Car Ownership Research Articles

Evaluation of Traffic Congestion in an Urban Roads: A Review

Abstract: Urban traffic congestion significantly impacts economic productivity, environmental health, and residents' quality of life. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of traffic congestion in urban areas, focusing on recent innovations in traffic management, urban planning, public transportation, and technological advancements. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), incorporating real-time data and adaptive signal controls, have proven effective in reducing delays and improving traffic flow. The study underscores the importance of mixed-use urban planning in minimizing travel distances and traffic volumes. Expanding public transportation networks is highlighted as a critical strategy for alleviating congestion, with evidence indicating that cities with extensive transit systems experience lower congestion levels. Additionally, the environmental and health implications of traffic congestion are considered, linking high congestion levels to increased pollution and negative health outcomes. . Road construction as a policy intervention to reduce congestion is debated, with the understanding that road widening may sometimes increase traffic. Evaluating the technologies contributing to congestion is crucial for devising effective solutions. Urban transport is central to economic activity and the well-being of urban residents. The rising population and car ownership rates, coupled with unchanged natural land areas, exacerbate traffic issues, leading to accidents and increased carbon dioxide emissions. The article explores the complexities of urban road traffic, addressing transport infrastructure, organization, and the high share of car traffic. It discusses theoretical and practical aspects of traffic flow and design, as well as the role of driver behavior in traffic jams.

Optimization of reverse logistics network for end-of-life vehicles: A Shanghai case study

With the surge in car ownership, the end-of-life vehicles recycling market has shown enormous development potential. As the reverse logistics network for recycling end-of-life vehicles suffers from high operating costs and low recycling rates, there is an urgent need to upgrade the actual recycling measures for end-of-life vehicles to an operable level. This article first uses the OGM (1, N) model to predict the number of end-of-life vehicles in the coming years. At the same time, a reverse logistics network model with the second-hand car market as the recycling centre was constructed with the goal of minimizing the total cost of the end-of-life vehicles reverse logistics network. The network model was simulated using mixed integer programming (MILP), and the optimal solution was solved through LINGO 12 programming. Through an example analysis of Shanghai, it is found that the market of end-of-life vehicles will embrace growth, and it is verified that the optimized reverse logistics network can effectively reduce the operation cost and logistics cost of recycling centres, and can effectively improve the actual recycling rate of end-of-life vehicles. Finally, the optimized site selection results are obtained, and a specific traffic distribution scheme is proposed, which is crucial for promoting cars that meet scrap standards to be recycled through formal channels and reducing logistics costs for recycling enterprises.

Договор поминутной аренды транспортных средств (каршеринг)

The transformation of public relations under the influence of digitalization, as well as the intensification of property turnover, contributed to the formation of an economic model of sharing, which is often referred to through the prism of the English term "sharing". A striking example of such a model is carsharing, based on the idea of "mobility on demand" and being a predictable alternative to personal transport in the future. It is assumed that in the future, car owners, giving priority to car-sharing services, will give up ownership of a car, which will significantly accelerate urban traffic, free up parking spaces, and reduce the anthropogenic burden on the environment. Despite the prevalence of carsharing, especially in large and resort cities of Russia, its federal legal regulation has not yet been presented: to date, only regional experience of such regulation is known. At the same time, there are many issues in this subject area, some of which are solved by law enforcement practice. The key issue discussed in this scientific article is the choice of a contractual structure that could become an adequate model of carsharing relations.

An Investigation of factors Influencing electric vehicles charging Needs: Machine learning approach

Decarbonization of the world is greatly contributed to by the recent technological advancements that have fostered the development of electric vehicles (EVs). The EVs relieve transportation dependence on natural fossil fuels as an energy source. More than 50 % of the petroleum products produced worldwide are estimated to be used in the transportation sector, accounting for more than 90 % of all transportation energy sources. Consequently, studies estimate thatthe transportation sector produces about 22 % of global carbon dioxide emissions, posingsignificant environmental issues. Thus,using EVs, particularly on road transport, is expected to reduce environmental pollution. To accelerate EV development and deployment, governments worldwide invest in EV development through various initiatives to make them more affordable. This research aims to investigate the changing needs of EV users to establish factors to be considered in the selection of charging demands using machine learning, usingan extreme gradient boosting model. The model reached high accuracy, with an R2-Score of 0.964 to 1.000 across all predicted needs. The model performance is greatly affected by age, median income, education, and car ownership. High values of people with high income, high education, and age between 35–54 years show a positive contribution to the model’s performance, contrary to those with 65+, low income, and low education attainment. The outcomes of this research document factors that influence EV charging needs; therefore, it provides a basis for decision-makers and all stakeholders to decide where to locate EV charging stations for usability, efficiency, sustainability, and social welfare.

