Car Transport Research Articles

New boarding policies to improve the passenger experience in cable car transport systems

New boarding policies to improve the passenger experience in cable car transport systems

Utilization of the Prim Algorithm to Determine the Nearest Path Car Transportation Problems of Goods Carrier Box

Prim’s algorithm has been proven to be able to be used in determining the closest path, minimum spanning tree in the problem of transporting box cars carrying goods. Based on the results of theoretical analysis tests that have been carried out from several experimental data, it can be obtained results showing that, the results of Prim’s algorithm complexity are as follows O(n2). By defining n here is the number of vertices contained in the graph. So it can be concluded that, empirically, the data from the average travel time of this prim algorithm shows a graph that has a quadratic nature. As for the large number of edges contained in a graph, it has no effect on the complexity of finding the nearest path, the problem of transporting box cars carrying goods is a minimum spanning tree using the Prims algorithm.

Integration of Different Mobility Behaviors and Intermodal Trips in MATSim

MATSim is an open-source simulation framework for mesoscopic traffic simulations that has gained popularity in recent years. In this paper, we present a MATSim model for the city of Vienna, with a particular emphasis on the intermodal routing framework used to create agent trips, and the development of a utility function to specify different agents’ mode preferences. To create agent activity chains, we use mobility diaries from the national transportation survey in Austria and disaggregate the available geospatial information to best fit the reported travel times. The novelty of the intermodal framework is the ability to create trips that do not consist of only one mode of transportation, but to also include bicycle, car, and demand-responsive transport (e.g., cab, car sharing) trips in combination with public transportation. To represent the different mobility behaviors of agents, we divide the population into groups and assign them different utility functions for transportation modes according to their socio-demographic characteristics. After presenting the validation of the model, we discuss ways to improve the model.

Analyzing spatiotemporal accessibility patterns to tertiary healthcare services by integrating total travel cost into an improved E3SFCA method in Changsha, China

Accessibility is an essential indicator for measuring the effectiveness and equity of transport and public health services. However, previous studies neglect the effects of monetary costs for evaluating access to healthcare services. Therefore, this paper attempts to analyze the spatial accessibility patterns to healthcare services by integrating the total travel costs into an improved enhanced three-step floating catchment area (E3SFCA) method. Firstly, we adopt the explanatory factor analysis to compute the attractiveness coefficient by considering healthcare service capacities and qualities. The total travel cost under the private car and public transport modes are then determined by the integration of both real-time travel times and monetary costs during the journey, expressed in time. Notably, the real-time travel times under two travel modes are collected from the open-source route planning application program interface. Following that, the healthcare service catchment area thresholds are determined based on the results of frequency distribution of travel time under each travel mode, and the corresponding Gaussian impedance functions are produced. Based on the improved enhanced three-step floating catchment area (E3SFCA) method, Changsha, China's empirical case study is conducted to verify and investigate the accessibility between 189 subdistricts and 25 tertiary hospital locations at six different time periods in a working day under both the private car and public transport modes. The results suggest that the accessibility distribution shape reflects a circular diffusion centered on the central urban areas. The accessibility to tertiary hospitals is inadequate and regionally unbalanced in Changsha with respect to population allocations, especially during peak hours. Moreover, the private car mode is superior to public transport in most areas of the city. These findings may provide new insights for city planners and policymakers in terms of equity evaluations of medical resource accessibility and site allocations.

Bangkok’s locked-in traffic jam: Price congestion or regulate parking?

The current state of inner city car transport is highly inefficient, producing congestion, air and noise pollution, accidents, and contributing to global warming. We evaluate the environmental and social costs of motorized transport in Bangkok that turned in the last 25 years from a bus and motorcycle to a car-traffic dominated city, one of the world’s most congested. We find that total external costs burden Bangkok’s economy by about 7% – 10.8% of the GRP, almost half originating in congestion. We evaluate optimal Pigouvian taxation of driving a vehicle in Bangkok and calculate the costs of on-street parking in the inner city. Optimal congestion charging is about $2.3, optimal road toll is about $2.7, and optimal inner city parking is about $3.2 per hour. Our results imply that urban mobility would profit most from a combination of congestion and parking pricing, maintaining most of the flexibility of transport, e.g., by incentivizing shared pooled mobility, while also improving urban quality of life. Better parking management and inner city tolls would benefit most cities in rapidly urbanizing and motorizing Southeast Asia.

