Changes In Transport Patterns Research Articles

Characteristics of injuries related to traffic crashes in Israel before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives This study explored differences in patient characteristics, injury characteristics, treatment modalities, and treatment outcomes among patients who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) following traffic crashes during the COVID-19 period (from March 15, 2020 to March 15, 2022) in comparison to the previous corresponding period between 2017 and 2019. Methods The study is a retrospective chart review study. The study included a random sample of 610 patients who presented to the ED of a major hospital located in northern-central Israel following traffic crashes: 305 patients who presented during the COVID-19 period (from March 15, 2020 to March 15, 2022) and 305 patients who presented during the previous corresponding period (from March 15, 2017 to March 15, 2019). Socio-demographic data, data regarding the traffic crashes, and medical data of the patients were collected from their medical records, and the data were compared. Results In the context of the COVID-19 period, a notable surge in the percentage of cyclist victims was evident, marking an increase from 7.5% to 19% compared to the corresponding period. Conversely, the incidence of pedestrian victims during the COVID-19 period dropped to 19.7%, in contrast to 30.8% in the corresponding period. Notably, patients involved in pedestrian crashes amid the COVID-19 period exhibited a shorter hospital stay (M = 2.8 days, SD = 3.3) compared to the corresponding period (M = 4.3 days, SD = 7.1) [t = 1.8 (df = 141), p < 0.05]. However, a higher fatality rate was observed among these patients during the COVID-19 period compared to the corresponding period (6.7% vs. 0%) [χ2 = 6.4 (df = 1), p < 0.05]. Conclusions The study reveals significant changes in traffic crashes characteristics during the pandemic period, including a notable increase in cyclist victims and a decrease in pedestrian incidents. These shifts may be attributed to factors such as changes in transportation patterns, increased use of bicycles for essential travel. Despite these changes, the proportion of severe crashes remained relatively consistent. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the underlying causes behind these shifts and highlight the ongoing need for public education and awareness initiatives to promote traffic safety, particularly for vulnerable road users, during pandemic periods.

A data fusion approach with mobile phone data for updating travel survey-based mode split estimates

Up-to-date information on different modes of travel to monitor transport traffic and evaluate rapid urban transport planning interventions is often lacking. Transport systems typically rely on traditional data sources providing outdated mode-of-travel data due to their data latency, infrequent data collection and high cost. To address this issue, we propose a method that leverages mobile phone data as a cost-effective and rich source of geospatial information to capture current human mobility patterns at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. Our approach employs mobile phone application usage traces to infer modes of transportation that are challenging to identify (bikes and ride-hailing/taxi services) based on mobile phone location data. Using data fusion and matrix factorisation techniques, we integrate official data sources (household surveys and census data) with mobile phone application usage data. This integration enables us to reconstruct the official data and create an updated dataset that incorporates insights from digital footprint data from application usage. We illustrate our method using a case study focused on Santiago, Chile successfully inferring four modes of transportation: mass-transit (all public transportation), motorised (cars and similar vehicles), active (pedestrian and cycle trips), and taxi (traditional taxi and ride-hailing services). Our analysis revealed significant changes in transportation patterns between 2012 and 2020. We quantify a reduction in mass-transit usage across municipalities in Santiago, except where metro/rail lines have been more recently introduced, highlighting added resilience to the public transport network of these infrastructure enhancements. Additionally, we evidence an overall increase in motorised transport throughout Santiago, revealing persistent challenges in promoting urban sustainable transportation. Findings also point to a rise in the share of taxi usage, and a drop in active mobility, suggesting a modal shift towards less sustainable modes of travel. We validate our findings comparing our updated estimates with official smart card transaction data. The consistency of findings with expert domain knowledge from the literature and historical transport usage trends further support the robustness of our approach.

A full year of aerosol size distribution data from the central Arctic under an extreme positive Arctic Oscillation: insights from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition

Abstract. The Arctic environment is rapidly changing due to accelerated warming in the region. The warming trend is driving a decline in sea ice extent, which thereby enhances feedback loops in the surface energy budget in the Arctic. Arctic aerosols play an important role in the radiative balance and hence the climate response in the region, yet direct observations of aerosols over the Arctic Ocean are limited. In this study, we investigate the annual cycle in the aerosol particle number size distribution (PNSD), particle number concentration (PNC), and black carbon (BC) mass concentration in the central Arctic during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. This is the first continuous, year-long data set of aerosol PNSD ever collected over the sea ice in the central Arctic Ocean. We use a k-means cluster analysis, FLEXPART simulations, and inverse modeling to evaluate seasonal patterns and the influence of different source regions on the Arctic aerosol population. Furthermore, we compare the aerosol observations to land-based sites across the Arctic, using both long-term measurements and observations during the year of the MOSAiC expedition (2019–2020), to investigate interannual variability and to give context to the aerosol characteristics from within the central Arctic. Our analysis identifies that, overall, the central Arctic exhibits typical seasonal patterns of aerosols, including anthropogenic influence from Arctic haze in winter and secondary aerosol processes in summer. The seasonal pattern corresponds to the global radiation, surface air temperature, and timing of sea ice melting/freezing, which drive changes in transport patterns and secondary aerosol processes. In winter, the Norilsk region in Russia/Siberia was the dominant source of Arctic haze signals in the PNSD and BC observations, which contributed to higher accumulation-mode PNC and BC mass concentrations in the central Arctic than at land-based observatories. We also show that the wintertime Arctic Oscillation (AO) phenomenon, which was reported to achieve a record-breaking positive phase during January–March 2020, explains the unusual timing and magnitude of Arctic haze across the Arctic region compared to longer-term observations. In summer, the aerosol PNCs of the nucleation and Aitken modes are enhanced; however, concentrations were notably lower in the central Arctic over the ice pack than at land-based sites further south. The analysis presented herein provides a current snapshot of Arctic aerosol processes in an environment that is characterized by rapid changes, which will be crucial for improving climate model predictions, understanding linkages between different environmental processes, and investigating the impacts of climate change in future Arctic aerosol studies.

Agent-Based Modelling for Evaluation of Transportation Mode Selection in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico

One of the negative consequences of the industrialization of Mexico favoured by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), is the emergence of huge industrial corridors associated with the demand for mobility by commuters who move to their workplace. The demand produces mobility patterns that have a serious impact on air pollution in five cities in the state of Guanajuato that, despite being medium in size, outnumber Mexico City in pollution. The objective of this work is to model a data-driven agent based on the beliefs-desires-intentions model, to predict the selection of transport modes using a J48 decision tree algorithm that was designed from data from the 2015 national census (INEGI). The agent with system change function was programmed in Net logo.The results show that: it is possible to predict the demand of transport considering the: gender, level of education, transfer times and age in the five cities of Guanajuato, in a horizon of three years. With changes in public policies related to mobility and changes in transportation patterns, air pollution would be reduced. The proposed model could be used to support public policies that improve mobility and positively impact air quality in five cities in the state of Guanajuato.

Health impacts of changes in travel patterns in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana

BackgroundHealth impact assessments of alternative travel patterns are urgently needed to inform transport and urban planning in African cities, but none exists so far. ObjectiveTo quantify the health impacts of changes in travel patterns in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana. MethodsWe estimated changes to population exposures to physical activity, air pollution, and road traffic fatality risk and consequent health burden (deaths and years of life lost prematurely – YLL) in response to changes in transportation patterns. Five scenarios were defined in collaboration with international and local partners and stakeholders to reflect potential local policy actions. ResultsSwapping bus and walking trips for car trips can lead to more than 400 extra deaths and 20,500 YLL per year than travel patterns observed in 2009. If part of the rise in motorisation is from motorcycles, we estimated an additional nearly 370 deaths and over 18,500 YLL per year. Mitigating the rise in motorisation by swapping long trips by car or taxi to bus trips is the most beneficial for health, averting more than 600 premature deaths and over 31,500 YLL per year. Without significant improvements in road safety, reduction of short motorised trips in favour of cycling and walking had no significant net health benefits as non-communicable diseases deaths and YLL benefits were offset by increases in road traffic deaths. In all scenarios, road traffic fatalities were the largest contributor to changes in deaths and YLL. ConclusionsRising motorisation, particularly from motorcycles, can cause significant increase in health burden in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. Mitigating rising motorisation by improving public transport would benefit population health. Tackling road injury risk to ensure safe walking and cycling is a top priority. In the short term, this will save lives from injury. Longer term it will help halt the likely fall in physical activity.

