Road Transport Infrastructure Research Articles

Rural-Urban Road Transportation Challenges on Food Security in Maroua, Far North Region of Cameroon

Rural-urban road transportation is very essential for mobility in most parts of the world. Its states, especially in developing countries, have posed serious challenges to the transportation of people and goods into urban centres with varying impacts. This study seeks to examine the challenges in rural-urban road transportation and coping mechanisms for food security in Maroua municipality. In order to attain these objectives, data was collected from primary sources including field observation, interviews and administration of 261 questionnaires. Secondary data was gotten from published and unpublished sources. Descriptive analysis of the results was done using SPSS version 20 and Microsoft Excel 2013. Results revealed that rural-urban roads in Maroua are dilapidated and inadequate, making movement difficult especially during the rainy season. These challenges negatively affect different dimensions of food security in Maroua. Adaptation mechanisms include urban agriculture and the rehabilitation of rural-urban road transport infrastructure. Thus, it was concluded that, there is urgent need for improvement of rural-urban road transport infrastructure by stakeholders as they remain very essential for food security.

Cost Underruns in Major Road Transport Infrastructure Projects – the Surprising Experience of Poland

Cost Underruns in Major Road Transport Infrastructure Projects – the Surprising Experience of Poland

Road Maintenance Administration in Vietnam: Problems and Solutions

Vietnam is in the process of economic transformation which involves lots of requirements for road transport infrastructure development to create a driving force for socio-economic growth and to meet the needs of industrialization and modernization. To have synchronous and sustainable process of developing road infrastructure, maintenance should be paid attention to make the most of the capacity of the existing. Understanding the importance of this work, since 2013, Vietnam Government has issued a relatively sufficient series of policies on road repair and maintenance management. However, there are still shortcomings in road maintenance administration (i.e., discrepancies among legal regulations, challenges in maintenance planning, ineffective selection of contractors, insufficient financing, improper spending, limited introduction of science and technologies), which can hardly be resolved all together at once. The article has studied about the administration and use of the Maintenance Fund and mobilization capital in several countries around the world, at the same time analyzes the status quos of maintenance administration in Viet Nam in the following aspects: management strategies; planning and implementation; policies and regulations on maintenance administration; road quality management; management of maintenance fund, and application of science and technology. Along with the questionnaire in a 3-step approach and SPSS software, the authors have built four groups of influential factors to the road maintenance administration, as well as assessed the level of influence and rationality of each factor. The study then has suggested emergent and practical solutions for more efficient road maintenance management towards sustainable operation of road transport infrastructure.

The Role of Road Transport Infrastructure Investments on Logistics Performance: A Research Agenda

Purpose: This research aims to highlight the impact of road transport infrastructure investments on logistics performance. Design/ methodology/ approach: A systematic review of 20 published research on the role of road transport infrastructure investments was conducted with the purpose of identifying the impacts of road infrastructure on logistics performance, the methods used in the previous studies, the lessons learned from investing in road transportation infrastructure, and the previous researchers’ recommendations for the further studies. Findings: It revealed that road transportation investments are essential for a country’s development from logistics, economic, and social perspectives. Road transport investments play a vital role in the efficiency of a country’s logistics performance and the economy as it facilitates connectivity and accessibility to all supply chain areas within a country. In addition, it reduces all the operational costs of road trips. Moreover, in previous research, almost all researchers used a single method to figure out these impacts and none of them used hybrid methods to get more accurate results. Research implications/ limitations : The paper provides a comprehensive view on the impact of road transport infrastructure investments on logistics performance. In addition, it identifies new research gaps as not all the factors of road transportation that affect logistics performance have been fully tackled in previous research, upon which a research agenda was developed. Originality: The paper introduces a comprehensive systematic literature review that highlights the relationship between road infrastructure investments and logistics performance to guide future research.

