Affordable Transportation Services Research Articles

Implementation of Medan City Government Policies in Overcoming Traffic Congestion and Density (Case Study of Traffic Intersection, Medan Tembung District)

This research was conducted to find out that transportation development aims to improve efficient, effective, reliable, quality, safe, affordable transportation services. Realizing integrated national transportation with regional development, a distribution system that can provide community services, increasing adequate rural-urban networks (RPJM Dirjendat Kemenhub RI). The method used in this research is literature study in which information is obtained from various reading sources such as books, journals, and websites that are still related to research studies. The results of this study are the way Pemko Medan in overcoming traffic jams that occur in Medan City, especially traffic jams that occur at Simpang Aksara, Medan Tembung District based on applicable laws

Impact of unpaved road condition on rural transport services

The majority of roads in developing countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa remain unpaved. To optimise their social impact, rural roads need to be complemented with convenient and affordable transport services that allow residents to reach markets and basic services. Motorcycle taxis or boda bodas, have risen to be the most dominant transport service in the rural areas of Uganda. Careful management of the vehicle operating costs (VOCs) is therefore important to sustain this service in the rural areas. This study estimates the changes in VOCs for motorcycle taxis with changes in the unpaved road condition. A 1·8% rise in operating costs is found when a road condition deteriorates from very good to good; and a 7·7% increase when road condition deteriorates from good to fair or poor.

Evaluation of transportation alternatives for aging population in the era of self-driving vehicles

ObjectiveAccess to transportation is very important for older adults as it allows them to lead an independent and social life. With a growing elderly population, providing access to transportation is one of the greatest societal challenges in the United States. A feasible solution to this problem is adoption of self-driving vehicles in order to provide safe, convenient, and affordable transportation services to older adults. This study analyzed older adults' acceptance of three transportation alternatives that utilize self-driving vehicles. In addition, older adults' travel behavior and transportation needs were also assessed. MethodsAn online survey approach was adopted to collect data on older adults' travel behavior, transportation needs, and to evaluate three transportation alternatives. The three self-driving transportation alternatives presented were owning a self-driving vehicle, using prepaid taxi services, and getting rides through community services. A total of 173 survey responses were collected from participants aged 60 years or older. ResultsParticipants (80% or more) responded that they are satisfied with the number of trips they make to stores, medical centers, and to religious and social events. On the other hand, more than one-third of the participants would make more trips than they currently do to visit family and friends and to recreational places if rides were available. Among the three alternatives, prepaid taxi services received the best overall ratings. A majority of the participants also responded that owning a self-driving vehicle was not affordable to them. ConclusionsThis study provides valuable information that could be used to design future transportation services for the elderly population. Older adults are willing to adopt self-driving vehicles as a mode of transportation. However, automakers and federal authorities need to make efforts to inform older adults about the benefits of these vehicles, and their safety features.

Vehicles for rural transport services in sub-Saharan Africa

There is a critical lack of affordable transport services linking villages to markets, healthcare and other facilities in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, which significantly restrains rural development. A key factor is the severe constraint on profitability of services due to the high operating costs of conventional vehicles operating at relatively low speeds on rural roads. This paper argues that there is a need to consider lower-speed alternatives based on motorcycles. It shows that motorcycle-based vehicles such as trailers and three-wheelers can carry loads up to 1 t on rural roads when geared down to an appropriate speed. The operating costs of these vehicles are shown to be around half those of conventional vehicles, greatly increasing the potential for setting up profitable transport services. Further development is needed to show that motorcycle-based vehicles can be used safely and profitably to help rural people improve their livelihoods and facilitate rural development.