On the scalability of private and pooled on-demand services for urban mobility in Amsterdam

ABSTRACT The emergence of on-demand transport services is set to change the mobility landscape in urban areas. This study investigates the potential scalability of an on-demand mobility system to substitute motorised trips performed by private cars and public transport in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We adopt an agent-based simulation framework and investigate scenarios where either private and pooled on-demand services replace private car trips, public transport trips, or both private car and public transport trips. Service performance in terms of level of service offered and operational efficiency are analysed. Results indicate that pooled on-demand services fare better than private on-demand in terms of veh-km travelled and the empty drive ratio. Private on-demand services generate 43%, 38%, and 44% more veh-km than pooled on-demand services when on-demand services replace car trips, public transport trips, or car and public transport trips, respectively. However, private on-demand services offer shorter total travel times than pooled on-demand for all scenarios.

Methodology for rationing the fuel consumption of the PAZ-320412 bus

The article analyzes suburban bus transportation with specific routes in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). For the experimental study, the route No. 101, «Yakutsk – Tabaga» with a total length of 31 km was chosen. The schedule of buses of Municipal Unitary Enterprise «Yakut Passenger Transport Company (YAPAK)» on the suburban route is shown. The basic technical data of the bus PAZ-320412 was studied. In accordance with international regulations for the buses, the determination of fuel consumption and specific emissions of normalized toxic components is carried out using a riding cycle on running drums. For the calculation of fuel consumption, the technique of modeling of indicators of work of the engine which provide change of traction and speed characteristics of the car according to the set driving cycle was used. Finally, the results of the calculated fuel consumption for the NEDC driving cycle are compared with experimental data. As a comparison of the calculated and theoretical fuel consumption data with practical data, the Cummins engine type Cummins ISF 3.8 is considered. This internal combustion engine is installed on a PAZ-320412 bus. Experimental data on the fuel consumption of this bus per 100 km. showed 48 nm3, and theoretical calculations of bus fuel consumption per 100 km. by the proposed method showed 42 nm3. Therefore, to assess the traction and speed properties of the bus, the proposed combined method can be used which allows one to obtain calculation of fuel consumption which is closer to the experimental data on a driving cycle. Using the source data of the vehicle, effective engine performance indicators are evaluated. A calculation method is proposed for modeling a test, and experimental driving cycle of automobile transport with a total mass of more than five tons is suggested.

Ecological and economic multicriteria optimization of operating alternative propulsion vehicles within the city of Ostrava in the Czech Republic

Research background: Individual car transport significantly burdens the environment, especially in the centres of large cities. There is pollution, traffic jams and an increase in overall noise. In the area of passenger car transport, legislation is being significantly tightened. Therefore, there are also increasing demands on public transport operators in the Czech Republic. Previously, most of the fleet consisted of diesel vehicles. These have been gradually replaced by drives that are significantly more environmentally friendly, such as the Compressed natural gas drive. The requirements defined in relation to the reduction of vehicle emissions are increasingly stricter. A number of cities, not only within the European Union, are addressing significant issues concerning the future of public transport. Purpose of the article: The main objective of the article is to demonstrate an in-depth analysis of the operation of transport vehicles in the Statutory City of Ostrava, both from the cost and environmental point of view. The comparison of transport means using CNG, electric and diesel propulsion is made. Specific factors such as the route profile or the environmental impact of the mode of transport are also taken into account. The extent of the data processed and the multidimensional nature of the assessment offer a unique analysis of the problem. The article provides an exact view of the advantages and disadvantages of operating specific means of transport. Everything is based on data on transport operations in the city of Ostrava (the Czech Republic, EU). Methods: The comprehensive evaluation is based on the application of methods from the field of financial accounting, evaluation of measured data from the operation of transport means and, last but not least, on the analysis of empirical data from the given area. The analysed data set is unique due to the time period, as is the multi-criteria evaluation methodology. Findings & value added: The analysis performed demonstrated the economic viability of operating CNG vehicles. The main added value of the article is the unique multi-criteria evaluation procedure for the vehicles. The paper shows the evaluation of a complex decision problem in the transport field in the form of a case study implemented in the city of Ostrava. The evaluation results then consider both cost and environmental factors, which can be described as a comprehensive and highly innovative approach. The defined assessment can then be applied to other European and world metropolises.

