Sustainable Development Of Urban Transport Research Articles

Urban Transport of Passengers in Large Urban Agglomerations and Sustainable Development. Experience of Bucharest Municipality in Romania

Urban transport of passengers is considered in Romania a priority of local communities. Thus, this service, together with four other services (water supply and sewerage, public lighting, sanitation and district heating), is subject to a special law, Law 51/2006, also called the Law on Community Utilities. In 2016 the public utility law was republished, amended and completed by Law 225. Why it was necessary to change and complete the law of public utilities and what role the urban public transport service has in the sustainable development of localities, are questions that we are trying to answer through our research. The proliferation of green transport modalities as well as technological progress have forced paradigm shifts in terms of mobility in large urban agglomerations. A comparative analysis of the public transport modalities in the large urban agglomerations comparable to Bucharest could not be made without considering the socio-economic and environmental factors. Sustainable development of urban transport will help to increase the quality of life for urban residents and regain the well-deserved position of urban transport as a public service of general interest. Keywords: sustainable transport, sustainable development, Bucharest experience

Evaluation system for the sustainable development of urban transportation and ecological environment based on SVM

Evaluation system for the sustainable development of urban transportation and ecological environment based on SVM

Energy-Efficiency Models of Sustainable Urban Transportation Structure Optimization

With the increasing numbers of cars and trips in cites, energy consumption and environmental pollution have become key problems of urban transport. In particular, the increasing use of private cars not only causes more energy consumption and produces more exhaust, but also makes the transportation structure unbalanced. Thus, a rationalized transport structure must be established and optimized to promote the sustainable development of urban transport. This paper presents some energy-efficiency models of sustainable urban transport structure optimization. Their objective functions are to minimize the energy consumption, and their constraints are carbon dioxide emission and traffic efficiency. The models were solved via the artificial fish swarm algorithm and used to optimize the urban transport structure of Harbin city in China. The results indicate that the models can not only guarantee the benefit of travelers and reduce the carbon emission, but also minimize energy consumption of the urban transportation.

Study on China's Urban Transport Development Taking World Leading Transport Development as the Benchmark

Urban transport is a key support for urban economic and social development whose development is accompanied by the rapid and diversified development of cities. This study aims at systematically sorting out the process, pattern and goal of international typical urban transport development, summarizing its main development characteristics, and selecting index from 6 aspects such as supportability, maneuverability, safety, economy, sustainability and innovation etc. to analyze the development situation of urban transport in China and to compare it with international leading development level so as to identify the main difference, and to provide policy suggestions on healthy and sustainable development of urban transport in China.

A multi-attribute decision-making model for the evaluation of uncertainties in traffic pollution control planning.

The evaluation of traffic emissions control efficiency from various levels is a key issue while selecting an optimal plan for the sustainable development of urban transportation. The conventional multi-criteria evaluation methods cannot deal with the determination and uncertainty of each indicator, and ignore influence of the decision-maker's risk attitude on the evaluation results. This study proposed the use of a multi-attribute decision-making model to evaluate the traffic pollution control operational efficiency by integrating 11 hybrid-type indicators related to the plan implementation, traffic flow, and emissions. It also revealed the relationship between the preference of each decision-maker on these evaluation indicators and the threshold changes in the emissions control efficiency ranking. Case studies performed on the four plans showed that the evaluation value of emissions control efficiency for each plan was related to the decision-maker's risk attitude, and the efficiency ranking was decided by their threshold contact degrees.

25 years of the Municipal Transportation Board in Gdynia

Twenty five years ago, the Municipal Transportation Board in Gdynia (ZKM) was launched. As part of the process of changes in the transport service of Gdynia and neighboring municipalities, a unit was created to organize public transport. A specialized urban transport organizer has been set up to improve the quality of public transport services. During the 25 years of operation of ZKM, the level of quality of service has been improved significantly, adjusting the transport offer to the demand and transportation preferences of inhabitants, learned through systematic representative marketing research. Trolleybus transport has been modernized, thanks to trolleybuses having an energy storage tank. Transport services within the network of ZKM are carried out by operators owned by the City of Gdynia and competing private entities. Before ZKM there are challenges related to the constantly increasing expectations of the inhabitants in terms of quality of service and the changing conditions of their service in the situation of strong development of motorization and implementation of the policy of sustainable urban transport development. The article presents the tasks and scope of activities of ZKM, bus, midibus, microbus and trolleybus transport organized by ZKM, operators contracted by ZKM, supervision and regulation of traffic in the transport network of ZKM, transport service of mass events by ZKM, marketing research conducted by ZKM, customer service by ZKM, quality evaluation of ZKM services and future challenges standing ahead of this unit.

