Intra-city Trips Research Articles

Regional Truck Travel Characteristics Analysis and Freight Volume Estimation: Support for the Sustainable Development of Freight

In the field of freight transport, the goal of sustainable development requires us to improve the efficiency of freight transport while reducing its negative impact on the environment, such as reducing carbon emissions and noise pollution. There is no doubt that changes in freight characteristics and volumes are compatible with the objectives of sustainable development. Thus, mining the travel distribution and freight volume of trucks has an important supporting role in the freight transport industry. In terms of truck travel, most of the traditional approaches are based on the subjective definition of parameters from the trajectory data to obtain trips for certain vehicle types. As for freight volume, it is mostly estimated through manual surveys, which are heavy and inaccurate. In this study, a data-driven approach is adopted to obtain trips from the trajectory data of heavy trucks. Combined with the traffic percentage of different vehicle types collected by highway traffic survey stations, the trips of heavy trucks are extended to all trucks. The inter-city and intra-city freight volumes are estimated based on the average truck loads collected at the motorway entrance. The results show a higher proportion of intra-city trips by trucks in port cities and a higher proportion of inter-city trips by trucks in inland cities. Truck loading and unloading times are focused in the early morning or at night, and freight demand in Shandong Province is more concentrated in the south. These results would provide strong support for optimizing freight structures, improving transportation efficiency, and reducing transportation costs.

A study on the factors influencing the adoption of urban air mobility and the future demand: Using the stated preference survey for three UAM operational scenarios in South Korea

This study analyzed commuters’ intention to use urban air mobility (UAM) and the future demand for UAM based on its service characteristics and the personal characteristics of the potential users. The Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) was selected as the study area as it is expected to have the highest demand for UAM in South Korea. Three UAM operation scenarios were set: short-distance intra-city trips, long-distance intra-city trips, and inter-city trips. Five alternatives were assumed for the stated preference (SP) survey: bus, subway, taxi, private car, and UAM. Six alternative-specific variables were selected: access time, waiting time, boarding time, cost, autonomous mode, and the presence of other passengers. An online survey of 300 residents of SMA was conducted with 100 residents for each scenario. The residents were briefed on the modes of transportation and service characteristic of alternatives. The analysis results were as follows: (1) cost and access time significantly influenced the intention to use UAM in all scenarios. However, the effects of waiting time, boarding time, and autonomous driving on intention to use UAM differed based on the scenarios; (2) the individual characteristics of potential users had varying effects on their preference for UAM depending on the scenarios and the means of transportation, which was a counterpart to UAM. (3) The probability of choosing UAM for commuting was expected to be 10–20%, with the highest modal split for long-distance intra-city trips and the lowest modal split for short-distance intra-city trips. Among the six alternative-specific variables, autonomous driving and cost had the most significant effect on the change of the probability for using UAM. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for designing an effective strategy for the introduction of UAM in South Korea.

Converting One-Way Streets to Two-Way Streets to Improve Transportation Network Efficiency and Reduce Vehicle Distance Traveled

Planning scholars have identified economic, safety, and social benefits of converting one-way streets to two-way. Less is known about how conversions could impact vehicular distances traveled—of growing relevance in an era of fleet automation, electrification, and ride-hailing. We simulate such a conversion in San Francisco, California. We find that its current street network’s average intra-city trip is ~1.7 percent longer than it would be with all two-way streets, corresponding to 27 million kilometers of annual surplus travel. As transportation technologies evolve, planners must consider different facets of network efficiency to align local policy and street design with sustainability and other societal goals.

Influencing Factor Analysis and Demand Forecasting of Intercity Online Car-Hailing Travel

Online car-hailing travel has become an important part of the urban transportation system and is gradually changing the mode of intercity travel. Analyzing and understanding the influencing factors of intercity online car-hailing travel hold great significance for planning and designing intercity transportation and transfer systems. However, few studies have analyzed the influencing factors of intercity car-hailing travel or forecast travel demand. This paper takes trips between Yinchuan and Shizuishan, China, as the research case and analyzes the influence of time, space, passengers, and the environment on intercity online car-hailing travel. The relationship between the urban built environment and intercity online car-hailing travel demand is also investigated through a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We find that the peak hours for intercity car-hailing trips are between 9:00 and 10:00 and between 16:00 and 18:00, which are significantly different from those for intracity trips. Weather conditions strongly affect the mobility of intercity trips. The urban built environment also has a significant impact on intercity car-hailing ridership, and residential districts and transportation facilities are the factors with the greatest influence on intercity online car-hailing travel. These results can provide practical help to city managers improve the management of intercity traffic and develop better transportation policies.