Changes in commuting behaviours in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

BackgroundThe UK Government restrictions on non-essential work in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced millions of working aged-adults into an unplanned lifestyle change. We present data on changes in commuting behaviour in response to COVID-19 and describe the facilitators and barriers to switching commuting behaviours, with a specific focus on cycling and walking. MethodsAn online survey queried individuals’ transport mode to/from work before and when becoming aware of COVID-19, when restrictions were in place and the transport mode they may use once restrictions are lifted. Free-form text responses were collected on why they may switch to a sustainable commute mode in the future and what would help/allow them to achieve this. Quantitative and qualitative data on those who commuted by car (single occupant) and public transport (bus/rail/park & ride) were analysed and presented separately. ResultsOverall, 725 car and public transport commuters responded; 72.4% were car commuters and 27.6% were public transport commuters before COVID-19. Of the car commuters, 81.9% may continue travelling by car once restrictions are lifted while 3.6% and 6.5% might change to walking and cycling, respectively. Of the public transport commuters, 49.0% might switch modes. From the free-form text responses three themes were identified: (a) perceived behavioural control towards cycling and walking (infrastructure and safety of roads, distance, weather) (b) key motivators to encourage a switch to cycling and walking (provision to support cycling, personal and environmental benefits); (c) the demands of current lifestyle (job requirements, family and lifestyle commitments). ConclusionThese UK data show how the COVID-19 pandemic has been an “external shock” causing some individuals to reassess their commuting mode. This provides an opportunity for theory-based behaviour change interventions tackling motivations, barriers and beliefs towards changing commute mode.

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Internet of Things for Smart Health and Emotion Care

As an information carrier, the Internet of Things (IoT) based on the Internet and sensing equipment makes all physical objects form an interconnected network. The 5th generation mobile networks (5G) technology has many advantages, such as high data rates, reduced latency, energy savings, reduced costs, increased system capacity and large-scale device connectivity, realize the real-time data collection, transmission, analysis, management, and application in the era of global Internet of Everything. In order to quickly respond to people’s daily requirements and provide the smart application based on artificial intelligence technology in various scenarios, the number of IoT devices will further increase. The integration of mobile-edge computing (MEC) and IoT is imperative, especially in industries needing real-time data computing, such as smart home, public security, automobile transportation, smart health, emotion care, etc. As a new form of IoT terminal combining 5G and MEC, wearable device based on intelligent fabrics plays an important role in smart health and emotion care, which is one of the potential development directions of the next generation of intelligent medical and rehabilitation systems.

Системы автоматического управления и регулирования теплоэнергетических установок

The modern stringent requirements for fuel efficiency, exhaust gases toxicity and dynamic performance can only be met by equipping thermal power plants with modern control and regulation systems. Thermal power plants based on internal combustion engines have found the greatest application. They are used in different fields --- automobile and railway transport, agricultural, road-building and forestry machines, in ship-building, aviation, stationary power plants. The analysis of the main directions for further improvement of thermal power plants with internal combustion engines and their automated control and regulation systems has been carried out. Among these directions are an expansion of functional capabilities in such systems, improvement of control and regulation processes quality and their use at adaptation of thermal power plants to work on alternative fuels. The important aspects for improvement of thermal power plants with internal combustion engines are the necessity of studying the working processes of engines and their systems in order to decrease the exhaust gases toxicity. The relevance of these systems research is shown and the evaluation of the current level in their development is made. A characteristic feature of modern control and regulation systems of thermal power plants is their widespread construction on modern microprocessor element base The paper was based on the materials of the reports of the all-Russian scientific and technical conference n.a. Professor V.I. Krutov (27.01.2021)