Rare earth element geochemistry of sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough since 3 ka: Implications for river-sea processes and sediment source

Abstract The sediment sources in the southern Okinawa trough (SOT) are still controversial and few studies have focused on the effects of transport processes on the elemental composition of initial terrigenous materials. Here we present rare earth element (REE) and trace element data on siliciclastic sediments from 14C age-dated Core S3, which was collected from the SOT, to provide reliable evidence for illustrating the modified effects of marine environments on terrigenous sediments deposited at different stages and exposing changes in sediment source over the past 3 ka. Compared with bulk sediments, the siliciclastic sediments in S3 have more variable REE fractionation parameters and lower middle REE (MREE) contents. Our REE data indicate that during river-sea processes, MREE-enriched fractions such as Fe–Mn oxides and carbonate were added to the original terrigenous sediments before deposition, weakening the degree of REE fractionation in the initial sediments; thus, care should be taken when using REE data from bulk samples to decipher source changes. The temporal changes in sediment source in S3 can be broadly identified based on the REE fractionation parameters of the residual fractions, and the results are largely consistent with the findings obtained by heavy mineral examinations. Units 1 and 3 are dominated by reworked shelf sediments of Changjiang origin,while the proportion of Taiwan-derived sediment is notably higher in Units 2 and 4. The sediment flux of Taiwan origin in the SOT was much smaller than previously thought. Huanghe-derived sediments and volcanic materials did not contribute significantly to the late Holocene sedimentation in the SOT. The large variations in sediment sources in S3 were possibly caused by changes in transport patterns driven by time-dependent changes in oceanic currents.

Linking improvements in sulfur dioxide emissions to decreasing sulfate wet deposition by combining satellite and surface observations with trajectory analysis

Sulfur dioxide (SO2), a criteria pollutant, and sulfate (SO42−) deposition are major environmental concerns in the eastern U.S. and both have been on the decline for two decades. In this study, we use satellite column SO2 data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and SO42− wet deposition data from the NADP (National Atmospheric Deposition Program) to investigate the temporal and spatial relationship between trends in SO2 emissions and the downward sulfate wet deposition over the eastern U.S. from 2005 to 2015. To establish the relationship between SO2 emission sources and receptor sites, we conducted a Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) analysis using HYSPLIT back trajectories for five selected Air Quality System (AQS) sites - (Hackney, OH, Akron, OH, South Fayette, PA, Wilmington, DE, and Beltsville, MD) - in close proximity to NADP sites with large downward SO42− trends since 2005. Back trajectories were run for three summers (JJA) and three winters (DJF) and used to generate seasonal climatology PSCFs for each site. The OMI SO2 and interpolated NADP sulfate deposition trends were normalized and overlapped with the PSCF, to identify the areas that had the highest contribution to the observed drop. The results suggest that emission reductions along the Ohio River Valley have led to decreases in sulfate deposition in eastern OH and western PA (Hackney, Akron and South Fayette). Farther to the east, emission reductions in southeast PA resulted in improvements in sulfate deposition at Wilmington, DE, while for Beltsville, reductions in both the Ohio River Valley and nearby favorably impacted sulfate deposition. For Beltsville, sources closer than 300 km from the site contribute roughly 56% observed deposition trends in winter, and 82% in summer, reflecting seasonal changes in transport pattern as well as faster oxidation and washout of sulfur in summer. This suggests that emissions and wet deposition are linked through not only the location of sources relative to the observing sites, but also to photochemistry and the weather patterns characteristic to the region, as evidenced by a west to east shift in the contribution between winter and summer. The method developed here is applicable to other regions with significant trends such as China and India, and can be used to estimate the potential benefits of emission reduction in those areas.

Analyzing behavioral intentions in new residential developments of motorcycle dependent cities: The case of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Many megacities within developing countries are experiencing the phenomenon of motorcycle growth. In recent decades, urban expansion has resulted in significant changes in transportation patterns including the demand for long-distance travel and the rise of car use. In addition, transit alternatives such as mass rapid transit and bus rapid transit have been introduced for improving service quality of public transport, connecting city centres and suburban areas, and tackling traffic congestion in many developing-country megacities. Therefore, the way motorcycles maintain important roles in facilitating the process of urbanisation has raised questions about future motorcycle use in new urban area. This study aims to explore behavioral intentions with regards to urban developments and new transit alternatives in motorcycle dependent cities. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) is selected as a representative of developing-country megacities for this research. The study was designed using a psychological approach in order to identify corresponding factors influencing behavioral intentions. The results show that motorcycle continues to be the main mode, but less motorcycle use is also considered. Bus safety belief contributes more to the intention of public transport use in comparison with motorcycle safety awareness. Park-and-Ride scheme is likely to be a sustainable form for the combination of motorcycle and mass rapid transit in suburban areas.

