Scenic Roads Research Articles

Deciphering Motorists’ Perceptions of Scenic Road Visual Landscapes: Integrating Binocular Simulation and Image Segmentation

Traditional scenic road visual landscape assessment methods struggle to quantify drivers’ subjective visual perceptions. This study aims to develop a new method to decipher Scenic Road Visual Landscape Evaluation (SRVLE) of motorists’ visual field, reconciling the longstanding subjectivity–objectivity dichotomy in landscape quality research. By adopting binocular visual simulation and image segmentation, this paper conceptualizes a novel “non-scale semantic differential approach” to quantify landscape qualities across the dimensions of naturalness–artificiality (NA), diversity–coherence (DC), and openness–deepness (OD), constructing a three-dimensional visual landscape quality evaluation system. Taking the Nujiang Beautiful Road in Yunnan as a case study, the results show the following: (1) The three indicators reveal the scenic road’s distinctive visual landscape characteristics, marked by high naturalness, coherence, and relative openness. (2) SRVLE is found to vary between the two driving directions and different sections. (3) The three-dimensional evaluation cube intuitively displays the comprehensive characteristics of landscape quality, providing a basis for scenic road planning. This method offers a new approach to resolving the subjective–objective divide in SRVLE and can assist road administrations in enhancing policy planning, construction, and management, thereby promoting the high-quality development of scenic roads.

Developing a novel sustainable and durable self-luminous pavement material with solar energy absorption capability

Self-luminous pavement materials can autonomously absorb solar energy and emit light at night, offering a novel approach to improving nighttime road visibility and reducing energy consumption. Despite their potential, current self-luminous pavement coatings face challenges related to insufficient durability and anti-skid properties. To address this, this paper aims to develop a novel sustainable and durable self-luminous pavement material and thin layer. The development involved optimizing high-transparency epoxy resin based on mechanical properties and ultraviolet aging resistance, as well as selecting long afterglow materials based on luminous performance. Subsequently, a novel self-luminous pavement thin layer, comprising an anti-skid layer, a bonding layer, a self-luminous layer, and a sub-bonding layer, was proposed and tested. The results indicate that this novel self-luminous thin layer maintains a brightness level of 4–6 mcd/m2 after 6 h of light emission, which is still a bright level for the human eye. Additionally, it shows robust performance against ultraviolet aging, water damage, and long-term abrasion. The material cost of this thin layer is approximately 32.00 USD/m2, offering an economic advantage over mixture and pouring-in type, and it also provides benefits such as energy savings, improved traffic safety, and enhanced aesthetic appeal of scenic roads. Future efforts should focus on analyzing the economic benefits of these functions to better understand the full lifecycle advantages of this innovative material. In general, the novel durable self-luminous thin layer proposed in this study provides a practical and sustainable solution for self-luminous pavements.

Even a journey can be a destination: Exploring the spatial patterns of motorcycle traffic in the Czech Republic based on official and crowdsourced data

Not only in geography is motorcycle transport still a very under-researched phenomenon. Although there has been a recent growth in academic interest in motorcycle transport, there are still some key questions that remain unanswered. Empirical studies analysing motorcycle transport are surprisingly also based mainly on observations in the Global South, with very little research in the economically developed countries of the Global North. This paper aims to examine the spatial patterns of motorcycle transport in the Czech Republic. For the analysis, we use official data on average motorcycle intensities on the road network (i), and unofficial data crowdsourced from individual GPS navigations and social networks (ii). We found major inconsistencies between the two data sources. The paper’s main contribution is to demonstrate the great potential of crowdsourced data to identify important aspects of the spatial organisation of motorcycle traffic. Based on these data, we found substantial differences in the intensity of motorcycle traffic on the road network (different use of individual categories of communications according to both types of data), the popularity of individual motorcycle routes (higher popularity of scenic roads in GPS data), and the different lengths of individual trips during weekdays and weekends.

