Metropolitan Transportation Research Articles

Towards more accessible digital urban public transport for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a critical incident analysis (CIT)

PurposeThis study empirically and comparatively examines two digital technologies that have been implemented as part of the experience of urban public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Barcelona, the digitization of tickets and self-service technology in kiosks in the different operators of the metropolitan transport authority (ATM) environment. The study gives a voice to people with ASD and makes a theoretical and practical contribution to making urban transport increasingly digitized after the COVID-19 pandemic, more accessible and inclusive for the group, little observed so far.Design/methodology/approachThe data collection consisted of a discussion group, ethnographic techniques and a visit to the Barcelona Metro (2022), and interviews after the visit through a semi-structured questionnaire with 12 participants with ASD. This study uses the critical incident analysis (CIT).FindingsResults provide an extension of the attribute-based Dabholkar model (1996) that applies to the perception of the use of self-service technology, when using digital technologies in urban transport.Originality/valueThis redefinition of the current model of the perception of the use of technology, taking into account the needs of people with ASD, will enable better decision making by transport operators for previously neglected groups.

Examining bus service quality among clusters of commuters: the case of Maputo Metropolitan Area, Mozambique

ABSTRACT The Maputo Metropolitan Area's bus transport service is comprised of both formal and informal operations, characterized by declined service quality. To improve service quality, the Maputo Metropolitan Transport Agency is transitioning to formal operations. The study aims to determine who experiences substandard bus service and where, to inform targeted actions. Data from 8,095 bus users were analysed using cluster analysis, Sankey diagrams, and multicriteria analysis, revealing four distinct behavioural clusters (C1–C4). C1 (Non-frequent-early evening) and C4 (Non-frequent-early morning) commuters experience low and very low service quality, respectively, needing increased bus frequency and easy-to-board buses. C2 (Non-frequent-daytime) commuters enjoy high service quality but could benefit from dedicated bus lanes to further improve frequency and convenience. C3 (Frequent-short travel time) commuters experience very high service quality but require direct bus lines from the suburbs to the CBD to reduce travel costs. The study findings form a basis for targeted bus service improvements.

SMART quality control analysis of pavement condition data for pavement management applications

Assuring the accuracy and reliability of pavement condition data is crucial for effective decision-making in pavement management. Despite existing data collection protocols, concerns persist regarding data quality. This paper introduces SMART, a systematic statistical method designed to analyze the quality of pavement condition data from field surveys for pavement management applications. SMART employs a structured procedure that expands traditional descriptive statistics by applying interrater reliability statistics combined with bootstrapping methods and Modified Blant Altman diagrams to evaluate data quality. A comparative analysis of interrater statistics, including Cohen’s Kappa (CK), Interclass Correlation (IC), Krippendorff’s Alpha (KA), Percent Agreement (PA), and Weighted Cohen’s Kappa (WCK), is conducted in the research study. As a result, the adoption of KA and Modified Bland-Altman diagrams for data analysis is recommended. KA demonstrates versatility across diverse data types, accommodating nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio-level data, while Modified Bland-Altman diagrams facilitate data dispersion analysis to visualize possible bias trends for the condition ratings. A case study is presented to demonstrate the applicability of SMART to analyzing Pavement Condition Index (PCI) data provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in California. This methodological approach aims to enhance pavement management decisions by ensuring the reliability of condition field survey data through the implementation of robust analytical quality control procedures.

Spatial-temporal identification of commuters using trip chain data from non-motorized mode incentive program and public transportation

Distinguishing commuters from non-commuters is important for transportation planning and traffic demand management. A framework to identify commuters using public transit is proposed based on a spatial-temporal clustering algorithm. The framework extracts commute trips by mining spatial-temporal travel patterns depending on whether the travelers' trip chains are complete. The commuting features in terms of travel frequency, time regularity, and spatial regularity are utilized to compare the difference in travel behavior between commuters and non-commuters. The framework is applied to trip data collected from an incentive program implemented by the Metropolitan Transport Commission of Korea. The data records spatial and temporal information on travelers' boarding and alighting points, as well as actual origins and destinations. One trip record constitutes a complete trip chain for travelers who joined the incentive program. The results show that commuters exhibit a higher travel frequency and more regular spatial-temporal travel patterns than non-commuters. It is found that not all commuters travel during morning and evening peaks; some commuters leave work after evening peak. The proposed identification framework based on the spatial-temporal clustering approach is capable of exploiting the inherent spatial-temporal travel patterns of travelers to achieve a reliable identification of commuters.