Modeling of incentive-based policies for demand management for the Tehran subway

Issues such as the increasing demand for intra-city trips in megalopolises, noticeable growth in the use of public transportation, problems caused during peak traffic hours, and limitations related to the augmentation of transport fleet sizes all underscore the necessity of transportation demand management. In this study, we sought to address the question of whether incentive-based plans can alter passengers’ behavior during peak hours. To accomplish the task, we used 432 Tehran subway system passengers’ stated preferences. The results indicate that incentives, such as ticket discounting during off-peak hours, increasing availability of seats, and offering free Wi-Fi and breakfast discount coupons, can be influential in altering passenger behavior during peak hours. In addition, wait time reductions during off-peak hours can be an incentive for changing the travel behavior.

Intra-City Mobility and Characterization in a Fast-growing City of Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract Effective urban transportation no doubt serves as engine room and catalyst for driving national economic development. Significantly, the purpose of urban transport is to provide both passenger and freight mobility over specific parts of urban areas including cities, and its efficiency is characterized upon transporting effectively and achieving economies of scale. Hence, this study examined intra-city mobility and characterization in Lagos, Nigeria. The data was sourced from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data detailed the use of two sets of questionnaires administered to commuters and motorists. 182 copies of questionnaire were randomly administered to commuters, while 60 units of the questionnaire were purposively and conveniently administered to motorists. Descriptive and inferential techniques were used for data analysis. Major findings revealed obvious variations in socio-economic parameters of intra-city trip makers and factors influencing trip making. It was observed that journey to work, school, shopping cum business constituted the major trips characterizing in Lagos. Findings also revealed that high patronage priority was given to most used and preferred means due to vehicle travel speed, trip purpose, and availability than safety and comfortability of modal choice. Regression analysis result revealed that commuters’ modal choice and patronage is statistically influenced by operational attributes of mode (e.g. transit time, delay duration, safety, vehicle condition and transit fare etc.) at Sig. p=0.000 and F14 165 15.667 which is greater than table value at 5% significant level. The study recommended among others the formulation and implementation of effective policy for urban transport activities; standardization of service operations and expansion of infrastructural facilities including the last-mile in the city.

Research advances in intervening opportunity class models for predicting human mobility

Predicting human mobility between locations is of great significance for investigating the population migration, traffic forecasting, epidemic spreading, commodity trade, social interaction and other relevant areas. The intervening opportunity (IO) model is the model established earliest from the perspective of individual choice behavior to predict human mobility. The IO model takes the total number of opportunities between the origin location and the destination as a key factor in determining human mobility, which has inspired researchers to propose many new IO class models. In this paper, we first review the research advances in the IO class models, including the IO model, radiation class models, population-weighted opportunity class models, exploratory IO class models and universal opportunity model. Among them, although the IO model has an important theoretical value, it contains parameters and has low prediction accuracy, so it is rarely used in practice. The radiation class models are built on the basis of the IO model on the assumption that the individual will choose the closest destination whose benefit is higher than the best one available in origin location. The radiation class models can better predict the commuting behavior between locations. The population-weighted opportunity class models are established on the assumption that when seeking a destination, the individual will not only consider the nearest locations with relatively large benefits, but also consider all locations in the range of alternative space. The population-weighted opportunity class models can better predict intracity trips and intercity travels. The exploratory IO class models are built on condition that the destination selected by the individual presents a higher benefit than the benefit of the origin and the benefits of the intervening opportunities. The exploratory IO class models can better predict the social interaction between individuals, intracity trips and intercity travels. The universal opportunity model is developed on the assumption that when an individual selects a destination, she/he will comprehensively compare the benefits between the origin and the destination and their intervening opportunity. The universal opportunity model presents a new universal framework for IO class models and can accurately predict the movements on different spatiotemporal scales. The IO class models have also been widely used in many fields, including predicting trip distribution in transportation science, modeling the purchasing behaviors of consumers in economics, detecting complex network communities in network science, measuring spatial interaction in economic geography and predicting infectious disease transmission in epidemiology. This paper focuses on the applications of IO class models in spatial interaction and epidemic spreading, and finally presents the discussion on the possible future research directions of these models.