Interacting with landscapes beyond the windshield: affordances actualisation on scenic road rest areas along the Nujiang Beautiful Road in China

The development of scenic roads is implemented as an integrative tourism and transportation policy in China. As an essential component of scenic road systems, rest areas provide spaces for people to interact with roadside landscapes, enhancing the quality of experiences of recreational motorists. However, the understanding of scenic road rest area usage still lacks empirical evidence. This study developed an empirical approach to explore the affordance actualisation mechanism focused on the context of motorist-rest area interaction. The results outlined a behavioural profile about the usage of rest areas on scenic roads and further revealed that: (1) inspired affordances and anticipated affordances, respectively, acted on people’s experiences and satisfaction; (2) the perceptual dimension is more proactive in actualising affordances compared with the physical dimension. These findings contribute to the literature on affordance and the evidence-based planning and design for scenic roads.

Motor travel in Mozambique in the late 1920s and conquering space: reading Rufino’s photographic albums

ABSTRACT The rise of the automobile played a significant role in the transformation of how we see and experience landscapes. Likewise, motor cars were key to defining the shape of twentieth-century tourism. In colonial settings, cars can be understood as a technology of speed and power which helped to control people and space. Looking at early twentieth century Africa, this study analyses the arrival of the motor car in Mozambique and the role it played in shaping motorised landscapes and in tourism development. This article looks at a collection of photographic albums depicting the colony of Mozambique. Published in 1929, the volume contains more than 100 photographs that include cars. This article highlights three main narratives: (i) the illusion of ‘motoring landscapes’; (ii) the car’s contribution to the invention of the beach and scenic roads; and (iii) the role of the car in safaris and the domination of nature. These three narratives are aligned with wider official discourses and contribute to the idea of conquering African landscapes, critical both to colonialism as well as to tourism development.

Research on digital rural landscape garden landscape planning under rural revitalization strategy based on topological data analysis method

Abstract The advancement of rural revitalization strategies underscores the increasing significance of landscape garden construction. This study optimizes scenic road routing within rural garden planning to support these strategies. By refining the topological data analysis method with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), we develop a model for rural scenic road routing. The model utilizes selected suitability indexes, organized through factor analysis into four categories: scenic, land, industrial resources, and infrastructure. Applied to a case study (Route Z), the model identifies Route 2 as the most suitable option, scoring 2.933. Our findings offer innovative insights and technical approaches for effectively planning rural scenic roads, contributing to countryside revitalization efforts.

Putovanje sa životnim iskustivima. Avanture Đule Germana u Bosni i Hercegovini 1902. godine

Gyula Germanus or Hajji Julius Abdul-Karim Germanus, Hungarian Muslim Orientalist Professor (1884-1979) was a well-known scholar and popular figure in Hungary from the turn of the century until late seventies. He was an Arabist, teacher, professor, writer, traveller, literary historian as well MP in Hungary (1958-1966) and member of many academies abroad. He converted to Islam in Delhi in 1930, and he was the first Hungarian to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) in 1935. In this paper, I would like to describe in more detail his first major trip abroad, which took him to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the summer of 1902. The 17-year-old Germanus, a newly graduated, well-informed, educated, multilingual and already interested in Eastern culture, had a lifetime of experiences on his journey. Based partly on one of his memoirs and partly on a radio play he wrote and found in the Germanus bequest, I will outline in detail a chronicle of his days in Bosnia. First he travelled by train from Budapest to Banja Luka, where he visited the only Trappist monastery in the Balkans, and then he wrote a brief history of the Trappist order in his book. He then travelled with his companions by coach along a wild and scenic road carved into the valley of the Vrbas river towards Jajce. He noted that the Hungarian soldiers who invaded Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 had named the province “the land of curved mountains” for a reason. It is in Jajce that he had his greatest and most astonishing adventure, when he walked into a café in the evening, where he was greeted with great affection by the regular Bosniaks, especially after it turns out that he speaks Turkish. So he spends the evening in good company and is amply entertained. This first impression of the kindness and hospitality of the Muslim people of the East will stayed with him for the rest of his life. Jajca was followed by a journey by narrow-gauge railway to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. In addition to describing the city and its sights, Germanus also reported that he had made a new and very dear friend, the intelligent Ahmed Mustafa, a shariat law student. After meeting him, they talked about the Islamic religion, the Quran, shariat and visited the bazaar. Afterwards they had dinner and Germanus invited his new friend to visit Hungary, who accompanied him to Grazová and then to Raguza. They also discovered Raguza together and said goodbye to each other. From there Germanus travelled to Cattaro, then to Cetinje in Montenegro, where he had interesting and instructive adventures, and after a long and difficult ordeal, including two days of starvation, he arrived in Fiume, where he was helped by an acquaintance of his father’s, and was able to travel home in peace. In the conclusion, I will explain that six years after Germanus’ visit, the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Empire, and tensions between the peoples of the Balkans escalated, leading to the Sarajevo assassination attempt on 28 June 1914, which soon afterwards led to the outbreak of the First World War. Germanus never forgot his first trip and the positive experiences he had here. He had sympathy for the Bosniaks and helped them in Hungary when veteran soldiers and officers stranded in Hungary after the First World War founded an Islamic religious community in 1931 under the leadership of former Military Imam Husein Hilmi Durić . Germanus, who was already a Muslim, supported them, mobilised his network of contacts for them and took on the role of secretary-general of the so-called “Gül Baba Cultural Committee”. I believe that the teenager Germanus’ personality development was greatly influenced by his trip in 1902 and the friendly, welcoming atmosphere that surrounded him.

