Sustainable Modes Research Articles

Exploring the psychological drivers of sustainable transport consumption: The role of Big-Two personality traits

Understanding the psychological factors that influence people’s behavior in using sustainable modes of transportation, e.g., public transport, is crucial for promoting environmentally friendly behavior and mitigating climate change. This study examines the impact of the big-two personality traits (stability and plasticity) on households’ auto transport consumption (ATC) and public transport consumption (PTC), and their mediating role in the relationship between socioeconomic factors (e.g., age, income, education, marital status) and transport consumptions (i.e., ATC and PTC). A triple-hurdle model, including two binary logit models and one structural equation model, is developed using a comprehensive national household survey in Australia. Findings reveal that the stability trait is positively related to ATC (b = 0.253, p < 0.10) and negatively to PTC (b = −0.372, p < 0.001), while the plasticity trait shows a positive association with PTC (b = 0.351, p < 0.001) and is negatively related to ATC (b = −0.296, p < 0.001). The developed analytical framework supports policymakers to identify individuals with stability and plasticity traits, using socioeconomic factors, and to design more-targeted interventions to incentivize specific individuals to use public transport, thus contributing to global efforts toward a sustainable future.

Management of Massive Irreparable Posterosuperior Cuff Tears: A Systematic Review for Clinical &amp; Functional &amp; Radiological Outcomes

Abstract Background The management of massive irreparable cuff tears (MIRCT) remains a highly controversial subject with many possible surgical and non-surgical interventions and no clear evidence regarding the most effective and beneficial intervention. Different management options include: conservative management, partial repair, tendon transfer, superior capsular reconstruction, subacromial spacer insertion, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). Aim of the Work The aim of this systematic review is to compare the various methods of management of posterosuperior cuff tears without arthropathy to reach the most effective and sustainable mode of management. Patients and Methods A randomized controlled trial, non-randomized clinical trials, prospective and retrospective comparative cohort studies and case series. We will exclude cross-sectional studies, case reports and literature not in English. Results There is no high quality evidence on management of MIRCT. There was no Level I or II evidence. We included 69 papers that studied different modalities of management of MIRCT, 31 of level III and the remaining were of level IV evidence. Consequently, it’s still difficult to recommend one method of management over the other regarding the management of irreparable cuff tears. Patient age, demands, expectations, thorough clinical examination, surgeon experience and preference are still a major deciding factor when choosing and appropriate method. Conclusion Due to the unavailability of high-quality clinical studies available for guiding management of irreparable MRCT, it is consequently not possible to recommend for or against any specific treatment strategy. Rather, clinical experience, patient factors, patient expectations, and rotator cuff tear characteristics should guide clinical decision-making. Physical therapy compared to surgical treatments may have inferior outcomes. Standardized data collection, reporting and terminology are key to enhancing the quality of evidence-based medicine.

How Does the Introduction of Shared Ride-Sourcing Services Affect Demand for Existing Modes for Non-Commuting Trips? Evidence from a Joint RP-SP Study in Metro Vancouver

The introduction and subsequent growth of ride-sourcing services have been found to affect the use of existing modes of travel. Although prior studies have explored the impacts of these services as a whole, relatively little work has been done to explore the relationship between shared ride-sourcing and existing modes of travel. Given the potential for shared ride-sourcing to help mitigate the negative externalities associated with ride-sourcing, understanding the factors influencing the use of these services and their relationship with existing modes can inform efforts to help ensure that this potential is realized. This study uses data from a web-based survey of Metro Vancouver residents to estimate a joint revealed preference–stated preference (RP–SP) model of mode choices for non-commuting trips. The model is then applied to explore the potential impacts of shared ride-sourcing on the demand for existing modes. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to use a joint RP–SP model to explore the potential impacts of shared ride-sourcing on the demand for existing modes. The results suggest these services can affect the demand for exclusive ride-sourcing and attract demand from more sustainable modes such as public transit and active modes. This information can be used to help inform policies that help ensure that the benefits of shared ride-sourcing are realized. Shared ride-sourcing use can be encouraged by increasing the difference between the cost of exclusive and shared services; however, limiting the impacts of these services on the demand for more sustainable modes is also important.

