic flow. The speed profiles of vehicles using eco-cruise control system generally differ from those of conventional human-driven vehicles. The characteristics of the traffic flow on macroscopic traffic level combine both automated and human-driven vehicles. In the simulation-based analysis the effects of traffic volume and the ratio of the automated vehicles are in the focus. Based on the results the analysis an extension of the eco-cruise control is also proposed, in which the balance between the traffic flow and transport efficiency is achieved.

Characterization of Airport Movement Sequence

Runways as the most critical parts in the aviation infrastructure have a great impact on the whole aviation effectiveness. Our present research has attempted to provide a better understanding of the nature of the sequence between the runway movements. For that traffic data of a typical medium-capacity airport was analyzed.

Applying Geographic Information System Methodologies to Estimate the Catchment Area Accessibility of Park-and-Ride Facilities

Park and Ride (P&R) systems play a potentially important role in transportation planning to decrease the undesirable effects of private cars in the Central Business District (CBD). In order to achieve this objective, an essential component to be investigated is the catchment areas of these P&R facilities. However, a limited number of studies have applied the Geographic Information System (GIS) to study the spatial boundary accessibility of the catchment areas of P&R. This study aims to analyze the spatial boundary accessibility of the catchment areas of P&R facilities using three GIS methods. The first method uses geometric shapes to analyze the catchment areas of P&R facilities according to regular shapes, such as parabolas or circles. The market area is the second method used to analyze travel time via the tool ArcGIS Network Analyst to determine the catchment area of P&Rs. Finally, the dynamic accessibility method determines how accessible a facility can be through a study of the spatial boundary accessibility of P&Rs based on the travel time and distance between zones and P&R. The result shows that the static methods identify the spatial boundary accessibility through the calculation of the size of the shape of each P&R separately, while the dynamic method identifies the level of accessibility in detail for all P&R and also the accessibility of each zone to reach a facility. In conclusion, the dynamic accessibility method presents better accuracy than static methods in order to estimate the spatial boundary accessibility of the catchment area of P&Rs.

Acceleration and Deceleration Rates of Various Vehicle Categories at Signalized Intersections in Mixed Traffic Conditions

The acceleration and deceleration rates vary from one vehicle type to another. The same vehicle type also exhibits variations in acceleration and deceleration rates due to vast variation in their dynamic and physical characteristics, ratio between weight and power, driver behaviour during acceleration and deceleration manoeuvres. Accurate estimation of acceleration and deceleration rates is very important for proper signal design to ensure minimum control delay for vehicles, which are passing through the intersection. The present study measures acceleration and deceleration rates for four vehicle categories: Two-wheeler, Three-wheeler, Car, and Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV), by using Open Street Map (OSM) tracker mobile application. The acceleration and deceleration rates were measured at 24 signalized intersection approaches in Hyderabad and Warangal cities. The study also developed acceleration and deceleration models for each vehicle type and the developed models were validated based on field data. The results showed that the predicted acceleration and deceleration models showed close relation with those measured in the field. The developed models are useful in predicting average acceleration and deceleration rate for different vehicle types under mixed and poor lane disciplined traffic conditions.

Impact Assessment of Driver Distraction by Cellphone on Start-up Lost-time and Average Saturation Headway at Signalized Intersections Based on Vehicle Position in the Queue

Cellphone usage has a significant impact on signalized intersections' capacity and level of service. This study investigated the impact of cellphone usage on signalized intersection capacity and level of service in Dammam Metropolitan Area, Saudi Arabia. The data included 183 useful cycles and 2407 start-up lost time and average saturation headway values at cycles with cellphone usage and cycles without cellphone usage at 24 signalized intersections. The main hypothesis of the study is that cellphone usage increases the start-up lost time at signalized intersection capacity. The secondary hypothesis is that cellphone usage increases the average saturation headway at signalized intersections. Normal distribution and z-test were conducted to assess whether there is a significant increase in average saturation headway and start-up lost time. The study found a significant increase in start-up lost time of about 0.7 seconds but found no significant increase in average saturation headway due to cellphone usage. Also, start-up lost time increases as vehicles of cellphone users get closer to the stop line of the signalized intersections. Thus, cellphone usage decreases the progression of 13 vehicles per hour due to a reduction in effective green time, increases total delay, and deteriorates the level of service. The study can assist transportation and traffic officials to optimize signal operation to mitigate the impact of cellphone usage and improve urban transportation.