Hotspots and Factors Influencing Vertebrate Roadkill on the Ring Changbai Mountain Scenic Road, China

The spatial aggregation patterns of wildlife-vehicle collisions are used to inform where mitigation measures are most needed. Based on 10 years of observations of vertebrate roadkill on the Ring Changbai Mountain Scenic Road, the spatial distribution characteristics of roadkill incidence were analyzed in this study. Using the field survey method to investigate roadkill incidents and their influencing factors, we applied generalized linear mixed modeling (GLMM) for model selection and constructed roadkill models for different taxa groups. The spatial distribution patterns of roadkill hotspots vary among different taxa and exhibit a unimodal or multimodal distribution. The road section along a river and with a minimal distance between the road and the water has a high incidence of roadkill. The density of roadkill for various taxa decreases as the distances from rivers, bridges, and ponds increases. However, there appears to be no correlation between the density of bird roadkill and any factors. Finally, wildlife crossing facilities and guidance measures aimed at reducing the incidence of roadkill and enhancing the selection of routes and wildlife crossing structures in the area are formulated.

Ecotourism, infrastructures, and the drama of sovereignty on a border island

AbstractThe Ruta 30 scenic road project in Argentine Tierra del Fuego has encountered significant resistance. In this article, we analyze a public hearing convened to assess the road's impacts as an event illuminating the daily dynamics of the region. In this borderland, narratives about sovereignty create a space of liminalities between pasts and futures, centers and peripheries, and living and the dead. In this context, and with Patagonia's expanding conservation and ecotourism frontiers, studying public reflexivity becomes crucial for understanding rapid changes. To this end, we employ Turner's “social drama” concept to analyze the hearing as a performance enacting authorized discourses of experts, policymakers, environmentalists, industry, and workers. We conclude by discussing “liminal governance” in a border territory that transcends neoliberal and sovereign designs, and “impossible opposition,” revealing how the hearing reframed the road conflict as a sovereignty crisis, ultimately mitigating potential disruptions to established settler‐colonial structures.

Creating and Managing a Radically Edited Cultural Landscape: The Blue Ridge Parkway in the United States

This article explores how a contrived heritage tourism landscape was created, how its identity was marketed, and how it has influenced the culture of the contiguous region in which it resides in. During the Great Depression, the designers from the U.S. National Park Service manipulated the authenticity of the indigenous architecture and radically edited the mountain landscape in Virginia and North Carolina to create an institutionalized super-scenic motorway—the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Spanning over four hundred miles, the BRP promotes early American mountain culture. As it approaches its centennial year of being authorized by the U.S. Congress, this recreational road continues to be a popular heritage site and supports the regional economy through heritage tourism. However, does the planning of the parkway and the management of its identity convey the region’s historic mountain culture or has it always been a created landscape for tourism that is based on a formal construct of a heritage idea, created by its designers? And for the American tourist experiencing the BRP, what is more important: the authenticity of the regional heritage or the authenticity of the contrived artefact simply put, the scenic road?