Environmental Awareness and Walking Behavior to the Grocery Store

The relationship between environmental awareness and actionable change is complex. While extensive literature examines the links between green ideology and eco-friendly behavior, few studies focus on how green ideology influences transportation choices and the built environment. This study investigates the relationship between environmental awareness and walking behavior, addressing three research questions aimed at: identifying socio-demographic characteristics linked to a high level of environmental awareness; exploring how environmental awareness affects perceptions of walkability; and determining whether individuals committed to community environmentalism are more likely to walk to the grocery store. The findings reveal that higher income is associated with considerations of local air quality, noise, and the importance of positive environmental transportation choices. Car ownership negatively impacts the willingness to adjust routes or travel time to minimize environmental impact. Environmentally aware individuals perceive the grocery store as closer, feel safer walking, view sidewalks as more available and in a better condition, and notice more tree shading. Those who consider air quality and noise levels in their walking decisions are more likely to notice tree shading. Individuals committed to community environmentalism are significantly more likely to walk to the grocery store, underscoring the crucial role of environmental values in shaping transportation behaviors and walkability perceptions.

Investigation of Perception Differences in Shared Mobility between Driver’s License Holders and Nonholders: A Case Study of Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon in South Korea

Shared mobility (SM) services are transitioning from the introduction stage to the growth stage, driven by the growth of the sharing economy, the promotion of smart cities, the diverse personal transportation modes, and the development of autonomous driving technologies. SM services, such as car sharing, car-hailing, shared bikes, and e-scooters, have emerged as solutions to address issues related to carbon neutrality and traffic congestion in densely populated areas. The purpose of this study is to investigate potential disparities in user perception and satisfaction among groups with or without driving experience when using SM services—through hypothesis testing using the two-proportion Z-test. Subsequently, a satisfaction analysis is conducted. This research creates foundational data for future SM services. The survey targeted 1041 residents living in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon, and was conducted over two weeks in March 2020. This study aims to derive associations between two groups using SM—those with and without driving experience. The results indicate that car sharing and bike sharing showed significant differences in user patterns based on driving experience, whereas e-scooters and car-hailing did not exhibit significant differences. This contradicts the assumption that people without a driver’s license would use SM more frequently. Moreover, the results of each SM’s analysis show different usage patterns and satisfaction between driver’s license holders and nonholders. This study will serve as foundational data for researching strategies to reduce personal car ownership through the promotion of public transportation and SM services. Furthermore, it can be a basis for suggesting policy recommendations to facilitate future mobility systems.

Assessing Road Users’ Preferences for Various Travel Demand Management Strategies for Adoption in Accra, Ghana

The rise in population density, vehicle ownership, and urban development has significantly influenced travel demand and altered travel patterns, leading to traffic congestion in rapidly growing urban centers such as Accra, Ghana. The traditional approach of expanding roadways to accommodate rising traffic is no longer environmentally sustainable. Instead, the emphasis has shifted toward travel demand management (TDM) strategies as a more sustainable solution. This study aimed to investigate a range of TDM strategies that can be adopted in Accra to improve traffic flow through the lenses of everyday road users. The study employed a questionnaire survey and a stratified sampling technique to gather data from 615 respondents for relative importance index (RII) ranking and Chi-square statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the topmost preferred strategies were mass transit improvements, walking and cycling improvements, and alternative work schedules. Notably, mass transit improvements emerged as the most preferred strategy. Conversely, strategies like efficient parking pricing, congestion pricing, and higher fuel and road taxes for private vehicles ranked lowest, garnering minimal preference. The study also revealed a statistically significant correlation between variables such as age, education level, marital status, income level, and mode of transportation and all the selected TDM preferences. However, no significant relationship was found between gender or car ownership and any of the selected TDM preferences. The study provides valuable insights into road users’ preferences for TDM strategies that can aid in planning future urban mobility systems to proactively manage travel demand, alleviate congestion, and promote sustainable transportation options for the city’s residents.

Is It Necessarily Better for More Commuters to Share a Vehicle?