Land Use as a Criterion for the Selection of the Trip Starting Locations of Park and Ride Mode Travelers

In the attempt to study Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems, and their necessary underlying components, such as Park and Ride (P&R) sub-systems, this article aims to showcase the importance of land-use as a criterion in the selection of trip starting locations (i.e., points), that can potentially be used as the basis for quantitative studies on LRT and P&R systems. In order to achieve this goal, a method is introduced for the selection of locations that produce P&R mode trips based on the land-use attributes of sub-zones or neighborhoods, as they are included in Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). Those land-use attributes are utilized as sub-criteria for the classification and valid selection of trip starting locations out of a broader dataset of available locations. As a second supportive technique that needs to be utilized for this study, an algorithm is introduced, which allows us to test the effectiveness of the method and the importance of land use as a criterion. The algorithm enables the calculation and comparison of the attributes of the trips to be followed by P&R mode users starting from selected trip starting locations for each zone in a city and having as destinations the several available P&R facilities. Results for the methods introduced in this article are showcased based on a case study on the mid-sized city of Cuenca, Ecuador, in which, several metrics, such as traveling times considering different traffic scenarios, are examined for the potential P&R mode trips as they emerge from real-world data.

Planning Method for Urban Subway Park-and-Ride Station and Parking Berth

For satisfying the growing demand of parking in urban area and relieving traffic congestion in downtown, under the condition of urban subway park-and-ride (P&R), the methods of site selection and scale calculation of parking lots are studied. Selecting Xi'an Rd. business circle in Dalian as study object, both survey and analysis of parking demand were conducted. Based on the principle of random equilibrium selection, the logit model of P&R demand was constructed. Then the forecasting models of parking demand both in downtown and peripheral zones were proposed respectively. Using the minimum travel distance of vehicles as the objective function, site selection optimization model of P&R station was constructed. The calculation methods of scale for parking lots in both downtown and P&R station were also processed. For the case of Xi'an Rd. business circle, not only the site of P&R station was planned, but the scale of parking berth was calculated. According to the plan and calculation, the total number of parking berth has increased from 3380 to 4011. Among the planned berths, 75.7 % are in the business circle and 24.3 % in P&R stations are outside downtown. Thus, the number of planned berths in the business circle has actually decreased by about 8 %. The research indicates that, for downtown with subway system, by reducing parking berths in downtown and increasing them in P&R stations outside the urban area, this planning method is more beneficial to relieve the problems of parking and traffic congestion in downtown than traditional method.

Assessment of the Impact of Seafarers' Professional Experience on the Perception of Risk Factors from the Perspective of Polish Container Ships Crews Members

Safety of navigation is the important issue especially related to the dynamically developing container shipping. The main purpose of the article is to demonstrate the results of research on the perception of risk factors by seafarers working on container ships in terms of their professional experience. The ranking of risk factors considering their impact on the safety of container shipping has been created. An additional goal of the research was to acquire the knowledge on ships crews members' assessment of the impact of the human factor on the safety of navigation, including factors related to the organization of seafarers' work (systemic aspects) and those directly resulting from the operations carried out on ship. The assessment of risk factors affecting the navigation safety was performed from the perspective of Polish crew members working on container ships. The research was carried out with the use of an empirical study questionnaire. 161 seafarers' opinions were analyzed. On the basis of the created risk factors ranking analysis, it was found that seafarers perceive the human factor, and consider both the systemic and the work-related aspects having the greatest impact on the safety of container shipping. Moreover, the conducted non-parametric Pearson chi-square independence test proved the hypothesis that assessments of the five highest rated risk factors, reviewed by studied young and experienced professional groups of seafarers, didn’t differ significantly.

Investigating the Effects of Introducing Automated Straddle Carriers in Port Operations with a System Dynamics Model

Port automation has been in the forefront of maritime innovation in the last decade. On that front, Automated Straddle Carriers (ASCs) are increasingly used to move containers efficiently. However, the introduction of ASCs in port operations can be disruptive if not handled properly, especially since the field can face many uncertainties such as increased container trade. The purpose of the paper is to investigate whether the introduction of Automated Straddle Carriers in port operations can improve the overall efficiency. To achieve the objective, a System Dynamics model was developed and tested under different scenarios. The results indicate that the introduction of ASCs is accompanied by an increase in productivity of the vehicles which results in more TEUs serviced. One of the most interesting results of the various scenarios is that for all rates of incoming TEUs, berth productivity is superior when operations are performed with 5 ASCs than with 10 manned vehicles. Finally, another issue that port authorities should always have in mind is the need for coordination among the various sub-processes and optimization of the necessary vehicles in order to avoid under-utilization of resources.