Space tourism: achievements and innovations

The article explores theoretical issues related to the need to promote new directions in the development of space. The author notes that, on the world market, Russia occupies a leading position in the sale of space products; these are propulsion systems and sets of technological equipment that can form the basis for creating new conditions for existence in outer space. The author notes that at the present stage of the "race" for space, the largest countries of the world devote great importance to the search for new ways of developing the space industry and space tourism can become a tool for solving many problems of domestic cosmonautics. The widespread use of space tourism products will become an incentive for the development and support of both cosmonautics and various sectors of the national economy as a whole, provide a qualitatively new level of international cooperation tasks, and strengthen their positions in the world community. The article examines the theoretical issues of the possibility of organizing space tourism. The necessity of its development as a completely new phenomenon in the life of society is shown. The paper briefly reflects the current state of the development of the world's outer space and shows new ways of using it in such a direction as space tourism. The assessment of the necessary conditions for its development is given. According to the author, the increasing demand for space services enables countries to create conditions for terrestrial (virtual) or near-Earth (orbital, suborbital and lunar) travel. The capabilities of the leading space powers available today show the realism of these trips. The article reflects that the increasing demand for space entertainment (flying in zero gravity, flying on L-29 and L-39 fighter jets, space tours to Baikonur and the Vostochny cosmodrome) is pushing for the creation of special economic zones with the development of road transport infrastructure, space industry and comic tourism. And this in turn gives an impetus to the creation of additional jobs. As a result of the study, the conclusion is formulated that those countries that enter the global space market of tourist services will be able to attract not only public, but also private investments in the development of outer space. Space is a new horizon for all mankind and this sphere will steadily develop, and at the same time have a tremendous impact on the economic level of the country.

The system of international legal security of road-traffic safety

The article attempts to systematize international legal acts in the field of road-traffic safety. Its current state in the world is outlined. The general methodological bases of knowledge of a problem of the international legal security in the studied field are specified. Some components of the research methodology are directly identified in the system of international legal security in this area. Based upon the features of the system of legislation that takes place in the theory of law, a number of characteristic features of the system of international legal security of transport safety. This made it possible to offer an author's definition of this concept. The system of international legal security of road-traffic safety is represented by the classification of relevant international documents adopted during the last 70 years by the UN, WHO and other international institutions. Their division is carried out on the subject of legal regulation in the general field of road-traffic safety. This made it possible to identify eight groups of international legal acts: as for the formation of a global road-traffic safety policy; the creation of uniform traffic rules; in the field of passenger transportation and passenger transport; in the field of cargo transportation; in the field of accident prevention; in the field of road-traffic safety of youth; as for the road transport infrastructure; as for the punishment of persons for criminal offenses in the field of road-traffic safety and transport operation. Proposals are made for possible supplementation of the existing conventions taking into account the current state of development of the transport industry and the introduction of new technologies.

Relationships between road transport infrastructure and tourism spending: A development approach in European OECD countries

Relationships between road transport infrastructure and tourism spending: A development approach in European OECD countries

Government Collaborative Efforts Supporting Tourism Development in Lesotho

Many countries strive to establish solid collaborations between the tourism industry players with the belief that knowledge brought by diverse stakeholder team will spill-over across the industry to boost collective productivity. This study focuses on exploring the current established government organisations collaborations geared towards tourism development in Lesotho. The study utilised the interprevististic paradigm using the qualitative research approach. The content analysis based on qualitative interviews with various government tourism related organisations reveal that to some degree, there are existing collaborative efforts among local government organisations, local government and international governments, local government and international bodies, and, local government and the local community. The study also identified that current collaborations are geared towards improving tourists’ safety and security, curriculum and skills development, road and air transport infrastructure development, and funding tourism development-related activities. Recommendations for collaborations improvement were presented. Keywords: Tourism, Government Organisations, Tourism Collaborations, Tourism Development, Lesotho

Impact of Road Transport Infrastructure on Economic Growth: Evidence from Afghanistan

Impact of Road Transport Infrastructure on Economic Growth: Evidence from Afghanistan

Innovative and investment potential of the economic development of the EAEU

The article defines the innovative potential of the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter — the EAEU, the Union), assesses the structural ratio of trade in agricultural products in the total food consumption of the EAEU. The internal investment potential of the EAEU countries is described. The article considers the mechanism of foreign direct investment as a tool for increasing the gross value added of goods during their cross-border movement in the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. The dynamics of retail trade turnover in the EAEU is presented. At the same time, in the global aspect, topical issues of the quality of investments in the agro-industrial complex are touched upon, since their volumes do not meet the needs of financial support. At the same time, the mechanism of accelerating the turnover of investment capital is analyzed through the prism of identifying and assessing the state of poverty in rural areas as a risk factor for the agro — food policy of the EAEU member states. At the same time, it is most important to increase the level of food independence of the EAEU member states, to ensure conditions for the growth of the number of new high — performance jobs. The issues of production and consumption of marketable products in the EAEU member states are studied, taking into account the dynamics of prices and the socio-economic situation in the foreign trade space. Based on the generalization of the experience of integration associations of the world economic system, the article concludes that it is necessary to introduce a comprehensive intellectual system into the value chain of commodity products created in the analyzed states. The authors systematize the priorities of the conceptual development of economic relations in the integration of foreign trade processes in the EAEU until 2030. In the system of assessing the mechanism of cross-border traffic through the EAEU, the authors focus on the issues of optimizing the speed of delivery of goods from the seller to the consumer and the modernization of the road transport and logistics infrastructure of the member states of the Union. Based on the analysis of the logistics efficiency index in foreign countries, the necessary conditions for achieving the key effects of the economic development of the EAEU until 2030 are proposed.