Evolution of Italy-Greece Passenger Maritime Transport: a Multi-level Study to Estimate the Factors Influencing the Demand and Supply of Passenger Ferry Transport

In recent years, the shipping and maritime transport segment has undergone profound changes. Faced with the need to achieve the sustainability goals set by Agenda 2030, different sustainable modes of transport must therefore be evaluated. Passenger transport by ship has proven to be the least polluting per pax/km. Different European regulations are moving in the direction of limiting transport by air when there are fewer polluting methods on average lengths, mainly on a national scale. The tourism sector is one where the impacts on the Agenda 2030 goals are often not properly assessed. Ship connections with a tourism function are central in connections to smaller islands which, due to their size and relatively small flows, do not have airports. In medium-sized basins, tourist traffic by ship is changeable and often dependent on specific characteristics of the basin. The aim of the present research work is to analyse the general case of an open basin, with an application to the Adriatic-Ionian basin. The system of connections between eastern Italy and western Greece by ship is analysed. The case study refers to the characteristics of travel from Italy to Greece by ship, with reference to the Ionian Islands. The overall method proposed is articulated in several successive steps, which can be summarised as follows: analysis of the characteristics of services; analysis of supply with network analysis methods applied to services; analysis of demand with estimation of a regression model. The methodologies identified make it possible to highlight the temporal and central characteristics of the network considered, and at the same time to verify the influence that certain attributes have on tourism for the area studied. The results show, on the one hand, that not all services have a significant summer component and, on the other, that the centrality of the various ports within the network changes, even heavily, with the season. The work is expected to be of particular interest to policy makers, planners, and researchers, considering centrality as closely linked to the distribution of services for passengers in ports and related port-city areas, and considering the possibility of better planning the distribution of funding in relation to the ports’ development and resilience to address disruptive events.

A column and row generation approach to the crowd-shipping problem with transfers

Crowd-shipping is a last-mile delivery concept in which commuters pick up and deliver parcels on their pre-existing paths. In urban areas, crowd-shipping circumvents problems that traditional last-mile delivery systems suffer from, such as road congestion and lack of parking spaces, especially if more sustainable modes of transport are utilized, like bikes or e-bikes. Using transfers between crowd-shippers allows for expanding the service area and improving the overall performance. However, as this requires synchronization over space and time, it makes the problem more complex. In this work, we develop a model that can encompass fully heterogeneous crowd-shippers and parcels. Thereby, it allows for both direct time-synchronized transfers as well as intermediate storage at designated parcel lockers. We design a column generation algorithm to solve large-scale realistic instances to optimality. We extend the problem to allow crowd-shippers to carry multiple parcels at the same time and for this, we extend the algorithm to simultaneous column and row generation. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm as well as the potential of crowd-shipping with transfers on a realistic case study of a bike-based crowd-shipping system in Washington DC. Our methods solve realistic instances with 1000 crowd-shippers and 1000 parcels within minutes. The results show that a gain in revenue and service level of 30% can be obtained by allowing transfers. By letting part of the population of crowd-shippers carry two or three parcels at the same time, the revenue and service level can be further increased by 30 to 50%. Maximum locker capacities are shown to be reasonable and are the highest in areas where there is a large gap between the moment when parcels are dropped off and when they are picked up from parcel points, which are mainly in the city center.

Factors Influencing Students’ Choice of Sustainable Transportation Modes on University Campuses

Abstract The increased number of registered vehicles among students at the universities, such as cars and motorcycles, were causing some problems on the campus and around the hostels, such as traffic congestion, crowded parking, which also lead to disturbances in universities communities. The aims of this study were to identify the types of transportation preferred among Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) students, and to analyze the factors that influence mode choice among UTHM students. The study was carried out using a self-guided questionnaire with a determined sample of 120 respondents among undergraduate students that included those who lived on campus nor off-campus residences. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression, and the tools used were Microsoft Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The Finding of this study showed that the preferred mode choice was bus. However, only a few independent variables were statistically significant for each transport mode, respectively, in multiple regression analyzes. Generally, the main factors that affected the mode choice among UTHM students were security and convenience. In utility functions, walking was predicted to have the highest preference among UTHM students.