ECMO transport challenges in India

Transport of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients in India, where there are very few ECMO centres, is a real challenge due to the huge area and large population of the country, and the diversities of resources between urban and rural areas. Road and air transportation are well established but another common mode of transport not fully developed is the train. Road transportation is used in almost 98% of our ECMO transfers. It is cheaper but its limitations are traffic congestions, road conditions, and travel times. The maximum distance covered is up to 250 miles,1 which represents almost 5–6 h of travel time. Air transportation is a good option for long distances but is costly.2 The average cost of air transportation (fixed wing) in India is around US $1600–2500 per hour, and the average run time is 4–6 h. Helicopter is not a preferred aeromedical transportation modality in India. Train transport services could be ideal in India as many superfast trains are covering the length and breadth of the country but the coaches are currently not suitable. As an alternative option we developed the concept of a mobile ECMO unit, keeping in mind safety and cost effectiveness. It involves taking the ECMO team to the referring hospitals rather than transferring the patient. It is a viable practice as cardiac surgical skills are available in tertiary hospitals. Patients can be cannulated locally and managed by an expert visiting ECMO team in association with the referring team. Advantages: • Safer – no patient transfer • Cheaper – no aeromedical patient retrieval • Creates more awareness and utilization of ECMO services in different parts of India • Opportunity to train and develop regional centres. Drawbacks: • Staff need to get adjusted to different environments, cultures, and languages • Coordinating teamwork with an entire new team Retrospective case series of patients managed by our mobile ECMO team from August 2010 to August 2016 shows that we have had 45 patients transported during or before ECMO, without loss of life or major clinical or technical issues during the transport phase. Of the 45 patients, 39 had intrahospital transport for investigation like CT scan and for therapeutic procedures in the operating theatre. Of the 39 patients, 35 (90%) were transported on ECMO, while 4 were transported with conventional ventilation before initiating ECMO. Six patients had interhospital road transport while on VV ECMO with an average distance of 130 km (Ranging of 9–250 km). Of the 6 interhospital transport patients, 4 survived (67%) and were discharged alive from the hospital, and the other two patients died after 5 and 7 days on ECMO. The team has provided mobile ECMO services to 121 patients in different tertiary care hospitals and covered so far eight states of India, roughly 20 cities, and more than 50 tertiary care hospitals. The average survival remained around 45%. The average ECMO expense per patient was US $7340 (Range: US $4500–$23,000). A dedicated mobile team allows safe road transportation of patients with severe ARDS;3 however, in India, where healthcare is self-sponsored, mobilizing the ECMO team and equipment to put a patient on ECMO in the referring hospital is more cost effective and safer. Our ultimate objective is to develop affordable transport services to reduce healthcare costs. Inclusion of ECMO as part of the curriculum for critical care consultants and cardiac surgeons is essential for improving awareness and getting hands on experience in initiating and streamlining the process of ECMO teaching and training. A definitive roadmap for developing Indian critical care services is crucial.

Discussion on Integrated Traffic Planning(ITP) of New Tourism Town upon Sustainable Development and Livable Request

Abstract This paper probes into the method of creating the sustainable traffic system in the new town planning phase based on the integrated traffic planning of a new town of tourism in south of China. The paper presents the key issues to realize livable traffic, including the following subjects: firstly, implement the requirements of TOD; conduct traffic facilities planning; adjust urban function and plan the land-use layout in preference of the public transportation organization. Secondly, integrate the residents and tourists trip chain to make tourism transportation share infrastructures with urban transportation. Thirdly, construct a non-motorized traffic network with pleasant scale matching with the natural geographical conditions of city. Fourthly, according to the tourist traffic characteristics of seasonal fluctuations, build comprehensive transport hubs and carry out traffic demand management policies to ensure the pleasant quality of transportation and environment. Fifthly, provide convenient and affordable transport services in native settlement area and guarantee local residents participating in the development of new town. This article can be used as the reference for constructing the integrated traffic system of a new tourism town in developing countries, especially China.

Travelling fair: Targeting equitable transit by understanding job location, sectorial concentration, and transit use among low-wage workers

Low-wage workers have a pressing need for adequate and affordable transportation services. However, the growing polycentricity of North American metropolises means transit providers face the difficult task of serving ever more dispersed employment centers. Deciding where limited project resources would provide the most benefit for disadvantaged populations should be a concern for transit planners and elected officials. The purpose of this research is to determine where low-wage employment zones are, where different types of low-wage jobs concentrate, and determine if job type and location have an effect on transit ridership for low-wage workers. We use a previously proposed method to identify low-wage employment zones in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, Canada and measure job type concentration using a gravity approach. We then test to see if job type concentration and employment centres relate to ridership, while controlling for other factors that influence mode share. Our results indicate significant differences in transit use for different occupations exist. These results can help guide more transit investment and research by tackling specific occupation's travel needs.

The Feasibility of Mobility Management in the United States

Mobility management aims at the provision of accessible, multimodal, and affordable transportation services to all individuals in a community, including the elderly, disabled and lower income individuals. It has much potential to deliver public transit services in a cost efficient way and uses a customer driven and market based approach to make it more responsive to the needs of individuals in a community. In mobility management, there is much emphasis on coordination and collaboration, which makes mobility management an attractive option for many communities, especially in an era of limited funding and shortage of resources. To explore the feasibility of its practice in this country, this paper has tried to disseminate valuable information on regulations and statutes that help to establish the legal foundation for mobility management and also support services that are available from advocacy agencies and interest groups to develop, manage, and sustain such programs.