Assessing Betweenness Centrality for Multimodal Transport Network – A Case Study of Delhi Metropolitan Area

This study introduces an approach for analysis of network centrality, with a focus on betweenness centrality in complex urban transport systems. Central to this research is the development of a Path Evaluation Function (PEF), a tool that enriches traditional centrality assessments for transport networks by factoring in critical network attributes like link capacity and travel time. This approach is particularly adept at unraveling the intricacies of betweenness centrality in multimodal transportation networks. Using this approach, the study delves into the dynamics of betweenness centrality within the Delhi Metropolitan transport network, an evolving urban landscape characterized by diverse transit modes. The analysis reveals a marked concentration of high betweenness centrality along key transport corridors, highlighting their role in facilitating urban mobility. This refined understanding of betweenness centrality, obtained through the PEF, offers deeper insights into how crucial nodes and links function within the network, thereby enabling more informed decision-making in urban planning and policy. Furthermore, the versatility of the PEF extends beyond betweenness centrality, showing promise as a tool for evaluating other centrality measures within varied network contexts.

Data-driven zonotopic approximation for n-dimensional probabilistic geofencing

Advanced air mobility is a promising way of metropolitan air transportation. One critical concern that arises is how to ensure operational safety in high-dense, dynamic, and uncertain airspace environments in real time. To address this challenge, we seek a probabilistic geofence that bounds system states with high confidence. To identify the n-dimensional probabilistic geofence for arbitrary unknown uncertainties not limited to Gaussian ones, we present an online algorithm based on a data-driven approach of kernel density estimator. Considering the irregular shape of the probabilistic geofence, we formulate an optimization framework of integer linear programming whose solution determines a zonotope which provides a convex approximation for the probabilistic geofence. Leveraging this formulation, a heuristic algorithm is developed to find its solution efficiently without losing notable accuracy. This heuristic algorithm is tested on case studies that demonstrate it enjoys efficiency, accuracy, near-optimality, and robustness simultaneously.

Navigating urban logistics challenges: An optimized approach to parcel distribution in the Prague city center

In this paper, we focus on metropolitan transport logistics that has always been difficult due to the need to transport goods through a complex urban infrastructure, heavy traffic, and dense populations. The goal of this paper is to describe a micro hub location in the neighborhood of the historic center of the city of Prague, the Czech Republic in a situation where the municipalities consider prohibiting the entry of trucks with combustion engines that currently provide cargo transportation for B2B partners operating in this area. Micro hubs represent the efficient last mile consolidation and distribution facilities located in or near urban neighborhoods and serving a spatially limited, densely populated delivery area. We propose a solution combining facility location problem, vehicle routing problem and balancing with the horizontal and vertical cooperation in supply chains to locate the micro hub in the area with extremely low availability of suitable space while respecting the necessity to connect this facility to an existing network of regional terminals operated by 3PLs to ensure the distribution of cargo across the board according to the requirements of customers. For the collection and distribution of parcels within the area, we suggest to use of cargo bikes and electric vans to provide environmentally sustainable service and minimize the harmful consequences of excessive traffic for residents. We also discuss the economic implications of adopting such innovative sustainable supply chain solutions for involved horizontal and vertical supply chain partners emphasizing different motivation aspects to convince these partners to cooperate and share scarce resources.

The crucial role of motorcycle-based ride-hailing among commuters: The case of Jakarta and Bandung in metropolitan areas

In Indonesia, issues in the metropolitan transportation sector are considered severe. For instance, peripheral districts in the Jakarta metropolitan area (JMA), such as Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, contribute to the high mobility rate within the metropolitan area. This article examines the extent of motorcycle-based ride-hailing for commuting in the JMA and Bandung metropolitan areas (BMA). In particular, this study explores ride-hailing users’ characteristics—social, economic and spatial—and their proportion to the total commuter mobility in a metropolitan area. The study employed descriptive statistical models using commuter data in the JMA and BMA, respectively. Our results indicate that young and lower-income commuters are the dominant users of ride-hailing services. As motorcycle taxi services are relatively cheaper and accessible, young and lower-income commuters, including informal workers, prefer ride-hailing services. The study also suggests the impact of the intensification of inter-peri-urban mobilities of post-suburbanisation on the increasing demand for ride-hailing. In this sense, the study proposes that the long-overdue strengthening of metropolitan-scale governance is urgently required. It is also crucial for metropolitan governments to issue appropriate inter-district public transportation policies and engage in development.