Economic assessment of the use of natural gas on commercial automobile transport when transporting bread in Omsk

The article presents the results of the analysis of scientific research on the use of compressed natural gas in road transport. The reasons limiting the widespread use of this type of motor fuel are considered. For the efficient operation of commercial vehicles running on compressed natural gas, it is important to take into account the relative position of the existing filling stations and the locations of the enterprises’ vehicles. When calculating the payback period and fuel costs of a truck for operation on compressed natural gas, the mileage to the refueling point is not taken into account, which reduces the economic efficiency of using CNG. In the present study, a mathematical model has been developed and tested for determining the operating costs of fuel depending on the mileage from the parking place of trucks to the place of refueling. Keywords: road transport, compressed natural gas, autogas filling compressor stations, fuel costs, mileage to the place of refueling

NEWS REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CAR TRANSPORTATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

The scientific paper presents a practical research carried out by the authors in order to implement certain concepts of technical nature, so that those interested in this field can become aware of a certain way of exposing the problems regarding the role of technology and autonomous vehicles in the sustainable development of car transportation. According to previous research, it has been found that human error has a share of about 95% in the occurrence of road accidents in Europe, causing thousands of human lives to be taken away annually. Experts in the field say that autonomous vehicles can significantly reduce this percentage and at the same time contribute to increasing road safety. Digital technology also has its advantages and disadvantages. It helps reduce congestion and pollution in road traffic, increases access to mobility for people with disabilities, creates new jobs, brings economic growth, increases safety in road traffic but can also become dangerous when disturbances and malfunctions make their mark on artificial intelligence. We present further a technical and managerial study with engineering nuances, through which readers can look at and understand the concept of sustainable development in a global context, presenting the place, role and current stage of development of the autonomous vehicle in the road transport system. At the end, some conclusions and further research directions in the approached field are presented.

STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF THE JOINING OF TRAM RAILS TO ROAD COVERAGE

In the modern world, the priority is the development of clean urban electric transport. The constructive solutions used in the construction of the tram wheel in the past years are outdated and do not meet modern requirements. One of these problems is the destruction of asphalt coating in the places of road coverage to tram rails, which worsens the operational characteristics of tram crossings. The reasons for this problem can be attributed to the following: Not enough asphalt concrete near the rails; low adhesion of asphalt and metal from which rails are made; dynamic loads and vibrations arising from trams and motor transport; bad base of tram train and others. One of the options for increasing reliability and durability is to use as a road covering of tram plates. This solution is used in Ukraine and the European Union. German company RailBeton developed solutions for railway crossings - BetoCross. This system is a modular construction of reinforced concrete slabs, which are pulled together by steel strips. With the help of a system of fastenings and bearings, the flooring is fastened to rails, which provides vertical and horizontal stability of their position and stabilization under the influence of loading. To reduce the dynamic influence, the plates are based on reinforced concrete sleepers through the intermediate layers of the elastostomer. The load from the automobile transport is transferred to the broken beam. In addition to the positive features, the BetoCross system, due to the large number of connections, ties and bearings, requires frequent maintenance and maintenance. The Ukrainian state enterprise "Starokostiantyniv plant ZBSH" developed a similar technology, reinforced concrete plates with the help of a screw fastening through rubber gasket fixed to a special bridge type wallpaper. At a step of wallpaper 0,6 m the plate is attached to each wallpaper from two sides, with the length of the plate itself is 2,7 m. that is, on one plate there are five points of fastening on each side. Loads from the automobile transport, similar to the German technology, are transferred to the rubble balast and the basis. These technological solutions have found their application on railway crossings, and need some improvement for use in urban electric transport. The article reviews the constructive decision on the organization of the mentioned site, which is proposed by RS ENGINEERING in Kharkov. In the proposed solution instead of the crushed balast used monolithic reinforced concrete slab with supporting elements. The arising loads from the rolling stock and transport are transferred through the supporting elements to the concrete slab, which redistributes them on the rubble basis. As a road cover are used reinforced concrete plates covering RS-Slab. The plates are divided into 3 types: Road, interroad and external, which in turn have several sizes. The plates are bound to the supporting elements by means of screws in four points. To reduce dynamic influence between the film and the reference element, a rubber elastomer is laid. Depending on the size of the plates have different number of cutting sites. Also because of the design features possible option when the slab simultaneously relies not on all the supporting sites, these options should be taken into account when calculating the scale and choosing a class of concrete. This solution allows to solve the problems of road surface destruction on the side of the rails, keeps more load from transport, compared to asphalt. At the same time, there are factors that need to be studied in detail when designing and before implementing the solution in mass production. These include: Investigation of the influence of violation of standard assembly plates on the stress-deformed state of the element; determination of thickness and acceptable physical characteristics of the gasket on the plate supports; detailed development of a node for fixing plates. The use of reinforced concrete plates as a road coating has a number of advantages before asphalt concrete: Resistance to destruction on the rails; installation regardless of weather and temperature conditions; resistance to loads from trucks. At the same time, this decision has certain peculiarities that require detailed study, which is a branch of further research.