Assessment of sustainable urban transport development based on entropy and unascertained measure.

To find a more effective method for the assessment of sustainable urban transport development, the comprehensive assessment model of sustainable urban transport development was established based on the unascertained measure. On the basis of considering the factors influencing urban transport development, the comprehensive assessment indexes were selected, including urban economical development, transport demand, environment quality and energy consumption, and the assessment system of sustainable urban transport development was proposed. In view of different influencing factors of urban transport development, the index weight was calculated through the entropy weight coefficient method. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted according to the actual condition. Then, the grade was obtained by using the credible degree recognition criterion from which the urban transport development level can be determined. Finally, a comprehensive assessment method for urban transport development was introduced. The application practice showed that the method can be used reasonably and effectively for the comprehensive assessment of urban transport development.

Estimating light-rail transit peak-hour boarding based on accessibility at station and route levels in Wuhan, China

ABSTRACTPromoting public transit is a well-recognized policy for sustainable urban transport development. Transit demand analysis proves to be a challenging task in fast growing cities, partially due to the lack of reliable data and applicable techniques for rapidly changing urban contexts. This paper presents an effort to meet the challenge by developing a framework to estimate peak-hour boarding at light-rail transit (LRT) stations. The core part of the framework is an accessibility-weighted ridership model that multiplies potential demand by integral LRT accessibility. Potential demand around LRT stations is generated by using a distance-decay function. The integral LRT accessibility is a route-level factor that indicates the degree of attractiveness to LRT travel for stations in an LRT corridor. A case study in Wuhan, China, shows that the proposed method produces results useful for improving transit demand analysis.

BICYCLES TRANSPORT SUSTAINABILITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: CASE STUDY OF MZUZU CITY, MALAWI

PurposeThe objective of the study is to investigate and critically analyze the sustainability of bicycle taxi transport as informal business operation, the operators prevailing challenges and its contribution to sustainable urban transport and tourism development in Mzuzu City, Malawi.Design / Methodology/ApproachThe study was conducted with ten bicycle taxi operators, road users, and two city council and two government authorities in Mzuzu City, Malawi. The sampling technique for bicycle taxi operators was random to collect primary data whereas authorities from city council and government used a representative sampling technique to collect both primary and secondary data type (rules documents and regulations as well as by-laws). The research used both questionnaire and in-depth interviews. In this case, mixed method approach suited very well with a small sample in a small tourist city.FindingsThe empirical results reveal that bicycle taxi operators are called periodically by road traffic officials and provide them with an awareness on how to operate on the roads within the city. It also reveals that there is no law that restricts operators from riding a bicycle in the city. Furthermore, reveals that bicycle taxi operators do not cause accidents, but rather accidents are caused by several factors, among them: pedestrians, drunkards, not following rules and regulation by road users. Therefore, bicycle taxi users vowed to continue using bicycles because there are cheap and can take them anywhere motorized cars cannot reach. Despite a few challenges operators are facing, bicycles transport will be sustained, hence contributing to domestic tourism development.Practical / Social ImplicationsThe study reveals that bicycle transport should be properly formalized and integrated into urban transport in Mzuzu City which would lead to the creation of an environmentally friendly city; continued provision of affordable public and tourists transport; and improving revenue base for the city council, as they will be able to collect revenue from the operators.The results of this study cannot be generalized since the researcher focused on one city with a very small population with a small sample size.Novelty / Originality There are very few studies or none existing at all conducted in tourism to study bicycle transport sustainability opportunities for tourism development in Malawi, and this may be first of its kind.

Public Transport Authority as an Efficient Solution for Sustainable Urban Transport Development: A Case Study in Hai Phong City

Public Transport Authority as an Efficient Solution for Sustainable Urban Transport Development: A Case Study in Hai Phong City

Modeling Analysis of the Sustainable Development of Urban Traffic Based on Vehicle Policy

AbstractA system dynamics (SD) model of the sustainable development of urban transport is built with vehicle development policy considered as the regulating factor. Moreover, an empirical study is conducted using SD and integrating environmental factors. Results show that (1) policy intervention influences the indicators of vehicle possession, gross domestic production, total population, and pollution index of NO2; and (2) strict restrictions on vehicles can effectively relieve traffic congestion, reduce the percentage of vehicle travel and trips, and urge people to shift from private to public transport. Policy intervention also improves the service level of public transport. The negative effect of urban transport development on the environment can be reduced. A restriction policy on vehicle possession should be implemented. Moreover, research, development, and promotion of effective energy-saving measures and emission-reducing technologies are needed to reduce energy consumption and emissions from vehicles.