Perspectives and possibilities for developing ride-sharing services to promote sustainable mode of transport: Bangladesh perspective

The ride-sharing trend is booming because of modern technologies and plays a significant role in transitioning to sustainable transportation methods. This study utilizes a comprehensive dataset collected from an online survey administered to over 1300 individuals in Bangladesh in 2023. Its specific focus is to examine the usage patterns of ride-sharing applications, such as Pathao and Uber. It builds upon previous research to analyze the factors influencing the use of these services and current trends in shared transportation. Additionally, it investigates the challenges associated with utilizing shared transportation amenities and proposes potential improvements to make ride-sharing or pooling more attractive. The study diligently worked to establish an inclusive framework and terminology to enhance policies and gain a more detailed understanding of the transportation choices and requirements of communities. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, we adopted an implementation-oriented research approach and conducted a comprehensive quantitative and inferential analysis of the survey data. The inclination of an individual to opt for or perceive collective or merged services depends on several demographic, geographical, and built-environment factors. The findings highlight the necessity of enhanced security measures, increased public awareness of ride-sharing benefits, and the formulation of legislative measures to promote sustainable mobility. Two examples of potential measures we have found to improve and encourage the use of ride-sharing services include reducing uncertainty about shared rides and minimizing passenger discomfort. These measures can be implemented through operational adjustments, government regulations, and employer programs. An essential conclusion was reached regarding the importance of prioritizing improvements in ride-sharing operations, rather than relying solely on cash incentives to promote behavioral change. Furthermore, it was determined that regardless of the changes, policies, or programs implemented, it is imperative to enhance public awareness and education.

Cinematic hometactics: negotiating belonging in first-person documentary

ABSTRACT This article approaches first-person filmmaking as a potential home-making practice – a hometactic – that can actively negotiate reality to set forth new modes of belonging. With a focus on negotiating belonging in the context of migration, I turn to Four Journeys (Louis Hothothot, 2022) as a case study, a first-person documentary that explores the relationship between suppressed memories of violence and lived experience of in-betweenness by tracing four separate journeys between China, Hothothot’s country of origin, and the Netherlands, his country of residence. My analysis of Four Journeys’s home-making efforts as permeated by a praxis of care needed to enact a sustainable mode of belonging in the aftermath of migration is combined with insights from an interview between the filmmaker and the author. On the basis of the case study, the article proposes and elaborates on three forms of home-making practices in relation to cinema: hometactics in film (the documentation of home-making in the film), camera as a hometactic (the act of filmmaking as a home-making process), and cinematic hometactics (the cinematic enactments of home). While this three-part analytic differentiation serves to unpack the diverse forms of cinema and/as hometactics, the article also addresses their overlap.

Strategic Transportation Planning: Soft Mobility Network Planning Technical Report

This technical report presents a comprehensive approach to soft mobility network planning, focusing on assessing the potential for growth in bicycle infrastructure. Utilizing GIS-based analysis and multi-criteria decision-making, the study aims to identify and prioritize areas for new bike infrastructure development. The methodology involved defining influential factors, selecting variables from available datasets, assigning value levels, weighting parameters, and generating cycling infrastructure potential maps. Factors such as connectivity, safety, and attractiveness are considered, with each variable assessed and scored based on current conditions and ideal benchmarks. The results highlight high-potential areas for infrastructure improvement and propose desired lines to enhance the existing network. Limitations of the study, including data currency and grid dimensions, are acknowledged, suggesting avenues for future research and improvement. Overall, the study underscores the importance of integrated planning approaches and the utilization of spatial analysis tools in promoting cycling as a sustainable and accessible mode of transportation

Habit Transformation in Times of Crisis: How Green Values Promote Sustainable Mobility

Going on holiday is often associated with taking the car or plane. Even for short distances, and where alternative, sustainable transportation modes would be available, we frequently choose the more unsustainable options. Affordability, comfortability, and time savings led to an increase in transportation, which in turn, negatively contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction in those emissions can be achieved by choosing public transportation. However, since transportation choices are often made unconsciously and habitually, it is crucial to transform those unsustainable habits into more sustainable ones. Contextual changes can serve as a catalyst. This research investigates whether pre-COVID-19 and pre-inflation unsustainable travel habits can be broken through the perceived impact of COVID-19, financial hardship, and green consumption values, increasing the intention for sustainable transportation modes using a survey design. We found that the context change, as such, does not predict future intentions to travel sustainably, but existing green consumption values do. Building on the self-activation theory, the results show that habits and the perceived impact of COVID-19 and financial hardship activate a person’s green consumption values. Consumers’ green values mediate the relationship between unsustainable habits and the intentions to use sustainable transportation modes, combining the habit discontinuity and self-activation hypotheses.