Destination choice game: A spatial interaction theory on human mobility

With remarkable significance in migration prediction, global disease mitigation, urban planning and many others, an arresting challenge is to predict human mobility fluxes between any two locations. A number of methods have been proposed against the above challenge, including the gravity model, the intervening opportunity model, the radiation model, the population-weighted opportunity model, and so on. Despite their theoretical elegance, all models ignored an intuitive and important ingredient in individual decision about where to go, that is, the possible congestion on the way and the possible crowding in the destination. Here we propose a microscopic mechanism underlying mobility decisions, named destination choice game (DCG), which takes into account the crowding effects resulted from spatial interactions among individuals. In comparison with the state-of-the-art models, the present one shows more accurate prediction on mobility fluxes across wide scales from intracity trips to intercity travels, and further to internal migrations. The well-known gravity model is proved to be the equilibrium solution of a degenerated DCG neglecting the crowding effects in the destinations.

Relationship between transit modal split and intra-city trip ratio by car for compact city planning of municipalities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

Compact-city planning factors are commonly applicable even to metropolitan areas. In most cases, however, planning policies based on theses factors fail to consider that travel patterns are not uniform in each metropolitan area. Furthermore, the travel pattern of inter- and intra-municipality that results from spatial interaction between a central city and its various sub-centres and suburbs in a metropolitan area has not been fully explored. A consideration of the specific urban system could therefore provide an answer to the question of why certain factors have different effects on the transit modal split and car travel distance between municipalities of a metropolitan area. The aim of this study was therefore to find an effective way to establish compact-city planning policies in municipalities of the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA). An investigation of the changed travel pattern in each municipality based on the changed relationship between transit modal split (TMS) and intra-city trip ratio by car (ITR) between 2006 and 2010 found that the SMA became more car-dependent: TMS and ITR of the municipalities declined together, and ITR decreased much more in the outskirts. Based on the relationship between the two factors, the effects of changes in land use and transportation were estimated using a combination of cluster and regression analysis. This revealed that, in municipalities of Seoul and its adjacent sub-centres, there is a need to promote transit-oriented development (TOD) by creating high-density areas within close proximity to city railroad stations. In contrast, it is necessary, in municipalities on the outskirts of the SMA, to restrict large-scale developments, such as large retail centres, and instead promote a mixture of self-sufficient land uses. In the intermediate municipalities that lie between these two, TMS and ITR can be increased through TOD near railroad stations, or ITR alone can be increased through a greater mix of land use. These findings could assist in implementing effective compact-city planning policies in each municipality of the SMA, and could also be applied to the other metropolitan areas in Korea or elsewhere in the world.

Urban infrastructure-mobility energy flux

Intra-city trips are undertaken by urban populations as individuals engage in activities across various locations, thus driving energy consumption. Spatial fluctuations in this energy use are, thus, often associated with the locational distribution of urban building types (i.e., residential and commercial). However, people exhibit heterogeneous patterns in their daily activities and the number of locations they visit, which may directly or indirectly influence the energy use patterns in buildings. Here we investigate the interplay between population mobility networks and building types by comparing a total of 27,764,197 positional records from an online social networking platform with energy consumption (i.e., electricity and gas) in Greater London and the City of Chicago over the course of twelve (12) months. The statistically significant spatial dependency between energy use and returners' human mobility networks indicate the dominant role of this population in relation to residential and commercial building energy consumption. This suggests that spatial fluctuations in urban energy consumption are governed by the structure of human mobility networks coupled with building types. Future strategies to improve energy efficiency should thus reflect these spatial dependencies, creating new opportunities for developing more effective energy related practices.

Transportation network company wait times in Greater Seattle, and relationship to socioeconomic indicators

Transportation network companies (TNC) which use smartphone apps to connect travelers to drivers for point to point, intra-city trips have expanded rapidly in recent years, yet the impacts of their services on urban transportation systems, for good or ill, are not fully understood. These services may increase access to transportation for some individuals, but it is unclear whether these benefits are equitably distributed across different neighborhoods. In this paper, we explore the spatial variability in wait times for a TNC vehicle throughout the Seattle, WA region, testing whether areas with lower average income or a greater percentage of minorities experience different waiting times than other areas. We collected approximately 1 million observations of estimated waiting times, quasi-randomly sampled over approximately two months in 2015. We analyzed spatial and temporal patterns using local regression, which suggested lower wait times in densely populated areas of the Seattle region, and the lowest wait times during midday hours. We developed a spatial error regression model to investigate relationships between wait times and socioeconomic indicators at the census block group (CBG) level. We find that conditional on other covariates, expected waiting times are longer in CBGs with higher average income, and shorter in CBGs with greater population density and employment density. After adjusting for differences in density and income, a higher percentage of minorities in a CBG is associated with longer waiting times late at night and shorter waiting times during the day, with an average effect of close to zero. Geographically weighted regression indicates that the strength, and in some cases the sign, of these relationships varies throughout the Seattle region. Overall, the results suggests that transportation network companies offer higher performance in dense urban areas, and that adequate access to TNC services is not necessarily restricted to areas that are “white and wealthy.”