The development of transport infrastructure of the Rostov-on-Don Oblast: The current state and priorities

Subject. The paper considers the current state and priorities of the transport infrastructure development of the Rostov-on-Don region with an emphasis on the effects of national and regional projects implementation. Objectives. The study overviews the statistical analysis of the current state of transport infrastructure in the Rostov-on-Don region, identifying key problems, determining the prospects and risks of implementing infrastructure transport projects. Methods. The methods of statistical and economic analysis are used. The available statistical indicators of the transport sector for 2000–2019 are analyzed. Results. The impact of infrastructure investment on economic growth is higher in regions with better-designed regional policies. At the same time, this conclusion only highlights the complexity of the channels through which infrastructure affects economic performance, as well as the problems that this complexity creates for empirical research. Studies on the relationship between infrastructure and economic growth have not produced definitive results. There is a positive correlation between the availability of regional transport infrastructure and availability of developed transport systems and economic indicators, for example, GRP. However, this correlation may reflect historical agglomeration processes, etc., rather than the current causal relationships. Conclusions and Relevance. The complex of infrastructural restrictions of the transport infrastructure of the Rostov region is the congestion of highways, the exhaustion of load-bearing road capacity and, as a result, the reduction of the transport permeability of the entire agglomeration. These problems put the implementation of projects to improve the transport and operational condition of the existing network of public roads, bringing the technical parameters and the level of engineering equipment of roads in line with the achieved traffic intensity levels among the priority tasks. The main tool for achieving the strategic goal is the Safe and High-Quality Roads national project. The implementation of the Rostov-on-Don Transport Ring project will also have a positive impact on the economic security of the region's road transport infrastructure.

Nanotechnology Incorporation into Road Pavement Design Based on Scientific Principles of Materials Chemistry and Engineering Physics Using New-Age (Nano) Modified Emulsion (NME) Stabilisation/Enhancement of Granular Materials

The use of naturally available materials not conforming to traditional specifications or standards in the base and sub-base layers of road pavement structures and stabilised with New-age (Nano) Modified Emulsions (NME) have been tested, implemented and successfully verified through Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) in South Africa. This was made possible through the development and use of a materials design procedure addressing fundamental principles and based on scientific concepts which are universally applicable. The understanding and incorporation of the chemical interactions between the mineralogy of the materials and an NME stabilising agent (compatibility between the chemistry of the reactive agents and material mineralogy) into the design approach is key to achieving the required engineering properties. The evaluation of the stabilised materials is performed using tests indicative of the basic engineering properties (physics) of compressive strengths, tensile strengths and durability. This article describes the basic materials design approach that was developed to ensure that organofunctional nano-silane modified emulsions can successfully be used for pavement layer construction utilising naturally available materials at a low risk. The enablement of the use of naturally available materials in all pavement layers can have a considerable impact on the unit cost and lifecycle costs of road transportation infrastructure.

An adaptation of reference class forecasting for the assessment of large-scale urban planning vision, a SEM-ANN approach to the case of Hong Kong Lantau tomorrow

An outline strategic urban planning vision is a front-end government strategic plan with sparsely defined goals. Methods for an ex-ante appraisal of such sparsely defined vision are limited in the literature. By adapting a reference class forecasting (RCF) methodology, we propose an innovative two-stage combination of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) as an explainable ANN strategy to the appraisal of urban planning vision outline. The SEM-ANN operationalizes interaction between job, resident, and multi-modal accessibility in a public transport-dominated city. This strategy is applied to Lantau Tomorrow Vision in Hong Kong, as an extreme case study of a large, reclaimed island. The vision is broadly outlined as a New Town with a third CBD, residential and job targets, road and urban rail transport infrastructure routing, and an overall cost. The results show that the New Town scenario job/population goal should be plausibly attainable by increasing the transport infrastructure accessibility supply. Yet, the simulation indicates that the CBD3 employment goal based on CBD1 is out of range. Overall, our SEM-ANN method, as an adaptation of RCF, is of particular interest in front-end large-scale outline urban planning vision appraisal.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A GIS-BASED PLATFORM USING OPEN SOURCE COMPONENTS FOR MONITORING, MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF ROAD NETWORK: THE CASE STUDY OF CYPRUS

