Tram Stop Research Articles

Appraisal of the historical impact of neglected, modernised small-scale architectural objects by Rudolf Frič

Abstract The context of interwar period Czechoslovakia lacks a formal on both the personality and built artefacts on the often overlooked Bratislava builder, Rudolf Frič. Small-scale architecture tends to be undervalued because of its size, utility, multiplicity, or related momentariness, and because of the automatic consideration of its banality. This paper aims to analyse their architectural qualities presented in concrete typologies and realisations. Tram shelters, gas stations, mausoleums, and small detached houses are thus researched. Their architectural values, both in construction and in form, are identified and clarified. On the other hand, it is noted that the scale and ephemerality conditioned by the utility character are the crucial reasons for their undervaluation. This is especially the case of traffic buildings, where the same dynamic that initiated their origin also resulted in their end, as they become obsolete rather soon. Some of these projects by Frič such as: Rybáček House, Polák Tram stop, the Zikmund Brothers’ gas station, as well as the Frič family tomb, are confronted with other relevant realisations, prove that small-scale architectural objects and peripheral typologies have the architectural qualities for which they would deserve the public and professional interest. Moreover, these objects reflect their variety, being situated in diverse urban situations, from the architecturally and historically intact city centre, through to newly urbanised dwelling area, urban periphery up to a provincial town. Additionally, they illustrate the asymmetric position of the Slovak situation compared to the Czech one, particularly in transport architecture. The presented works characterise the style of Frič based on the high-quality craftsmanship details rather than explicit architectural forms. This transfer of new typologies and structural forms with partial urban impacts, underscores the neglected and crucial contribution to architecture by Frič.

Tram stop infrastructure in Poland in the aspect of safety

Travel comfort depends on many criteria, including, to a large extent, the passenger's sense of security while waiting for the vehicle and while driving. For this reason, tram stops play an essential role in the overall assess-ment of the functioning of the tram system in cities. The presented results of the literature review indicate that few publications related to safety in the tram transport system concern aspects of the infrastructure of stops. The arti-cles we distinguished in this area also prove the lack of publications in which the researchers focus on the criteria for assessing the safety of tram stops. The paper aims to present the results of research conducted among experts, which concerned identifying criterions influencing the safety of tram stops and the selection of criteria for their evaluation. In addition, the obtained results are the basis for further analysis of safety at tram stops. The research was conducted among experts representing almost all cities in Poland with a tram service system for residents. The obtained results showed that the critical elements from the safety point of view are those related to technical aspects, i.e., length, width, and height of platforms, which are adapted to both the rolling stock and the size of passenger flows. The second significant group of criteria determining the safety of stops is equipping them with elements supporting their use by people with disabilities, i.e., placing warning fields at the edges of the platform, designating a waiting area for people with reduced mobility, or the use of guiding lanes. It is also crucial to main-tain adequate separation of traffic between its various participants so that other people do not use the waiting and passenger exchange zone. The results obtained as part of the analysis will form the basis for the development of a detailed method of assessing tram stops in Poland in terms of their safety.

Bezpieczeństwo podczas wymiany pasażerów w tramwajach

Safety during exchange of passengers in trams Based on three real–life accidents the impact of tram platform design on the safety of passengers during their exchange is discussed. In one of the examples a tram stop which did not meet the public use requirements despite having been built following applicable building regulations is described. On this stop the tram driver was not able to observe the entire side of the tram cars and passenger exchange taking place due to the radius of the curve on which the stop was placed. The other two cases illustrate events which happened after the height of the platforms was increased relative to the track level in order to adapt them to new types of tram cars while the older ones were still being used. On these stops the lower edge of doors of the new low-floor cars was close to the edge of the platform while in the case of the older types of the cars the distance between these edges threatened the safety of boarding or disembarking passengers.