Two kinds of gravitational forces in transport: An analysis using the gravity model

The gravity model is a widely recognized tool for estimating the movement of people and goods. In this study, we introduce two gravitational variables, population size and regional GDP per capita (RGDPPC), to explain the characteristics of population movement between and within cities in South Korea. A log-linearized gravity model is employed to run regression analyses at three spatial levels: the national level (encompassing the entirety of South Korea), the metropolitan level (focusing on the Seoul and Busan Metropolitan Transportation Areas) and the city level (specifically in Seoul and Busan). The study incorporates data on various modes of transportation from 246 of the 250 municipalities in South Korea. Predictive performance of the model is better when utilizing national-level data. However, as spatial area decreases and population density increases, the models explanatory power decreases significantly when relying solely on data related to either population size or RGDPPC. The findings suggest that incorporation of both population size and RGDPPC into the gravity model best captures the dynamics of traffic flow within economically integrated regions. This relationship is analogous to gravitational fields generated by two distinct types of mass. Including both population size and RGDPPC, the gravity model can be leveraged effectively to estimate traffic patterns, particularly within regions characterized by high economic integration.

“The girl conductor has come to stay”: Gender and labour on the buses in interwar Australia

In the early 1920s, “Lady Bus Conductors” were recruited for the first time in Melbourne, Australia. They were employed by private companies, who entered into competition with the public-funded urban transport sector. Combining labour and cultural history approaches, this article draws on newspapers, photographs and union archives to develop an original gendered analysis of the interwar motorbus industry. It argues that women's labour underpinned the creation of feminised traits of service, safety and aesthetics on this new mode of transport. Such traits were successfully commercialised by private operators at the same time as they benefitted from “traditions” of women's lower wages. When the public sector reasserted control over metropolitan transport, they defined the buses as “men's work”, with long-lasting implications. Yet as this article reveals, some women continued to seek employment on private buses, claiming access to elements of the economic, social and cultural status of uniformed transport work.

Henry Beck’s Map Style in New York City

ABSTRACT The success of Beck’s map of underground railways in London led several people, including Beck, to consider applying his techniques to the New York City Subway. The octilinear diagrammatic form, and the symbols for stations and interchanges, have all been adopted in the NYC Subway map at various times. The first attempt, just five years after the launch of Beck’s map in 1933, was a comprehensively Beckian solution by Thomas Stephen, a Glaswegian émigré in New York. That was an evolutionary dead-end, but twenty years later the Transit Authority adopted a Beck-inspired map by German émigré George Salomon, who visited London in the 1930s while studying under Eric Gill. Salomon ushered in two decades of diagrammatic subway maps, ending in 1979 with the jettisoning of Vignelli’s design, which the Metropolitan Transport Authority has been tentatively reintroducing since 2012. The author uses primary sources to chronicle these episodes of Beckism in New York.

Inequality in behavioural heat adaptation: an empirical study with mobility data from the transport system in New York City, NY, USA

Heat exposure, which can negatively affect human health and wellbeing, is heterogeneous within US cities. However, little is known about who can avoid heat stress by adjusting their everyday behaviour. We aimed to analyse the effect of ambient temperature on mobility, specifically subway (ie, the underground railway system) use, in New York City, NY, USA, during 2014-19. For this empirical study, subway use across New York City was measured with turnstile data from the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority between Jan 1, 2014, and Dec 31, 2019. Passenger numbers were then aggregated to the zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) level. Daily observational climate data were obtained from the US National Weather Service between Jan 1, 2014, and Dec 31, 2019. Socioeconomic data at the ZCTA level originated from the American Community Survey 2019. We extracted data on population age, ethnicity, commuting, employment, median household income, rent, and health-insurance coverage. We used a fixed-effects panel-regression model to assess the influence of temperature on subway use in New York City, which was the main outcome of our study. We obtained data for 438 subway stations across New York City. After data cleaning and preprocessing, the final aggregated data sample consisted of 238 508 instances of subway use in 1955 days across 6 years for 122 ZCTAs, with 168 days missing in the raw data and 67 days removed as outliers. The results of the fixed-effects panel-regression analysis showed a strong, non-linear effect of daily maximum temperature on subway use. Subway use was highest at 11·5°C and substantially decreased for temperatures that were colder and warmer than that, with reductions reaching 6·5% (95% CI 2·5-10·5) for the coldest temperature (ie, -6·5°C) and 10·5% (6·0-14·0) for the hottest temperature (ie, 34·5°C). Reductions differed between weekdays and weekends, when residents generally had more freedom to adjust their behaviour. Neighbourhoods that were at a socioeconomic disadvantage experienced smaller or no reductions in mobility in heat; mobility increased in neighbourhoods with beach access. Our study showed that temperature had a strong, non-linear effect on subway use, but the magnitude of the effect on subway use was heterogeneous across areas of the city on warm days. Weaker avoidance of heat stress correlated with less privilege, indicating compounding health risks. Everyday behavioural adaptation to heat is therefore an effect pathway that contributes to unequal heat effects and should be explored in future research. The Volkswagen Foundation and the Werner Siemens Foundation.