Abstract. Road transport is an important infrastructure system that has a vital role in economic progress, sustainable development, and urban prosperity of societies. Thus, geospatial fundamentals of transport systems need to be adequately considered by the organizations that manage such infrastructures. Furthermore, the adoption of methodologies for monitoring, control and optimisation of transportation networks, from a geographical perspective is crucial to deploy or utilize resources efficiently and cost-effectively. This paper aims to describe the implementation of a complete Geographical Information (GI) based system as developed for the needs of the Cyprus road transport infrastructure. The paper focuses on the system architecture and the presentation of the desktop and mobile application interfaces and utilities. The GI-based system provides a good example of how different tools and open-source components can be integrated to provide a complete solution for collecting, storing, managing, analysing and disseminating geographical information data related to road network infrastructure. The use of the platform within the organization has resulted in a noticeable increase in productivity and accountability. The errors in data collection, analysis and storage were minimized and thus the quality of available data been significantly improved. This is a step towards the achievement of the goals of the European Digital Strategy by using Geographical Information System technologies to take reliable and accurate decisions related to road network monitoring, maintenance and management.

STRATEGI PEMBERDAYAAN EKONOMI MASYARAKAT MENGHADAPI PEMBANGUNAN INFRASTRUKTUR JALAN TOL BAWEN-YOGYAKARTA DAN BANDARA YOGYAKARTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (YIA)

The development of toll road and airport transportation infrastructure is considered to have a strategic role in efforts to improve the local economy. The Magelang Municipality area is a strategic place in the construction of the Bawen-Yogyakarta toll road infrastructure and the construction of the Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA). The construction of a toll road with a toll exit located in the city of Magelang and the presence of an airport whose area is adjacent to Magelang Municipality opens up opportunities for the people of Magelang Municipality to get direct and indirect impacts that can improve welfare. This study aims to analyze the strategy of the Magelang Municipality government in dealing with the infrastructure development of the Bawen-Yogyakarta toll road and Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) so that it can have an impact on improving the welfare of the people of Magelang Municipality. This study resulted in recommendations, namely: the need for a grand design of exit toll development that accommodates the interests of the community, initiation of the Community-Based Economic Development (CBED) program to empower the community by forming several cluster centers or MSME villages, as well as increasing the role of ABGC (Academic, Business-Governmental). – community).

The moderating effect of the public finances on transport infrastructures in Spain

In recent decades, Spain has witnessed a considerable increase in railway and road transport infrastructure. The driver of this change has been investment from the central government, which has generated speculation regarding the possible distribution of new infrastructure according to partisan political interests. This paper aims to determine whether this political influence impacts the efficiency of the transport infrastructure. This study proposes an empirical model to assess the impact of the central government's investment in roads and railways in the country's 15 mainland autonomous communities. The empirical results reveal that the political factor, as a proxy of public finances, moderates the accessibility process. The empirical model analyses the impact of new infrastructure on structuring and territorial cohesion during 1995–2007, considered the golden decade in Spain. Based on the econometric results, we conclude that state investment in rail, moderated by the consideration of political factors, improves the accessibility of rail transport infrastructure. Finally, this study presents relevant policy implications, suggesting a new line of regulations to increase local transport infrastructure projects' quality regarding “network efficiency.”

Spatial disparities in trade-offs: economic and environmental impacts of road infrastructure on continental level

ABSTRACT Remote sensing and geospatial techniques are being used to provide large-scale and regional solutions for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, including sustainable infrastructure development. Road transportation infrastructure has a significant contribution to the economy, but it also increases environmental pressure. However, little knowledge is available about spatial characteristics in the relationship between road impacts on the economy and impacts on the roadside environment. This research explores the spatial disparities in the relationship of road impacts on a continental level in Australia from 2011 to 2016. The performance of road transportation infrastructure is characterized from the perspectives of road density, connectivity, traffic volumes, and service to communities, other transportations (e.g. ports and airports), and industries, using remote sensing data and spatial heterogeneity models. Local economy and roadside environment are respectively presented using resident income and the change of roadside Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) derived from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite generated from Google Earth Engine. The road impacts of variables and their interaction on the economy and environment were calculated using an optimal parameters-based geographical detectors model (OPGD). Results reveal that the interaction of road density and traffic volumes can explain 47.4% of the resident income. In addition, results demonstrate the significant spatial disparities in the relationship between road impacts on the economy and impacts on the local environment. In major cities, such as Sydney and Melbourne, the pressure of roadside environment is increased with the economic growth, but the roadside environment has been improved in suburban and rural areas. Areas with the service to industries range from 64.4 km to 128 km have the most significant roadside EVI increase (2.5%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research to explore spatially differentiated trade-offs between the economic and roadside environmental impacts of roads using remotely sensed data, geospatial data, and spatial heterogeneity model at the continental level. Findings from this study provide an in-depth understanding of the interactions and trade-offs of road impacts on the local economy and the environment. Geospatial trade-offs and impact analysis methods in the study can be applied in wider fields to achieve global and regional SDGs.