A Community Partnership Approach to Digital Literacy Training for Older Adults Between Public Libraries and Seniors’ Organizations

This study investigates a community partnership approach between public libraries and seniors’ organizations for older adult digital literacy training. The paper showcases a partnership between a volunteer seniors' organization, two public libraries, and a seniors' centre. Semi-structured interviews with administrators, instructors, and students were analyzed via qualitative thematic analysis techniques. Findings reveal many benefits (e.g., the leveraging of shared resources and tasks; better understanding of seniors’ training needs; better tailoring of the training to meet those needs) and challenges (e.g., the inherent tensions between different organizational structures and ways of working; difficulties establishing a sustainable mode of partnership going forward).

Assessment of Sustainable Mobility Initiatives Developed in Montevideo, Uruguay

This article presents an assessment of sustainable mobility initiatives developed in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the period from 2020 to 2023. The significance of sustainable mobility is underscored due to its far-reaching implications for the environment, energy efficiency, and the overall quality of life of citizens. This study focuses on crucial aspects of four initiatives deployed in Montevideo in 2020–2023: electric mobility solutions using scooters, the development of infrastructure and services for urban cycling, the development of electric public transportation, and private electric transportation. Important results are obtained and commented on for each of the studied initiatives, regarding efficiency, environmental impact, accessibility, the quality of the service, and other relevant indicators. Based on the analysis, valuable knowledge is acquired to guide the future development of efficient and sustainable transportation modes in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Role of maternal non-transport pro-environmental behaviors in adolescents’ travel-to-school mode choices

This study investigates in UK context the relationship between adolescents’ choice of sustainable transport modes (e.g. active transport like walking or cycling and public transport like buses or subways) for their journey to school and maternal non-transport pro-environmental behaviors, such as energy conservation and environmentally friendly purchases, as well as its temporal changes. Data from waves 4 and 10 of the UK Understanding Society survey were separately analyzed using multinomial logistic regression to explore the relationship between frequency of mothers’ non-transport pro-environmental behaviors and adolescents’ sustainable transport to school. Additionally, to understand changes in the strength of this relationship over time, a regression analysis was conducted examining the interaction of mothers’ non-transport pro-environmental behaviors with the survey year. Findings indicate substantial correlations between an array of variables including adolescents’ age, ethnicity, mothers’ occupational and transport behaviors, the number of cars owned by the household, and the nature of residence (urban vs rural), with the adolescents’ active or public transport choice to school, consistently across both waves. As the primary focus of the study, a positive relationship between mothers’ non-transport pro-environmental behaviors and adolescents’ public transport to school is found, although the strength of this relationship declined over time. Importantly, more easily observable mothers’ non-transport pro-environmental behaviors holds a stronger strength of correlation with adolescents’ use of public transport to school, compared to maternal psychological factors like pro-environmental attitudes. Hence, encouraging a range of sustainable behaviors among mothers is crucial to promote adolescents’ public transport to school.

A modified social force model for pedestrian-bicycle mixed flows and its application on evaluating the conflict risk in shared roads