A Study on Characteristics of Sequential Landscape for Road Used by Visitors to Approach Main Destinations for Scenic Road Construction: A Case Study on Miryang-si

Purpose: Recently, there have been increasing efforts to develop tourism content for exploring regional economies. Among them, development of scenic roads through road maintenance is attracting attention as an alternative way for boosting tourism and local economy, since more people use private cars in contemporary society. The purpose of this study is to clarify scenic characteristics of each access route for main destinations in Miryang-si and establish basic data for sequence scenic road maintenance.
 Methods: To clarify objectives, this study targeted top 15 destinations, analyzed their circulation system and access routes, landcape characteristics for each route and their utilization methods, and relevant implications.
 Results: According to the results, 3 national roads, 3 local roads, and 10 other roads were used as main routes for 15 desginations. The external landscape view-based sequence landscape maintenance method is efficient for national road routes by utilizing farmlands around roads and street trees at city entrance. However, local road routes have slower vehicle speeds and various short-range landscapes, so they show high efficiency in utilizing visual elements but need additional plans, such as parking places. Other town and village roads are mostly narrow and short, and scenic experience of walking around access road was found to be more efficient than using cars.
 Conclusion: In order to improve and maintain scenic roads, there must be a prior investigation in consideration of current situations and this study is designed for such reasons. The follow-up studies, such as verifying efficiency of scenic road construction for each route, can be used as grounds for suggesting directions.

그린웨이 공간 이용자의 행태 분석 연구

Greenway is a linear green open space located along natural or man-made landscapes such as rivers, ridgelines, abandoned railways and scenic roads, with multiple functions of ecology, recreation and social culture. Greenway in the modern sense originated in the United States and has rapidly become a global movement since the 1990s. Greenway construction in China began in 2008, and most of it focuses on the function, benefit and planning of greenway space. There are few studies on users, and scholars engaged in this field come from multiple disciplines, so the theoretical basis is weaker than overseas studies. This study first elaborated the concept and type of greenway space, the definition of greenway space user, summarized the development process of greenway space overseas and China. By systematically summarizing the research progress of greenway space users in China and overseas, it is found that more and more scholars in the field of greenway research begin to pay attention to user issues, and the research area is increasingly globalized. Most of them are empirical studies, and the research methods tend to be diverse. Most of them are American scholars. At present, greenway user research is mostly based on the research of developed countries. However, the purpose of greenway construction in China is different, and the current public awareness of greenway is still little. Therefore, this study can provide theoretical case reference for the study of greenway user behavior in developing countries.

Inside cars: changing automobilities and backseat passengering in experimental film and 360 video

Despite the recent upsurge of interest in passengering, there are no accounts on how backseat passengering links to experimental film and 360 video or how it responds to the broader relationship between automobilities, the organization of car travel and on-screen storytelling. To fill this gap, I follow up on the profiling of the passenger as a distinctive subject and object of infrastructures of mobility to discuss the backseat passenger’s experience, seen as both a socially engaged and embodied practice, in four stylistically distinct works, Larry Gottheim’s Harmonica, Lluis Escartín’s Mohave Cruising, Ken Jacobs’ Berkeley to San Francisco, and ASMR Driving at night: Back seat view. While Harmonica, Mohave Cruising and Berkeley to San Francisco are selective, self-aware experiments, which play out in various forms, ASMR is an authorless 360 drive video that lacks much aesthetic value and continues the long-established culture of scenic road and auto-tourism, turning on-site visitors into virtual tourists. Although each work approaches passengering visualities differently through exhibiting forward, side, parallax and 3 D views, they all articulate a multi-sensorial experience of driving and offer a relatively novel take on the practices of automobility through shifting the perspective of the driver and frontseat passenger to the backseat view.

Path planning of scenic spots based on improved A* algorithm

Traditional scenic route planning only considers the shortest path, which ignores the information of scenic road conditions. As the most effective direct search method to solve the shortest path in static road network, A* algorithm can plan the optimal scenic route by comprehensively evaluating the weights of each expanded node in the gridded scenic area. However, A* algorithm has the problem of traversing more nodes and ignoring the cost of road in the route planning. In order to bring better travel experience to the travelers, the above factors are taken into account. This paper presents a path planning method based on the improved A* algorithm. Firstly, the heuristic function of the A* algorithm is weighted by exponential decay to improve the calculation efficiency of the algorithm. Secondly, in order to increase the practicality of the A* algorithm, the impact factors that road conditions is introduced to the evaluation function. Finally, the feasibility of the improved A* algorithm is verified through simulation experiments. Experimental results show that the improved A* algorithm can effectively reduce the calculation time and road cost.