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF ELECTRIC MOTOR CYCLE CHASSIS FRAME

Our undertaking centers on the plan and creation of an electric scooter's chassis frame, underlining execution and security. Using progressed computer aided design and FEA apparatuses; we enhance plan boundaries like material choice and burden dissemination. Fabricating joins conventional and current strategies for mechanical effectiveness and simplicity of creation. Thorough actual tests approve load-bearing limit and strength. Our work adds to feasible metropolitan transportation by making a lightweight, strong body Chassis (frame), improving electric motorcycle (scooter) well being and proficiency. The design process consists of several steps, including: ➢ Defining chassis requirements ➢ Doing data analysis of existing chassis models ➢ Creating a quantity design concept ➢ Choosing the best design concept ➢ Select Finite Element Analysis of Design (FEA) ➢ Chassis fabrication The final design is an incredibly light and strong chassis that meets the requirements of the power plant. The final analysis results show that the chassis can withstand the expected loads during normal operation. The chassis is made by a combination of welding and machining. KEYWORDS: An unnatural weather change, Electric Bike, Case, Triangulation, Ansys.

Patterns of Urban Transport Infrastructure in China

China has focused on heavily investing in transportation infrastructure for many decades, and this study has aimed to conduct a detailed discussion of Chinas transportation infrastructure and has also described the evolution of the transportation system over the past few decades. This report has examined that China has been aggressively focusing on transportation infrastructure to build stronger economic growth in the changing environment. The data was collected and extracted from secondary research, such as general articles and books. Results show that the Chinese government has heavily invested in different sectors, such as railways, airways, seaways and other commuting methods, to transform the infrastructure of the country's transportation system. The highly transformed transportation system also minimizes the gap between the urban and rural regions, helps the country to influence the economic growth, and opens a new source of business with international markets. Further findings of this report reveal that from the past few years, China government is also exceptionally accentuating the development of metropolitan public transportation foundations to limit the hole. The government has clarified that urban public transportation also requires financial investment to improve traffic conditions and encourage sustainable societal development.

Association Between Emergency Medical Service Agency Volume and Mortality in Trauma Patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of annual trauma patient volume on outcomes for emergency medical services (EMS) agencies. Regionalization of trauma care saves lives. The underlying concept driving this is a volume-outcome relationship. EMS are the entry point to the trauma system, yet it is unknown if a volume-outcome relationship exists for EMS. A retrospective analysis of prospective cohort including 8 trauma centers and 20 EMS air medical and metropolitan ground transport agencies. Patients 18 to 90 years old with injury severity scores ≥9 transported from the scene were included. Patient and agency-level risk-adjusted regression determined the association between EMS agency trauma patient volume and early mortality. A total of 33,511 were included with a median EMS agency volume of 374 patients annually (interquartile range: 90-580). Each 50-patient increase in EMS agency volume was associated with 5% decreased odds of 6-hour mortality (adjusted odds ratio=0.95; 95% CI: 0.92-0.99, P =0.03) and 3% decreased odds of 24-hour mortality (adjusted odds ratio=0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.99, P =0.04). Prespecified subgroup analysis showed EMS agency volume was associated with reduced odds of mortality for patients with prehospital shock, requiring prehospital airway placement, undergoing air medical transport, and those with traumatic brain injury. Agency-level analysis demonstrated that high-volume (>374 patients/year) EMS agencies had a significantly lower risk-standardized 6-hour mortality rate than low-volume (<374 patients/year) EMS agencies (1.9% vs 4.8%, P <0.01). A higher volume of trauma patients transported at the EMS agency level is associated with improved early mortality. Further investigation of this volume-outcome relationship is necessary to leverage quality improvement, benchmarking, and educational initiatives.