As sustainable modes of transport, walking and cycling are the major choices for short trips. The mixed flow of pedestrians and bicycles is often observed on the roads, but its dynamics and conflict risks have not been well investigated. As commonly observed, pedestrians walk along the road boundaries in the pedestrian-bicycle shared roads. When two or more bicycles share the road, the rear bicycle may choose to either follow or overtake the preceding bicycle under specific criteria. To better reproduce this phenomenon, this study proposed a modified social model. Specifically, self-driving force, force from boundaries, force from other pedestrians and force from bicycles were considered in simulating pedestrian movement. Additionally, the modeling of bicycle movement explicitly takes into account the behavior force for following or overtaking the preceding bicycle. YOLO v5 object detection and DeepSORT multi-object tracking algorithms were applied to extract pedestrian and bicycle trajectories captured by the camera on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Then the model was calibrated using a genetic algorithm to minimize the discrepancy between the simulated and observed trajectories. Under both unidirectional and bidirectional flow scenarios, the proposed model demonstrates good accuracy in reproducing individual movements and lane-formation phenomena for bidirectional pedestrian-bicycle mixed flows. Furthermore, the calibrated model was applied to evaluate the conflict risk of pedestrians and bicycles in a straight road and an intersection on campus. The safety assessment results indicate that lower density and fewer bicycles in the mixed flow can effectively reduce the risk of conflicts. This study can help understand interactions of pedestrians and cyclists in mixed flow conditions and provide theoretical support for the planning and safety evaluation of pedestrian-bicycle shared roads.

Role of private vehicle commuters’ travel wellbeing perception in mode shift behavior towards an upcoming metro in Mumbai Metropolitan region

The expansion of mass rapid transit systems such as the metro in urban metropolitan areas is expected to moderate the problems of congestion and public transport overcrowding. It is crucial to devise measures to attract private vehicle commuters towards these modes to make them economically and financially viable. Positive perceptions and high trip frequency of commute trips can lead to long-term habitual inertia and prevent these commuters from shifting towards new sustainable alternatives. To support transport policy-making in promoting sustainable modes, this study mainly investigated the association of private vehicle commuters’ travel wellbeing perception of their commute, commute frequency, and travel attributes with their mode shift behavior towards an upcoming metro system in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Some external changes will occur in the transport system regarding time, cost, and other attributes with the upcoming 426 km metro line network in MMR. A well-designed stated preference survey was conducted, and 2400 observations were collected from 217 private vehicle commuters (two-wheelers and cars). Results indicate that the commuters value metro on-board comfort the most, followed by transfers, travel time, and waiting time. Existing travel wellbeing perception is found to be insignificant in determining the mode shift behavior. Furthermore, regular private vehicle commuters showed a significant shifting propensity towards the upcoming metro. Mann-Whiteney U test results indicate no significant differences in travel wellbeing perceptions among car and two-wheeler commuters.

The impact of bicycle theft on ridership behavior

Cities worldwide are promoting bicycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. However, bicycle theft remains a significant deterrent for potential riders, and also influences the behaviors of existing cyclists. Understanding the impact of theft on bicycling behaviors provides a foundation for developing strategies to address the negative impacts of bicycle theft. Our goal is to characterize if and how bicycle theft changes individual bicycling behavior. We gathered responses from 1821 individuals in a survey focused on bicycle theft in North America. We employed bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression models to explore the relationships between demographic factors, bicycle attributes, and pre-theft behavior to explain post-theft bicycling behavior. The results show that 45% of survey respondents reduced or ceased bicycling post-theft, while 6% increased their bicycling. Additionally, 40% transitioned from bicycling to unsustainable modes of transportation for their post-theft trips. Also, 69% of people eventually replaced their stolen bicycles, of which 46% selected models of equal/higher value. Pre-theft bicycling activity emerged as the most influential factor on ridership behavior after a bicycle theft, with occasional riders experiencing the most negative impact, compared to frequent riders, who remained committed to bicycling. Recovery of the stolen bicycles, e-bicycle usage, number of bicycles owned, and income levels were also predictors of future bicycling patterns. The insights from this research can inform targeted interventions for populations most at risk to reduce the negative impact of bicycle theft, such as secure parking for new and low-income bicyclists.