Increasing private car ownership has congested urban roads and made parking more difficult, especially during the morning commute. Carpooling offers a new way to address these problems. This paper studies the dynamic departure patterns for both regular and carpooling vehicles with parking space constraints in the morning commute without the carpool lane. The results suggest that as the parking fee of the central cluster increases, the earliest time for the two types of vehicles to enter the central cluster is delayed. The increase in the proportion of regular vehicles delays the earliest time for carpooling vehicles to enter the central cluster. More commuters sharing a vehicle in the morning commute is not necessarily better. Only a reasonable level of carpooling can reduce the peak time and unnecessary time consumption on the road and effectively promote the reduction in parking fees, commuters’ travel costs, and other societal transportation costs. This research gives practical guidance and suggestions on formulating a reasonable parking fee and controlling a reasonable carpooling level.

Mobility practices in a changing climate: Understanding shifts in car ownership and use across the life course

Mobility practices in everyday life are often highly routinised and resistant to change. But they can also change significantly over the life course, reflecting sudden ruptures linked to incisive life events and more gradual shifts related to changing societal and environmental conditions. Combining insights from practice-theoretical mobility studies and mobility biographies research, this paper critically examines the role of material, social and cultural elements in transforming routine mobility practices, focusing on car ownership and use across the life course. Drawing on mobility-biographical interviews with people who live in Munich (Germany) and who do not own a car, it reveals the complexity of both one-off and daily decisions that help to establish and routinise carless mobility practices, linking them to social and material conditions past and present. The paper also documents the role of environmental and climate-related arguments in the transition towards carlessness, alongside shifts in infrastructure, social and economic circumstances and mobility-related skills and meanings. It concludes with some recommendations for sustainable mobility policy that works with the dynamics of car ownership and use across the life course and that incorporates both social and material aspects underpinning people’s decision to give up their private car.

Disparities in public transport accessibility in London from 2011 to 2021

Addressing urban inequalities has become a pressing concern on both the global sustainable development agenda and for local policy. Improving public transport services is seen as an important area where local governments can exert influence and potentially help reduce inequalities. Existing measures of accessibility used to inform decision-making for public transport infrastructure in London show spatial disparities, yet there is a gap in understanding how these disparities vary across demographic groups and how they evolve over time—whether they are improving or worsening. In this study, we investigate the distribution of public transport accessibility based on ethnicity and income deprivation in London over the past decade. We used data from the Census 2011 and 2021 for area-level ethnicity characteristics, English Indices of Deprivation for income deprivation in 2011 and 2019, and public transport accessibility metrics from Transport for London for 2010 and 2023, all at the small area level using lower super output areas (LSOAs) in Greater London. We found that, on average, public transport accessibility in London has increased over the past decade, with 78% of LSOAs experiencing improvements. Public transport accessibility in London showed an unequal distribution in cross-sectional analyses. Lower income neighbourhoods had poorer accessibility to public transportation in 2011 and 2023 after controlling for car-ownership and population density. These disparities were particularly pronounced for underground accessibility. Temporal analyses revealed that existing inequalities with respect to income deprivation and ethnicity are generally not improving. While wealthier groups benefited most from London Underground service improvements; lower income groups benefited more from bus service improvements. We also found that car ownership levels declined in areas with substantial increases to public transport accessibility and major housing developments, but not in those with moderate improvements.

Logit and Probit Models Explaining Mode Choice and Frequency of Public Transit Ridership among University Students in Krakow, Poland

The predictors of urban trip mode choice and one of its important components, public transit ridership, have still not been thoroughly investigated using case studies in Central Europe. Therefore, this study attempts to clarify the correlates of mode choices for commute travel and shopping, and entertainment travel to distant places, as well as the frequencies of public transit use of university students, using a wide range of explanatory variables covering individual, household, and socio-economic attributes as well as their perceptions, mobility, and the nearby built environment. The correlation hypothesis of these factors, especially the role of the street network, was tested by collecting the data from 1288 university students in Krakow and developing Binary Logistic and Ordinal Probit models. The results show that gender, age, car ownership, main daily activity, possession of a driving license, gross monthly income, duration of living in the current home, daily shopping area, sense of belonging to the neighborhood, quality of social/recreational facilities of the neighborhood, and commuting distance can predict commute and non-commute mode choices, while gender, daily activity, financial dependence from the family, entertainment place, quality of social/recreational facilities, residential self-selection, number of commute trips, time living in the current home, and street connectivity around home are significantly correlated with public transit use. Some of these findings are somewhat different from those regarding university students in Western Europe or other high-income countries. These results can be used for policy making to reduce students’ personal and household car use and increase sustainable modal share in Poland and similar neighboring countries.