Travel characteristics and commuting pattern among residents of Lagos metropolis, Nigeria: An Assessment

Urban travel is not solely on travel alone, but on people’s participation in activities and how this is done. The intra-city trips undertaken during weekdays comprises those which occurred from Monday to Friday which are the official working days while weekends trips comprises those undertaken on Saturdays and Sundays are off their officials duty post. Data were collected .from primary and secondary sources. A survey design was adopted. The study sample consisted of 2,500 households in Lagos metropolis. . The questionnaire was administered in direct proportion to the population size of each of Local Government Areas (LGAs). Systematic sampling technique was used to select every tenth building on the identified streets. In a multi-family dwelling, random sampling was used to select one household. The household head or his/her representative was interviewed on intra-city trip patterns of the household. The data collected were analyzed using simple frequency count. lt is observed that more than 95% of residents depends on the road while relative proportion (less than 5%) of residents depends on other modes (i.e. Rail and Ferry) of transport. Work and business trips characterized the weekdays while social, shopping and recreation trips dominated during the weekends. The distance covered in kilometer for any of the trips (work, business, social, shopping and recreation) averaged 5km radius. Whereas, 35.5% of the respondents used commercial vehicles, 29.5% used private vehicles, while 20.0% used official vehicles. Another 7.8%, 5.2%, 2.0% of the respondents used motorcycle, ferry and rail respectively. The implication of this situation is the presence of too many vehicular traffic on the roads during the peak periods leading to congestion and loss of valuable man-hours in the Lagos metropolis.. It is therefore recommended that transport planners in Lagos need to develop alternative intra-city transport systems. This can be achieved through a shift to the development of other land transport systems by policy makers. Key Words: Travel patterns, Intra-city trips, Residents, Policy makers, Lagos

Travel Characteristics and Commuting Pattern of Lagos Metropolis Residents: an Assessment

Urban travel is not solely the function of travel, but also on people’s participation in activities and how these were done. This study utilized 2,500 households’ samples in Lagos metropolis. The questionnaire about intra-city trip patterns was administered in direct proportion to the population size of each Local Government Areas (LGAs). Systematic sampling technique was used to select every tenth building on the identified streets. lt is observed that more than 95% of residents depends on roads, while less than 5% depends on Rail and Ferry. Work and business trips characterized the weekdays, while social, shopping and recreation trips dominate the weekends. This situation leads to too many vehicular traffic on the roads during the peak periods, leading to congestion and loss of valuable man-hours. Transportation planners in Lagos need to develop alternative intra-city transportation systems.

Inverse Relationship between the Volume of Intra-City Travel Pattern and the Use of Global System Mobile Commmunication (GSM) in Lagos, Nigeria

Telecommunication is the growing enabler of activities at a distance. Its highest value is in helping us allocate our limited time and attention with the associated requirement of movement between various locations. Telecommunication facilitates a better level of proximity to the people and places we care about. However, this only happens when we consciously focus our use of telecommunication facility like GSM on deciding where and with whom we should be physically close. In spite of the widespread use of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), its influence on various aspects of the society is yet to be empirically investigated. In particular, the inverse relationship between the volume of intra-city trip patterns and the use of Global System for Mobile Communication of the Lagos residents. Data were collected from primary and secondary sources. A survey design was adopted. The study sample consisted of 2,500 households in Lagos metropolis. The questionnaire was administered in direct proportion to the population size of each of Local Government Areas (LGAs). Systematic sampling technique was used to select every tenth building on the identified streets. In a multi-family dwelling, random sampling was used to select one household. The household head or his/her representative was interviewed on intra-city trip patterns of GSM-owners of the household. The data collected were analyzed using simple linear regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) .The usage of GSM generated almost two (β=l.72) trips per call and there was a significant relationship between the volume of trips and GSM usage (F 1 13 =5.72, p≤ 0.05). It is therefore recommended that transport planners in Lagos need to develop alternative intra-city transport systems. This can be achieved through a shift to the development of other land transport systems by policy makers. Key Words: Travel patterns, Global System for Mobile Communication, Intra-city trips, Policy makers, Lagos.