Data gaps in transport behavior are bottleneck for tracking progress towards healthy sustainable transport in European cities

Abstract Shifting to healthy, sustainable transport modes is essential to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, improve air quality, and promote physical activity in European cities. To date, a major barrier to monitoring progress towards this objective has been the absence of harmonized passenger transport data across cities. This Perspective synthesizes the outcome of a workshop bringing together experts in urban transportation, climate change mitigation, and health with the aim to identify solutions to overcome this barrier. We identified four data streams that could improve monitoring shifts towards active and public transport at the European level: (i) surveys, (ii) mobile phone data, (iii) street view data and (iv) bicycle and pedestrian counters. We examined the strengths and limitations of each data source and mapped publicly available datasets. We identified few coordinated efforts to collect active travel data among European cities; data gaps remain a critical bottleneck for research, benchmarking, and monitoring progress. Priorities for addressing these gaps include survey harmonization and support for longitudinal monitoring, the expansion of street view data and bicycle counter networks and the sustainable development of open access data repositories.&amp;#xD;

Simulation of a Mathematical Model of Rail Transportation Scheduling Based on Bp Neural Network

Rail transportation, a cornerstone of modern logistics and passenger transit systems, plays a pivotal role in facilitating the efficient movement of goods and people across vast distances. Operating on a network of interconnected tracks, rail systems offer a reliable and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation, particularly for long-distance travel and freight shipments. The paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the application of advanced computational techniques in the realm of rail transportation management. Specifically, Mamdani fuzzy logic and Backpropagation (BP) Neural Networks are employed to address critical challenges in scheduling and classification within rail networks. The utilization of Mamdani fuzzy logic facilitates nuanced decision-making in scheduling processes, considering uncertainties and complexities inherent in rail operations. Through linguistic rules and fuzzy sets, the scheduling system can effectively adapt to various operational constraints and disruptions, leading to more resilient and efficient scheduling solutions. Additionally, the integration of BP Neural Network enhances classification accuracy and prediction capabilities, enabling precise forecasting of train movements, passenger flows, and other key variables.

Buckled elastic sheet as a vortex generator in dual channels

This study presents a dual-channel vortex generator (VG) that leverages the snap-through behaviour of flexible sheets. The VG outperforms a similar-sized rigid VG in generating vortices within dual-channel flows while minimizing pressure loss. Numerical simulations using the immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method analyse the dynamics and vortex generation performance of the sheet under various system parameters. Two distinct modes are identified for the elastic sheet: a sustained snap-through mode (SSTM) and a dormant mode (DM). The sheet's mode is predominantly influenced by its length ratio (L*), bending stiffness $(K_b^\ast )$ and flow strength, with the mass ratio having a minimal impact. The sheet exhibiting regular SSTM can effectively generate vortices in both channels and the vortex generation performance can be conveniently tuned by altering the sheet's initial buckling (i.e. L*). An increase in $K_b^\ast $ results in a higher critical Reynolds number (Rec) required for mode transition. An increase in L*, however, initially raises Rec and then lowers it, suggesting an optimal length ratio (approximately 0.7 for our considered system) for minimizing the Rec necessary to trigger SSTM. Furthermore, a disparity in the flow strength between channels is found to suppress the snap-through of the sheet; a greater disparity, however, is permissible to induce the SSTM of more compliant sheets. These findings underscore the potential of snap-through behaviour for enhanced flow manipulation in dual-channel systems.

Are Transit-Oriented Development and Travel Characteristics Influencing Residential Dissonance? Analysis From a Developing Country’s Perspective

The success of transit-oriented development (TOD) could hinge on reduced residential dissonance among the people living in TOD neighborhoods. Understanding the factors that could be associated with residential dissonance would be crucial in different contexts. Therefore, this study focused on exploring the various factors, such as TOD indicators, travel, and socio-demographic characteristics, that could influence the level of dissatisfaction of people living in TODs in Hyderabad, India. An ordered logit model was developed, which used data collected from primary as well as secondary sources. Results showed negative impacts of gender (male) and income on levels of dissatisfaction about neighborhoods, prompting policy interventions to address the disparities in gender and income groups. Further, it outlined the need to fulfill the varying requirements of larger households to reduce the dissonance. The roles of density, horizontal land-use diversity, and proximity to transit are very significant in improving living-satisfaction levels among people in TODs. More findings suggested the need for well-designed and maintained public spaces to address concerns related to safety and security and improve levels of satisfaction with TOD neighborhoods. The study also suggested that travel distances for educational trips, trip frequencies for work and shopping, and the use of private vehicles for work trips have positive influences on residential dissonance. It would be important to look for ways to provide convenient and sustainable alternative modes along with compact and diverse development, even though a longer commute may be acceptable.