Urban expansion and differential accessibility by car and public transport in the Greater Kumasi city-region, Ghana—A geospatial modelling approach

There is a growing recognition of the worsening problems of accessibility in Africa's major urban centres and city-regions. Yet, research assessing differential accessibility in these contexts is limited, partly because of the lack of population and land-use data at granular spatial resolutions. In this paper, we contribute to addressing the existing challenges by presenting a geospatial modelling approach that combines historical urban physical development data extracted from Landsat satellite images, travel time data from Openrouteservice and Google Maps API services, and relevant transport infrastructure data. We apply the approach to analyse place-based (100 m2) accessibility in the Greater Kumasi city-region of Ghana. The analysis reveals a strong co-evolutionary relationship between physical development and geographical accessibility, with an estimated 83% of the emergent physical development located within half-a-kilometre distance of a primary road. First-and-last-mile accessibility in terms of walking time to public transport stations and public transport service routes are quantified. We reveal huge first-and-last-mile accessibility deficits, with an estimated 14% and 33% of the city-region's built-up area having a 5-minute and 10-minute walking time reachability to a public transport station, as a critical node of accessibility. Differential accessibility by car and public transport is analysed, focusing on the city-region's most important functional centre (i.e. CBD). The results show that the CBD is within 15 min and nearly 30 min reach by car and public transport respectively, for only 1% of the city-region's built-up area. This implies that overall accessibility is poor regardless of mode choice, due to congestion. The findings underscore the need for integrative urban development and accessibility planning in the city-region for equitable transport and mobility outcomes.

Research on Accessibility and Equity of Urban Transport Based on Multisource Big Data

Daily travel is an important means for everyone to obtain the right to development. With the development of the economy and the progress of the times, the equalization of public infrastructure has become an important concern. The accessibility and fairness of transportation have become a hot topic of research in various fields. To promote transport equity and formulate more reasonable transport planning and policies, this paper takes the Kunshan city as the research object, based on the mobile phone signaling data and the travel time consumption data from the application programming interface (API) of Gaode Map, using weighted average accessibility and the Theil index to investigate the accessibility and equity of public transport and car traffic in the Kunshan city. The study found that the accessibility of public transport is lower than that of car transport in the same research unit, but the equity of public transport is better than that of car transport, that is, the public transport is fair and the efficiency is neglected. In the same mode of transportation, equity presents a high four-week low distribution in the central urban area, and the spatial equity difference is mainly caused by the difference in accessibility levels between cell units. According to the research conclusions, it is recommended that Kunshan further optimize the spatial layout of public transportation infrastructure and adopt measures such as bus speed increase to achieve equity and efficiency and improve the competitiveness of public transportation.