The impact of public transport priority policy on private car own and use: A study on the moderating effects of bus satisfaction

China started implementing a public transport priority policy in 2004 to encourage people to use public transit, especially buses, and reduce reliance on private cars. This paper used 334 questionnaire survey data from Changzhou City, China, and explored the moderating role of bus satisfaction based on the examination of the antecedents and consequences of affective motivation for private cars through two studies. Study 1 explored the antecedents of affective motivation for private cars and the moderating effect of bus satisfaction. The empirical results revealed that instrumental motivation is the most relevant predictor of affective motivation favoring private cars, followed by symbolic motivation. The moderating effect of bus satisfaction on the relationship between symbolic motivation and affective motivation was significantly negative. Study 2 explored the consequences of affective motivation for private cars and the moderating effect of bus satisfaction. Empirical results indicate that decisions regarding private car ownership and use are significantly negatively influenced by bus satisfaction. Bus satisfaction has a significantly positive moderating effect on the relationship between affective motivation and private car ownership and use. The marginal effect of bus satisfaction on the probability of simultaneously owning and using private cars is significantly negative, and it strengthens the influence of affective motivation in promoting both ownership and use of private cars. These results demonstrate that for individuals with experience using both buses and private cars, the public transport priority policy focused on improving bus service quality can effectively reduce private car ownership and use. These results can serve as evidence to support policymakers in continuing to enhance the public transport priority policy.

Post-Purchase Trip Heterogeneity: Exploring the Impact of Free and Paid Return Deliveries on Shopping and Transport Mode Choices in the USA

This paper explores aspects of the post-purchase trips generated by the necessity to return purchased clothing to the shops. Particular focus is given to online shopping that has become common for clothing purchases. This study’s novelty lies in delving into the underlying reasons behind post-purchase trips, particularly those initiated when customers seek to return clothing to retailers. It examines the impact of free and paid return delivery options as key factors driving consumers’ decisions in relation to clothing returns. The study consists of two branches and leverages the random utility maximization theory. The first branch focuses on the impact of free and paid return options on the preferred shopping channels by utilizing a stated preference dataset collected from 507 US online shoppers. The second branch of this study employs the revealed preference dataset and aims to explore the return trip behavior. The willingness-to-pay values estimated for the free return delivery option are higher among female online shoppers compared with males—$7.42 and $6.65 per delivery, respectively. It was found that among the identified “returners,” 84.62% of males and 79.91% of females showed a strong reliance on private cars for their return trips. The potential environmental consequences of return trips were evaluated, focusing on the case of the USA. Additionally, the estimated marginal probability effect revealed that factors such as an aging population, car ownership, and number of children in households positively influence car usage for post-purchase trips. The study’s implications for stakeholders are discussed.

Optical study on the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel-biodiesel-alcohol blend fuels on a constant volume combustion chamber

The rapid increase in automobile ownership has brought about an increase in pollutant emissions, the blending of alcohols can effectively reduce conventional pollutant emissions from diesel engines. However, alcohols have poor inter-solubility with diesel fuel. This study investigates the effects of blending different alcohols on the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel, with biodiesel as the cosolvent. The results show that among the three alcohols, blending methanol has the best improvement in the gas-liquid phase spray characteristics, followed by ethanol and propanol. The GL-SCA and GL-SPA of the methanol blends are 8.2 % and 2.3 % larger than those of the ethanol blends, and 19 % and 11.9 % larger than those of the propanol blends, respectively. Among the four fuels, fuel blended with methanol emits the least normalized sum KL, 45 % less than that of diesel, 23.8 % less than that of ethanol blended fuel, and 35.3 % less than that of propanol blended fuel.

Information Management of Low-Carbon Travel Behavior

Low-carbon travel is widely recognized as an important strategy for reducing energy consumption, mitigating pollution emissions, and alleviating traffic congestion. This study utilizes a sample of 2167 residents from four Chinese cities and employs the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in conjunction with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to obtain more information about the determinants of Low-carbon travel behavior (LTB). Key findings include: (1) The extended TPB proved to be highly applicable to the analysis of LTB, with perceived behavioral control (PBC) exhibiting the most influential factor, and the relationship between PBC and LTB is partially mediated. (2) Gender, education, and commuting distance positively affect LTB, while income, private car ownership, and possessing a driver's license demonstrate significant negative effects. (3) Concern for environmental quality significantly enhances LTB. In contrast, perceived traffic congestion significantly reduces LTB. Based on the empirical results, targeted and implementable policy recommendations are proposed.