Operational Concepts for Urban Air Mobility deployment in the next decades

Urban Air Mobility development and deployment into future cities is gaining increasing and relevant interest in the last years, as a new mobility form suitable to meet the future greener, scalable and efficient mobility targets needed to solve the issues today’s big cities are facing in terms of traffic congestion as well as related environmental consequences. In this framework, the ASSURED UAM (Acceptance, Safety and Sustainability Recommendations for Efficient Deployment of UAM) project has been funded by H2020 and is ongoing, with the main objective of providing cities with knowledge concerning deployment of UAM services and definition of necessary standards and recommendations assuring common acceptance, safety and sustainability within integrated metropolitan transport system for three time horizons (2025, 2030 and 2035). In the project, dedicated activities have been carried out to develop operational concepts for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) deployment in the next decades. The main results from these activities are presented in this paper, which namely includes the main project outcomes in terms of: the identification of the most relevant and promising technologies that can enable the UAM implementation over the next decades, taking into account the current technological trends and perspectives; the outline of the regulatory framework in which the UAM will be shaped in the next decades; the definition of the most relevant aspects and constraints affecting the UAM deployment from the point of view of integration of such new mobility form in the cities infrastructures; the outline of the foreseen UAM concept of operations and definition of the most relevant use case that are expected to be implemented in the cities over the three time horizons considered in the project, i.e. 2025, 2030 and 2035.

Transportation-related Environmental Mixtures and Diabetes Prevalence and Control in Urban/Metropolitan Counties in the United States.

Diabetes rates in the United States are staggering and climbing. Importantly, traditional risk factors fail to completely account for the magnitude of the diabetes epidemic. Environmental exposures, including urban and metropolitan transportation quality, are implicated as contributors to disease. Using data from the county-level Environmental Quality Index (EQI) developed for the United States, we analyzed associations between transportation and air quality environmental metrics with overall diabetes prevalence and control within urban/metropolitan counties in the United States from 2006 to 2012. Additionally, we examined effect modification by race/ethnicity through stratification based on the county-level proportion of minority residents. Last, we applied mixture methods to evaluate the effect of simultaneous poor transportation factors and worse air quality on the same outcomes. We found that increased county-level particulate matter air pollution and nitrogen dioxide along with reduced public transportation usage and lower walkability were all associated with increased diabetes prevalence. The minority proportion of the population influences some of these relationships as some of the effects of air pollution and the transportation-related environment are worse among counties with more minority residents. Furthermore, the transportation and air quality mixtures were found to be associated with increased diabetes prevalence and reduced diabetes control. These data further support the burgeoning evidence that poor environments amplify diabetes risk. Future cohort studies should explore the utility of environmental policies and urban planning as tools for improving metabolic health.

Association of Daily Physical Activity with Cervical Spinal Cord Areas in Multiple Sclerosis (S27.009)

Association of Daily Physical Activity with Cervical Spinal Cord Areas in Multiple Sclerosis (S27.009)

The role of governance models in the development of transport infrastructure megaprojects in Greater Montreal: The case of the Réseau express métropolitain

This article focuses on mobility issues in Montreal, whose metropolitan transportation policies are presented as one of the major ambitions of large North American metropolitan areas. Empirically, we are interested in a recent transportation megaproject: the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in Montreal, an electric light-rail transit network spanning 67 kilometers in the Greater Metropolitan Area. These types of megaprojects involve significant governance challenges and certain criticisms due to the involvement of several actors from different backgrounds and defending different interests, which places. This is why we believe that it is important to address this issue from the point of view of metropolitan governance through the agenda-setting of urban megaprojects. The originality of this article is that it demonstrates how presenting the REM project as a public-public partnership, between the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and the Government of Québec, opened the door to favoritism for the Caisse which influenced the choice of a political solution in Greater Montreal. By mobilizing Kingdon's model, we conclude that windows of opportunity cannot open without choosing a governance model during the agenda-setting phase.

A cross sectional study on prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors among bus drivers of Metropolitan Transport Corporation Limited, Chennai

Background: The job of bus driving is not only risky due to probable accidents and incidents but also risky due to probable health risk factors associated with the nature of bus driving. Sedentary work was done by many professional drivers and they were found to be physically inactive during their leisure time which lead to an increase in risk for obesity and hypertension. Therefore, this study was done with the aim to detect the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among metropolitan transport corporation bus drivers. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among bus drivers of metropolitan transport corporation Limited, Chennai. The sample size obtained was 422. A multistage sampling method was used. A Validated semi-structured questionnaire containing questions on basic socio demographic particulars, lifestyle factors, past and family history and anthropometric and blood pressure measurement was done and was analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 49.5%. Smoking was found in 23.2% of the respondents, tobacco and betel nut chewing in 14.7% of the respondents and 45.5% were found to consume alcohol. It was found that as age increases the prevalence of hypertension also increases which was statistically significant (p=0.001). Conclusions: This rampant disease can be prevented and managed through lifestyle modifications and medication therapy. The risk factors may be avoided by maintaining a regular physical activity, focussing on dynamic exercise, having medical checkups.