Analysis of External Risks of Cholera Importation to the Territory of Primorsky Krai by Different Types of Transport

Relevance. The risk of developing complications of an epidemiological nature for especially dangerous infections is determined by the possibility of importing an infection from disadvantaged countries, which depends on many factors, including the migration activity.Aim. To analyze the external risks of cholera importation into Primorsky Krai by various modes of transport.Materials and methods. Data of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Far Eastern territorial department Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing by railway transport was used. The analysis of the incidence of cholera in the world was carried out according to the WHO, the Reference Center for Monitoring Cholera in the Russian Federation, the Internet resource ProMED-mail.Results and discussion. During the analyzed period (2015–2018), 311,435 vehicles (automobile transport – 87.4%, sea transport – 7.7%, air transport – 4.3%, railway transport – 0.6%) and more than 5 million people arrived in Primorsky Krai from abroad. Analysis of passenger flows by all modes of transport showed that Asian destinations dominate.Conclusion. Evaluation of the epidemiological situation of cholera in the Southeast Asian countries does not rule out the risk of cholera importation into Primorsky Krai, given the high intensity of migratory activity. No conflict of interest to declare.

Correcting Heterogeneous Externalities: Evidence from Local Fuel Taxes

The demand for automobile transportation and the external costs of driving vary widely across locations. However, gasoline taxes, the most common policy tools implemented to correct these externalities, are levied uniformly at the federal and state levels. I examine how a gasoline tax that reflects the heterogeneity in demand and damages can improve efficiency. I estimate county-level travel demand elasticities and congestion damages to compare the efficiency of state gasoline taxes to county-specific fuel taxes. Because elasticities, congestion damages, and pollution damages exhibit heterogeneity across regions, county-specific fuel taxes, largely levied in major metropolitan areas, provide consumer welfare gains between $5 and $30 per capita annually in addition to equity gains relative to revenue-neutral state fuel taxes.

A Real-Time Car Towing Management System Using ML-Powered Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) has been widely used in different domains, such as car park management, traffic management, tolling, and intelligent transport systems. Despite this technology’s importance, the existing ANPR approaches suffer from the accurate identification of number plats due to its different size, orientation, and shapes across different regions worldwide. In this paper, we are studying these challenges by implementing a case study for smart car towing management using Machine Learning (ML) models. The developed mobile-based system uses different approaches and techniques to enhance the accuracy of recognizing number plates in real-time. First, we developed an algorithm to accurately detect the number plate’s location on the car body. Then, the bounding box of the plat is extracted and converted into a grayscale image. Second, we applied a series of filters to detect the alphanumeric characters’ contours within the grayscale image. Third, the detected the alphanumeric characters’ contours are fed into a K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) model to detect the actual number plat. Our model achieves an overall classification accuracy of 95% in recognizing number plates across different regions worldwide. The user interface is developed as an Android mobile app, allowing law-enforcement personnel to capture a photo of the towed car, which is then recorded in the car towing management system automatically in real-time. The app also allows owners to search for their cars, check the case status, and pay fines. Finally, we evaluated our system using various performance metrics such as classification accuracy, processing time, etc. We found that our model outperforms some state-of-the-art ANPR approaches in terms of the overall processing time.

What drives the utility of shared transport services for urban travellers? A stated preference survey in German cities

The supply of shared mobility solutions has been increasing during the last years, so has the popularity of Mobility-as-a-Service. Both promise an easy access to and usage of shared vehicles or shared rides. Nevertheless, usage of these services remains low in German cities. Hence, the question arises: what determines the utility of travellers regarding shared modes and how is this different to conventional modes? To answer this, we conduct a stated preference experiment amongst 1,445 respondents (8,670 observations). The sample is drawn from residents of the 83 largest cities in Germany. We consider four shared (e-scooter-, bike-, carsharing, and ridepooling) and three conventional modes (walking, private car, and public transport). We estimate a mixed logit model and calculate the respective value of travel time (VoT) as well as the value of access, egress, and parking search time. The importance of the individual attributes is analysed drawing on a part-worth analysis. Further, we calculate average treatment effects to show simulated mode-choice probability changes. We find that costs are more important than travel time for carsharing and ridepooling whilst they are equally important for the remaining modes. For shared services, access is more important than egress. Moreover, among the shared services, e-scootersharing shows the highest VoT (23.73 EUR/h), followed by bikesharing (18.53 EUR/h). Finally, cost changes to private cars and public transport show the highest simulated shifting potential with carsharing profiting most from cost increases in these two modes.