Tripartite evolutionary game and simulation analysis of electric bus charging facility sharing under the governmental reward and punishment mechanism

Electric vehicles (EVs) are environmentally friendly with the features of low noise levels and zero tailpipe emissions. However, limited charging facilities have restricted the large-scale development of EVs, and electric bus charging facility sharing is a promising solution to this issue. While reducing charging time and improving facility utilization, this measure involves the interests of the government, bus operators, and electric car owners, requiring a systemic analysis of their interactions. Therefore, this study constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model under the governmental reward and punishment mechanism. The model examines the strategic decision-making process, influential factors, and evolutionary stability of three players, followed by simulation analysis. The results show that: (1) The evolutionary system may exhibit three stable states: (0,0,0), (1,0,0) and (1,1,1), and enhance the initial ratio of the three stakeholders will help evolve towards the ideal state. (2) Increasing rewards and penalties can both be meaningful, when penalties exceed rewards, the measures can be more effective. (3) Bus operators are more sensitive to incentive and penalty measures than electric car owners, and governments should pay more attention to them in the implementation process. The findings can provide references for the policy formulation on electric bus charging facility sharing.

Changing the Parameters of the Urban Transport System with Introduction of Fees from Car Owners for Using the Road Network and Variations in Public Transport Fare

Changing the Parameters of the Urban Transport System with Introduction of Fees from Car Owners for Using the Road Network and Variations in Public Transport Fare

Alternate green and carsharing mobility options: A strategy to fight climate change in oil producing countries

In Kuwait, the number of private cars is significantly high. Hence, reducing private car ownership is one of the main necessary approaches to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, cities are countering the increase in private car ownership by providing a reliable public transportation system. In Kuwait, public transport consists of a bus system, which is not widely accepted by users since it does not provide connectivity to desired locations. However, providing carsharing services and ride-sourcing can be an alternative mode. In 2019, a service called Careem was launched in Kuwait which is considered a leading ride-sourcing company in the region. Meanwhile, carsharing is not introduced yet to Kuwait. This study aims to evaluate people acceptance of carsharing and evaluate the available transport modes in Kuwait which are Careem, Taxi, Private car and Bus. 373 people participated in this study through an online questionnaire, 40% of them were willing to use carsharing when it is introduced. Additionally, Chi-square test verified that males are more likely to use taxi and Careem services. Moreover, car availability had the biggest influence on not using public transport modes. To evaluate the current transport modes and the accessibility of transport modes, 5 trips with 5 different origins and destinations were selected. The results indicated that private car is the quickest mode followed by Careem. However, public transport showed bad results with no access in Al-Jahra area, with walking time exceeding 30 min from and to the station. The required carsharing vehicles was estimated using the questionnaire data, referring to the number of carsharing in Dubai. It was concluded that there should be at least a single car sharing in 785,398 m2. In order to increase the acceptance of public transport modes, it is highly recommended to extend its tours to cover more regions and reallocate bus stations to reduce walking time for users.

Rail accessibility and life satisfaction: Considering residential location and travel ability

The accessibility of urban rail systems in residential areas significantly impacts residents’ overall life satisfaction. Although many studies have examined the overall impact of rail accessibility on life satisfaction in various developed countries, few have focused on spatial heterogeneity and travel ability between rail accessibility and life satisfaction in developing countries. This study uses data from a 2017 activity-travel survey in Shanghai to examine the relationship between rail accessibility and residents’ life satisfaction in central urban and suburban areas with different travel abilities. It finds that both residential location and travel ability influence the impact of rail accessibility on life satisfaction. There are differences in the thresholds for rail accessibility among residents with different residential locations and private car ownership. These findings suggest that rail transit is a powerful tool for promoting the well-being in developing countries, and proper planning of rail station siting and land use is needed.

An environmentally-friendly optimization framework for road pricing and pavement management under public-private-partnership

Vehicular emissions and the unsustainable development of transportation systems have received increasing attention in recent years. On one hand, transportation emissions increase as car ownership increases. On the other hand, construction of the new transportation infrastructure and maintenance of the existing transportation facilities are needed as travel demand increases. Thus there is a growing market for Public-Private Partnership (PPP), which aims to overcome existing deficiencies of traditional approaches while stimulating the sustainable development of transportation systems. This paper proposes an environmentally-friendly multi-objective optimization framework to derive dynamic toll pricing strategies and pavement maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) activities for road networks containing PPP projects. A case study of a road network containing toll and toll-free highways in Florida, United States is used to verify the performance of the proposed approach. The results show that the public and private sectors could coordinate their actions to guarantee profits for the private sector while alleviating negative externalities for society.