Urban Socio-economic Development and Intra-city travel in Ogun state, Nigeria

This study is on influence of socio-economic development of urban centers on intra-city trip generation in Ogun state, Nigeria. The proportion of the aggregate socio-economic variables in each city was used to rank the cities in hierarchical order of development while the average household trip per week was used to rank cities on trip generation. Spearman rank correlation was used to establish nature and extent of relationship between level of urban development and frequency of trip generation of urban centers. The urban centers exhibit hierarchical development pattern both in level of development and trip generation. Abeokuta dominates the distribution of socio-economic variables with aggregate average of 31.22%. This is followed by Ijebu-Ode (14.41%) and Sagamu (10.33%). In the same manner, Abeokuta has the highest average of household trip generation in the state. Ijebu-ode and Sagamu followed with 43 trips per week each. There is a significant high positive correlation coefficient (r=0.75, p≤0.01) between level of urban development and household trip generation. With coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.56, 56% of variation in household trip generation in Ogun state is explained by level of socio-economic development of cities. This suggests the needs to be critical in using socio-economic characteristics of residents alone as measures of determinants of household travel behavior as done in several previous studies in transport research.Key words: Intra-urban, trip generation, Socio-economic development, urban centers, Nigeria, OgunState.

Understanding crash mechanism on urban expressways using high-resolution traffic data

Urban expressways play a vital role in the modern mega cities by serving peak hour traffic alongside reducing travel time for moderate to long distance intra-city trips. Thus, ensuring safety on these roads holds high priority. Little knowledge has been acquired till date regarding crash mechanism on these roads. This study uses high-resolution traffic data collected from the detectors to identify factors influencing crash. It also identifies traffic patterns associated with different types of crashes and explains crash phenomena thereby. Unlike most of the previous studies on conventional expressways, the research separately investigates the basic freeway segments (BFS) and the ramp areas. The study employs random multinomial logit, a random forest of logit models, to rank the variables; expectation maximization clustering algorithm to identify crash prone traffic patterns and classification and regression trees to explain crash phenomena. As accentuated by the study outcome, crash mechanism is not generic throughout the expressway and it varies from the BFS to the ramp vicinities. The level of congestion and speed difference between upstream and downstream traffic best explains crashes and their types for the BFS, whereas, the ramp flow has the highest influence in determining the types of crashes within the ramp vicinities. The paper also discusses about the applicability of different countermeasures, such as, variable speed limits, temporary restriction on lane changing, posting warnings, etc., to attenuate different patterns of hazardous traffic conditions. The study outcome can be utilized in designing location and traffic condition specific proactive road safety management systems for urban expressways.

An Analysis Of Travel Demand Determinants In A Developing City: The Case Of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State

In analyzing travel demand determinants in Ijebu-Ode Township, data collected for the study were analyzed by using multiple linear regressions. The study found out that school, work (formal and informed) and shopping trips accounted for about 77% of the total volume of trips generated in the study area. Likewise, motorcycle, taxi and trip making by trekking accounted for about 73% of the trips modal split. Level of income, auto-ownership and number of students, distance and number of workers were the significant determinants of the propensity to generate intra-city trips. Problems found militating against intra-city mobility in this city of secondary development include poor condition of roads, inadequate and inefficient public transportation and exorbitant prices of spare parts that prevent proper maintenance. Journal of Research in National Development Vol. 4 (1) 2006: pp. 92-102

Air Passenger Preferences for Choice of Airport and Ground Access Mode in the New York City Metropolitan Region

In current practice, regional models are limited in their capability to analyze policies involving changes and improvements to airports (and their services) and ground access transportation. Typically, airports are treated only as employment centers or as special generators. Important and distinct features of air passenger travel affecting trip distribution and mode choice are rarely modeled explicitly. This paper presents the development of a joint airport and ground access mode choice model for the New York City metropolitan region based on an extensive survey of airport users. Unlike travel to and from most U.S. cities, air passengers flying to and from the New York region face a nontrivial choice of airports and ground access modes (including premium transit options). A nested logit model was formulated with airport choice at the upper level and ground access mode choice at the second level; however, a multinomial logit model was found to be statistically preferable. Results indicate that air passenger travel behavior is significantly different for business and nonbusiness travelers. Overall, willingness to pay for trips to and from the airport is much higher than for regular intracity trips. Average yield, access time, and access cost are the most important determinants of air passenger's choice; demographics and trip characteristics are also significant. The developed tool was used for a comprehensive study of airport development alternatives in the New York region and is seen as the platform for additional data development and model extensions for future studies of air passenger service planning in the New York megaregion.