Potential changes in transportation patterns of New York Islanders fans due to stadium relocation

In 2015 the New York Islanders, a professional men’s ice hockey team in the National Hockey League, will relocate to an arena with more transportation options for fans. The team currently plays at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, NY, with limited public transportation access. They will move 23 miles west to the Barclays Center, an arena in the heart of Brooklyn, NY, with many public transportation options. This study examined fan characteristics which may influence their likelihood of attending Islanders games at the Barclays Center, including familiarity with public transportation, frequency of game attendance, and demographic factors. An online survey of Islanders fans captured fans’ transportation behaviors when traveling to Islanders games at Nassau Coliseum and their projected frequency of attendance after the move, among other variables. Binary and ordered logistic regression models tested the significance of fan characteristics on the likelihood they attended a pre-season Islanders game held at the Barclays Center in September, 2013, and on how frequently respondents reported they will attend future games in Brooklyn. For both models, fans who use regional rail every workday, compared to those who do not, were significantly more likely to have attended the pre-season game and to report they will attend future games. Transit-use variables performed stronger in models than variables representing fans’ work locations. The results exemplify the importance of familiarity with public transportation options when making mode choice decisions, bolstering the importance of transportation demand management strategies when opening new or relocating existing large event venues.

Maintaining human health at the border of Taiwan.

Because international travel is now more frequent and convenient, communicable diseases that occur in one region can be transmitted to another area within a few hours. For this reason, many efforts have been undertaken in Taiwan to establish a comprehensive border quarantine system to protect against imported diseases that may threaten the health of the population. According to the International Health Regulations (2005), decades of development strategies for border quarantine have covered not only routine practices and specific measures for handling a pandemic but also have drawn attention to the development of core capacities at designated points of entry. However, as a result of the rapidly increasing number of points of entry, changes in transportation patterns, and the emergence of diseases, current border quarantine practice is being challenged to maintain human resources and the efficacy of entry screening. It is therefore critical to reexamine border quarantine strategies that will fit future needs and national conditions. This article reviews the current border health practices in Taiwan and discusses 5 key challenges to be further considered and improved. The findings can serve as a guide for further policy reform in Taiwan and other countries.

Impact of Proposed Land Use and Transportation Investments on Future Travel Patterns in California

This study investigated the potential changes in transportation patterns in California associated with the development of smart growth–inspired transportation and land use policies through the application of the California Statewide Travel Demand Model (CSTDM). California's SB (Senate Bill) 375 requires the state's metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to develop sustainable community strategies (SCS) in their regional transportation plans (RTPs) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among other environmental goals, through the integration of land use and transportation planning. Although some SCS were still under development at the time this study was conducted, some concerns had already been raised about whether these proposed policies would be able to achieve the proposed environmental targets. In this study, future transportation demand in California in 2035 was simulated through the application of the CSTDM and the simulation of policy scenarios inspired by the SCS developed before February 2014 by local MPOs. The study provides insights into how proposed land use changes and planned transportation investments would affect both regional and interregional mobility patterns in California. The expected impacts of the proposed policies were compared with a more conservative control scenario based on the previous RTPs developed by MPOs before the introduction of the SCS. Reductions of vehicle miles traveled per capita were predicted for all regions that had developed SCS, with greater reductions in larger metropolitan areas.

Effect of reentrant cone geometry on energy transport in intense laser-plasma interactions

The energy transport in cone-guided low- Z targets has been studied for laser intensities on target of 2.5x10(20) W cm(-2). Extreme ultraviolet (XUV) imaging and transverse optical shadowgraphy of the rear surfaces of slab and cone-slab targets show that the cone geometry strongly influences the observed transport patterns. The XUV intensity showed an average spot size of 65+/-10 microm for slab targets. The cone slabs showed a reduced spot size of 44+/-10 microm. The shadowgraphy for the aforementioned shots demonstrate the same behavior. The transverse size of the expansion pattern was 357+/-32 microm for the slabs and reduced to 210+/-30 microm. A transport model was constructed which showed that the change in transport pattern is due to suppression of refluxing electrons in the material surrounding the cone.