Study on the Influence of Road Network on the Spatial Distribution of Tourism Resources – A Case Study of the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway

Objectives: The Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway is one of the most well-known scenic byway in China. Researching on the mechanism of action between the routes and tourism resources nodes of the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway network, will benefit the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway’s development by changing the development patterns of the Scenic Byway from “point-line” to network, and will be helpful to promote the integration of tourism resources along the route, furthermore to construct the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway as a destination of all-for-one tourism. Methods: Based on the spatial design network analysis (sDNA model), GIS spatial analysis and other methods, the current study analyzed regional tourism resources and the spatial characteristics of road network morphology along the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway, and explored the influence of road network forms on the spatial distribution of tourism resources and its spatial spillover effect by combining with spatial econometric model. Results: The distribution pattern of tourism resources along the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Road is “dense at both ends and sparse in the middle”, and the “Matthew Effect” is significant. The spatial structure of road network varies significantly at different scales; at the global scale, the spatial structure shows “one axis and two cores”, at the local scale, it shows "two cores and multiple nodes"; Every road network variable has spatial spillover effect on the distribution of tourism resources. The global scale Closeness (NQPDE) has significant positive direct effect and negative spillover effect on tourism resources distribution. Every 1% increase in local closeness will promote an increase of 0.811% and -0.99% in the distribution of local and adjacent tourism resources, respectively. Betwenness (TPBTE) has significant positive direct effect and positive spillover effect on the distribution of tourism resources. Every 1% increase in local betwenness will promote an increase of 0.337% and 1.860% in the distribution of local and adjacent tourism resources, respectively. Conclusions: The distribution of tourism resources along the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway’s shows significant “Matthew Effect”. The spatial structure of the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway network varies significantly at different scales. At the global scale, firstly, it has better accessibility and centrality, which is more attractive to the global road network; secondly, the road network is more traversable, which means it bears greater traffic volume, which is more inconsistent with the actual High-grade highways bear more long-distance traffic flows to match; thirdly, they distribution of tourism resources are generally in line with the spatial orientation of National Highway 318. Traffic conditions are an indispensable and important condition for promoting the healthy development of the distribution of regional tourism resources. Closeness (NQPDE) is an important factor affecting the spatial distribution and growth potential of local tourism resources, but it will relatively weaken the development opportunities and cost advantages of tourism resources in neighboring regions, and inhibit the distribution of tourism resources in neighboring regions. Betwenness (TPBtE) is the key to promote global tourism, especially the rapid transportation system can accelerate the integration and reconstruction of tourism elements. This study aims to promote the sound development of the Sichuan-Tibet Scenic Byway network layout and the distribution of regional tourism resources in the post-epidemic era, and to provide reference for the spatial planning of tourism transportation and the optimal allocation of tourism elements.

How Social Networks Affect the Spatiotemporal Planning of Smart Tourism: Evidence from Shanghai

Scenic tourism route plans are usually generated by combining scenic Points of Interest (PoIs) and the scenic road network. Traditional algorithms map the road networks linking the PoIs into a route collection and build a corresponding graph model. However, a single PoI description mechanism for scenic spots with multiple entrances and exits is significantly different from the actual tour route, which has multiple entrances and exits. Furthermore, the preferences and needs of tourists are not considered in attraction selection in existing algorithms. In this study, we propose a double-weighted graph model that considers the multiple entrances and exits of the PoI and identifies the tourists’ preferences using social network data. According to tourists’ different preferences and demands, different optimized tourist routes closer to the actual optimal paths were generated through an ant colony algorithm based on the proposed double-weighted graph model. To address the efficiency of the proposed model, we applied it in Shanghai and compared it with the traditional model through the 2bulu app, which can record three-dimensional (3D) trajectories of tourists. The comparison results show that the proposed model using social network data is closer to the actual 3D trajectory than the traditional model.