The Bike-and-Ride Research Based on Low Carbon Consideration at Urban Rail Transit Station

In recent years, both the city scale and economic level grow rapidly in China. Urbanization and motorization bring heavy pressure on the land, energy, transport and the environment. Thinking and exploring more rational traffic patterns to resolve the adverse effect on urbanization and motorization is an essential way to achieve sustainable development of urban transportation. As a kind of public transport, the effective convergence between bicycle and urban rail transit would help our transportation mode transfer from ‘sites – sites’ toward ‘door – door’ so as to establish an efficient system of transport links and ease traffic pressure. This article is about the analysis and evaluation of feasibility and connectivity features of bike-and-ride at urban rail transit station of Huizhou city in PR China. And then provides valuable references for decision-making of related departments.

The assessment of pollutants emissions within sustainable urban freight transport development: The case of Novi Sad

Assessment of pollutant emissions is a prerequisite for planning and development of sustainable urban transport systems. Majority of extant studies on sustainable urban transport is focused on pollution caused by urban passenger transport, with marked paucity of literature on the impact of urban freight transport. To partly bridge this gap, the paper objective is the impact assessment of selected regulative measures, i.e. fleet renewal on freight transport emissions. We used the case of Novi Sad to estimate the potential impact of selected restrictive measures on the external freight transport air pollution. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies on impact of urban freight transport on the air pollution in the cities in the Balkan region. Several research findings are of interest. Firstly, the analysis of particular gas emissions reveals expected overall positive effects of the fleet renewal in most of cases. Still, the total amount of same emissions hardly increase, so this particular measure is not enough to reach the ambitious EU strategy goals concerned with sustainable urban freight transport. Further, some negative impacts of restrictive measures on gas emissions were also recorded and discussed. The observed complex impact of restrictive measures on urban freight air pollution indicates that urban freight transport planning and modeling requires a comprehensive database, clear goals and higher priority of environmental criterion in traffic planning. Our results and recommendations may be useful for scholars, urban transport planners, policy makers and practitioners.

Research on the Problems and Countermeasures of Urban Pedestrian Traffic System

While vigorously promoting sustainable urban transport development today, as the most basic mode of transportation, pedestrian traffic draws people's attention. Meanwhile, China's urban population has seen a accelerated aging trend, which will have higher requirements in pedestrian traffic environment. This paper discusses the characteristics and position of pedestrian traffic, analyzes the main problems of current domestic pedestrian traffic and proposes countermeasures.

Sustainable Transport Data Collection and Application: China Urban Transport Database

Transport policy making process of national and local governments should be supported by a comprehensive database to ensure a sustainable and healthy development of urban transport. China Urban Transport Database (CUTD) has been built to play such a role. This paper is to make an introduction of CUTD framework including user management, data warehouse, and application modules. Considering the urban transport development features of Chinese cities, sustainable urban transport development indicators are proposed to evaluate the public transport service level in Chinese cities. International urban transport knowledge base is developed as well. CUTD has been applied in urban transport data processing, urban transport management, and urban transport performance evaluation in national and local transport research agencies, operators, and governments in China, and it will be applied to a broader range of fields.

On Building Low-Carbon Public Transport System

Building low-carbon public transport system is an important part of low-carbon urban transport sector. On the basis of analysis of the concept, meaning and significance of low-carbon transport, this paper analyzed the need to build low-carbon public transport system, and from the aspects of planning, technical, management and travelers, proposed appropriate measures to build low-carbon public transport system. Finally, the paper guided the traveler to consciously low-carbon travel. Through taking more measures to build low-carbon public transport system, we can achieve the sustainable development of urban transport.

Developing a Conceptual Framework for the Evaluation of Urban Freight Distribution Initiatives

The evaluation of urban freight distribution initiatives is an essential process to the successful and effective implementation. The ultimate goal is to identify solutions where economic, social and environmental objectives can be combined, in order to achieve sustainable urban freight transport development. This paper presents the development of a conceptual framework for modelling the dynamic behaviour of various stakeholders in urban freight distribution and evaluates different strategic policies. The framework allows decision makers to conceptualise the promising initiatives and the factors that will be integrated into the model development. The methodology proposed takes into consideration the behaviour of several stakeholders and their interactions using the multi-agent system approach. Then the urban freight distribution initiatives can be prioritised. The case study of Rundle Mall Precinct, Adelaide is introduced and will be the test case for the model developed.