Characterization of C2−C4 NMHCs distributions at a high altitude tropical site in India

Air samples were collected covering a full diurnal cycle during each month of the year 2002 at a mountaintop of Mt. Abu (24.6^∘ N, 72.7^∘ E, 1680 amsl). These samples were analyzed for C2−C4 NMHCs using a gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with flame ionization detector (FID). The seasonally averaged diurnal distributions of these NMHCs do not show significant variations in the summer season. While sharp peaks in the diurnal variation of some species during evening hours are additional features apart from higher levels in all NMHCs in the winter season. The seasonal variations in relatively long lived species (e.g. ethane, propane and acetylene) are observed to be more pronounced compared to those in reactive species (e.g. ethene, propene and butanes). The seasonal changes in transport patterns seem to be more dominant factor at this site for the observed variations in NMHCs than changes in OH radical concentration. The annual mean mixing ratios of ethane, ethene, propane, propene, i-butane, acetylene, and n-butane are 1.22 ± 0.58, 0.34 ± 0.24, 0.46 ± 0.20, 0.17 ± 0.14, 0.21 ± 0.18, 0.41 ± 0.43, and 0.31 ± 0.35 ppbv, respectively. Only few pairs of NMHCs are observed to show good correlations, mainly due to transport of air masses with different degree of photochemical processing. A comparison of this measurement with data reported for other remote sites of the globe indicates lower levels of light NMHCs in the tropical sites. The annual mean mixing ratios of various C2−C4 NMHCs at Mt. Abu are lower by factors ranging between 3 to 9 compared to a nearest urban site of Ahmedabad. The annual mean propylene (propene) equivalent concentrations of about 1.12 and 8.62 ppbC were calculated for Mt. Abu and Ahmedabad, respectively.

Distributions of C 2–C 5 NMHCs and related trace gases at a tropical urban site in India

Simultaneous surface measurements of C 2–C 5 non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), O 3, CO and CH 4 were made during the year 2002 at a tropical urban site, Ahmedabad. This is the first time that NMHCs levels have been characterized in detail in India. The diurnal distributions of these species show pronounced variations in the winter months and less during the summer months. The seasonal variations of all these species show substantially higher levels during the winter and lowest during the summer season. The strength (winter to summer ratios) of seasonal variations in NMHCs are observed to be higher than other reported measurements elsewhere. The seasonal changes in transport patterns, boundary layer height and OH concentrations, all contribute in the seasonal variations of these trace gases. The correlation studies of various NMHCs and CO indicate dominant role of local emissions in the observed distributions of trace gases. The natural gas emission and leakage of liquid petroleum gas contribute to elevated levels of ethane and propane. While emissions from vehicular exhaust are found to be dominant sources of ethene, propene and acetylene. The higher C 2H 2/CO ratio of about 6.4 pptv/ppbv indicates influences of fresh emissions at Ahmedabad.

A reinterpretation of sea-salt records in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores?

AbstractIt has recently been shown that much sea-salt aerosol around the coast of Antarctica is generated not from open water, but from the surface of newly formed sea ice. Previous interpretations of ice-core records have disregarded the sea-ice surface as a source of sea salt. The majority of sea-salt aerosol at Halley research station originates from frost flowers rather than open water, and the seasonal cycle of sea salt in aerosol at Halley appears to be controlled by ice production in the Weddell Sea, as well as variations in wind speed. Frost flowers are also an important source of aerosol at Siple Dome, suggesting that variations in sea-salt concentrations in the core, and other cores drilled in similar locations, may be reflecting changes in sea-ice production rather than changes in transportation patterns. For Greenland cores, and those from low-accumulation inland sites in Antarctica, it is not simple to calculate the proportion of sea salt originating from frost flowers rather than open water. However, modelling studies suggest that a sea-ice surface source contributed much of the flux of sea salt to these sites in glacial periods, suggesting that interpretations of ice-core records from these locations should also be revisited.

Economic impact of primary roads—What kind of evidence

A discussion of an earlier study on the effects of primary road construction on sub-regional economic growth is presented. The discussors note that the redistributional and real income effects of primary road investment are in principle distinct. Even if a road investment caused substantial shifts in the location of activity which were thought to be associated with changes in labor activity levels in particular locations, it might still be the case that the effect was predominantly redistributional and that the user as a proxy for the change in total social welfare was appropriate. The presence, or absence, of relocational effects is neither necessary nor sufficient evidence of a disparity between true social benefit and measured user benefit. Given the difficulty of obtaining and interpreting employment date as evidence of the existence of unrecognized secondary benefits of primary road investments, the discussors suggest the use of traffic data. As transport costs are reduced, a consequent structural change in the economy to produce, and be associated with, changes in transport patterns would be expected. Comments are made on the analyses of traffic flows on certain British transport corridors which may support these assertions.