Experimental-Numerical Study of Indexation of Scenic Road Vertical Alignment in China

The vertical alignment design method of road in scenic spots does not evolve enough along the vehicle’s rapid variation. Values of the maximum longitudinal slope (MLS) and longest slope length (LSL) applicable to scenic roads used by the environmental-friendly vehicle (EFV) are not provided. To compensate for this shortage, a multibody vehicle dynamic model in uphill traving is built, providing the static equilibrium state and dynamic balancing process of a typical vehicle. MLS and LSL values in scenic roads are obtained based on this model through numerical simulation, considering typical EFV, maximum velocity loss (MVL), and ideal velocity loss (IVL). Field experiments for verifying the results are also carried out in Huashan Mountain, Cuihua Mountain National Park, and Taiping Forest Park, using two EFV types. MLS and LSL values in scenic roads applicable to EFV obtained in this research vary from 7.8% to 10.2% and 200 to 955 m, respectively, and both are larger than the corresponding values in current criteria. According to verification results, relative errors of climbing velocity vary from 0.0104 to 0.0205, showing the dynamic model’s accuracy and further proving the practicality of MLS and LSL values obtained. The results obtained in this research lay a foundation for establishing the scenic-road vertical alignment design method.

An innovative approach on the renewable hybrid barrier: combined use of wood and sand

ABSTRACT Background: Wooden materials have been among the basic materials used in many different areas due to some advantages throughout the history. Roadside barriers, which are called passive safety structures, can be produced with different materials such as wood, steel, concrete, and plastic. In this study, Renewable Hybrid Barriers (RHB), a new type of barrier that is used wood in terms of aesthetics, renewability, high shock resistance, and used sand in terms of impact absorption capacity and low cost, produced by taking into account some of the disadvantages of other barrier types. These barriers are planned to be used especially in historical/touristic areas, scenic roads, and in urban areas as urban furniture. Real-time crash tests in accordance with EN 1317 (Road Restraint Systems) standard require high cost and long time. Therefore, the pendulum crash test mechanism frequently used in the literature was manufactured at which the experiments were carried out. Results: The results revealed that the RHBs which has 2 cm thick timber and sand used together, were sufficient and suitable in terms of both cost and necessary safety criteria. It was observed that impregnation and heat treatment applications did not have a considerable negative effect on the performance of RHBs which provide an opportunity to use RHBs for outdoor conditions.. Conclusion: In the light of the results of the study, the optimum wood timber thickness was determined as 2 cm regarding TB 31 test criteria. It is proposed that the crash tests for different wood species, timber thickness, and/or barrier dimensions should carry out in future studies. This study can serve as the basis for the next step, real-time real crash tests. Since the study includes an interdisciplinary subject, it is thought that it will inspire different studies.

A Study on the System and Characteristics of a Driver’s Visual Perception on the Scenic Road

A Study on the System and Characteristics of a Driver’s Visual Perception on the Scenic Road

How much traffic is too much? Finding the right vehicle quota for a scenic mountain road in the Italian Alps

An effective yet neglected option to limit the detrimental effects of car traffic in natural tourist destinations is the imposition of vehicle quotas. Defining the right quota for a road system, however, may not be straightforward because of the complex connection between the number of vehicles entering the system and traffic levels across space and over time. In this paper, we present a novel approach to tackle this issue that combines agent-based modeling and standards of quality, and we use it to define an hourly quota aimed at limiting traffic congestion and demand for parking along a scenic road in the Dolomites (Italian Alps). The model is designed and calibrated using geospatial and traffic data, and the acceptability of the quotas is further tested according to the hourly modal splits they might induce.Our model simulations highlight that, by redistributing morning traffic inflows, the quota can almost eliminate congestion with only a negligible impact on overall traffic figures. Further, while traffic reductions of up to 35% may be needed to eliminate traffic-related issues, more reasonable reductions (i.e. 10–25%) may be enough to address most of those. From an empirical perspective, the paper shows the effectiveness of quotas in sustainable transport and tourism; from a policy and management perspective, it proposes an approach for the definition of an ideal quota. The design of a quota system, however, requires detailed implementation and communication strategies, and more advanced simulation tools to capture circulation patterns induced by such strategies.