Policy Implications on Transport Infrastructure–Trade Dynamics: Case of Turkey

Transportation has a mediating position in international trade formation and in the past few decades, Turkey has invested substantially in transport infrastructure to increase connectivity and integration in global transport networks. Still, limited research has been conducted to understand channels and scope of the transport infrastructure development impacts on foreign trade. The objective of this study is to evaluate short-run and long-run causal linkages between transport infrastructure, exports and imports in Turkey for the period between 1987–2019. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is developed considering road and rail transport infrastructure components as well as information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure as a complement to quality transport networks. Results suggest that a speedy road network serves as a locomotive in trade development whereas rail infrastructure can be beneficial if a holistic connectivity plan is developed in a long-term perspective to improve multimodal transportation under a comprehensive, sustained transport policy. Besides, benefits of transport infrastructure investment can be realized in favor of export promotion rather than import growth if a comprehensive policy is followed. In that way transport infrastructure investment would become a stronger instrument to accomplish export competitiveness.

Transport modeling in the development of a complex transport scheme on the example of the city of Kyiv (Ukraine)

The object of research is a complex transport scheme using the example of the city of Kyiv (Ukraine). The comprehensive transport scheme of the city of Kyiv provides for a variant design of the city’s transport system. In transport planning and design, for a qualitative assessment of planning decisions, predictive transport models of cities are most often used, which describe the macroscopic parameters of the traffic flow. The proposed options were tested on a transport model. The main task of this model is the modeling of transport correspondence, where the volume of traffic by public transport is about 80-90 % of the total volume of traffic. For this, a model was developed, with the help of which the level of loading of the main network, the volume of transport work, and the total number of passengers carried by public transport were analyzed. When choosing the optimal option, let’s took into account such parameters as the average speed of the traffic flow, general transport delays, and the total number of passengers transported by public transport. As well as the average distance of travel, the average time for the implementation of transport correspondence on public transport, the cost of unproductive loss of time by residents of the city, and so on. Based on the results of transport modeling, the optimal option for the development of the city’s transport system was selected, which provides for the completion of the construction of existing road transport infrastructure facilities, the construction and development of the backbone network, systems outside the street rail transport, and optimization of the public transport route network. The complex transport scheme of the city of Kyiv, which was created using modern technologies in the field of transport modeling, allows to analyze and determine the effectiveness of the implementation of various measures for the development of the city’s transport infrastructure. Transport modeling has shown the feasibility of providing initial data for the feasibility study of investment projects, the arrangement of road transport infrastructure facilities, the improvement of traffic management schemes, the arrangement of new public transport routes.

Analysis of Placement Conditions on Roads and Characteristics of Railway Crossings in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Road traffic accidents of vehicles with a rolling stock of railways lead to the most serious consequences. Many level crossings are places of long delays of vehicles both before and after the traffic. In this case and in many others, the intersections of highways with railways sharply limit the capacity of the highway. Level crossings require the utmost attention of the traffic organization, since they must include not only devices for the movement of cars, but also pedestrian and sidings. Despite the fact that the problem of road traffic accidents at level crossings is not new, research and analysis of statistics in this area continues around the world. The paper considers the level crossings on the Republican highways of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Research has been carried out on ways to improve traffic safety at such crossings. The situation at the level crossings of the roads of Republican significance, as well as possible restrictions and regulatory requirements, have been studied in the paper. The paper presents results of a detailed collection of data at the facilities, which will serve as the basis for the development of a detailed program for improving the regulatory and technical base of the road sector in Kazakhstan to improve the safety of road transport infrastructure, taking into account existing standards. Recommendations are given for the implementation and generalization of advanced international experience in organizing road traffic at railway crossings, which will contribute to the adaptation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the context of the development of transport and communications.