Literary Istanbul

Literary Istanbul Buket Uzuner (bio), Erkut Tokman (bio), and Matt A. Hanson (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution A City of Two Continents by Buket Uzuner There are few cities in the world for which countless novels, monographs, poems, and memoirs have been written. Istanbul has always been one of those few cities that has changed human history with its multicultural self (entity) and geostrategical position. Istanbul is unique in being the only city in the world to be set on two continents with a sea passing through it by a natural strait. I chose Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul: Memories and the City, as he paints the poetic images of the city through his personal memories and emotions in a brave and literary living autobiogra phy. He talks about the Istanbul of his childhood in the back streets and waterways as if he were a fairytale teller; Pamuk tells the tales of both Istanbulian writers Tanpınar and Yahya Kemal, as well as those who've lived in Istanbul like Flaubert, Nerval, Lord Byron, Amicis, and Cavafy with the sadness (hüzün) of a paradise lost. The reader immediately understands that Istanbul is both Pamuk's home and the heart of his imagination. [End Page 36] I've many favorite bookstores in Istanbul. As you know, Istanbul is set on two continents, therefore I chose two bookstores, one from each. Minoa bookstore (Şişli, on the European side) is an independent bookstore with a wide range of books both in English and Turkish. Its café has lovely cakes and good coffee. Penguen bookstore (Suadiye, on the Asian side) is a five-story bookstore offering different books on each floor along with a cozy café. The City as an Unwritten Novel by Erkut Tokman As it is located at the very end of Istiklal Street (La Grand Rue de Pera) in the Tünel (Tunnel) district of Beyoğlu-İstanbul and considered the third oldest bookshop of the city, whenever I pass by Cohen Sisters Bookshop, it has always been a passageway of memories for me. It is in an old, historical, shady passage with charming cafés facing the Galata-Tunnel Funicular Station—considered the second oldest funicular underground system (after London)—through which one can travel between the Beyoğlu and Karaköy districts climbing up to the hill. Immediately exiting the station, you face the huge and splendid iron door of the passage and last stop of the old tram. The bookshop's owners were two sisters, Sephardic Jews: Mazalto Kohen and Elisa Kohen Benzimra. They established it in the garden of the Swedish Consulate to sell books on nursing and fashion; later, however, when the bookshop moved to Narmanlı Han and eventually to the Tunnel Passage, they sold a wide range of old and new books from different genres and subjects as well as gravures. I have met the owner from the third generation of their family, their cousin's son, Albert Sapan, who inherited the bookshop recently from Samuel Sapan. Although the bookshop's tattered wood frames give the impression of negligence, it reflects the epitome of Istanbul's derelict soul of minorities. With few customers inside, especially today, the shop resists the modern new bookshops near the tram stop, as if it was left alone at the end of a passage smelling of old books. Two old, round tables with a pair of facing chairs are often empty whenever I am there. They face the stairs to the suspended floor of the bookshop that stores books in abundance above the kitchen area. I've searched here for old books and some new, always wondering about the protagonists of other eras who would visit the bookshop as if they had come out of an unwritten novel on Istanbul. Over Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence or Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar's A Mind at Peace, I'd choose Peyami Safa's Fatih-Harbiye, set near the same old tram stop of the bookshop's Tünel district. Fatih depicts the "Eastern sprit and tradition of Istanbul"; Harbiye, the "Western sprit and tradition." The main protagonist, Neriman, faces an engagement dilemma between the...

Study on Safety Measures by Traffic Signal Coordination at a Tram Stop without Safety Island

Study on Safety Measures by Traffic Signal Coordination at a Tram Stop without Safety Island

Criteria for Assessing the Safety and Functionality of Tram Stops

The selection of criteria in the developed methods of analysis and evaluation has a significant impact on the implemented decision-making processes. For this reason, the very process of identifying the correct criteria is a research challenge worth undertaking. The conducted literature review shows that in the methodology of assessing tram and bus stops, the researchers focus primarily on aspects related to safety. Assessment of the functionality of tram stops becomes no less important. However, a literature review shows that this range of stops is sporadically mentioned in publications. Meanwhile, from a practical point of view, the aspects related to ensuring the required functionality in the tram stop zone are as important as the safety of passengers. That is why we surveyed experts who perform official functions in cities with a tram transport system. The conducted research was aimed at: (1) assessment of the elements and selected parameters of the stop infrastructure in terms of their impact on the safety and functionality of stops; (2) assessment of the inter-relationship between safety and functionality criteria when analyzing individual factors. The article aims to present the results obtained during the structured interviews and their interpretation. The obtained research results and their classification constitute not only scientific material, but they can also be used by people and organizations involved in the design, evaluation, and modernization of tram stops. The obtained results should also be analyzed by teams developing urban standards for transport infrastructure.

Tram to Pedestrian Collisions—Priorities and Potentials

To improve mobility in cities in line with environmental goals, in urban traffic, trams represent an increasingly important means of transport. Due to the close interaction with other road users, this makes collisions with trams fairly frequent. This study has investigated accidents between trams and vulnerable road users resulting in personal injury, aimed at identifying priorities for simulating collisions between trams and pedestrians to assess passive safety measures. Tram accident data collection established throughout Europe from multiple sources and with varying degree of details, have been combined and analysed. These analyses comprise risk assessments per km-driven and general tram accident partner and site type evaluations, with more detailed analyses on accident site distance to the closest tram stop and injured body regions, respectively. In total, 7,535 tram-pedestrian accident resulting in 8,802 pedestrian injuries, collected in the year 2000–2021, was analysed. Accident risk ranges from 0.934 accidents per number of tram (million) km-driven, for slight injuries to 0.063 for fatal injuries. Pedestrians represent a large proportion of tram accident collision partners, especially for severe and fatal accidents. In accidents between trams and pedestrians, 3% of reported injuries are fatal, 23% severe and 74% minor. Generally, low-speed accidents close to tram stops often leading to minor injuries were observed to be of significant importance (<20m to the GPS location of a stop). Analysis of accidents was done bases on gender of the pedestrian showing overall similar involvements in accident with slight difference for various age groups and sites. Regardless of injury severity, the most frequently injured body region in accidents involving a tram is the head. Likewise, injuries sustained to the thorax, especially for higher injury severities are of high relevance, followed by injuries to the lower extremities. Based on this study, recommendations for developing reasonable tram-pedestrian accident scenarios for virtual testing can be derived for further optimisation of pedestrian safety of trams.

The Impact of Rolling Stock Heterogeneity on Tram Stop Dwell Time

The prediction of stop dwell time is a major issue in travel speed modeling, i.e., in the definition of travel time for high-frequency and high-ridership rail public transport. This is due to the numerous influential factors associated with stop dwell time, variable both in space and time, such as passenger flow, vehicle and stop design characteristics, and traffic organization. To investigate the impact of the heterogeneity of tram vehicles on stop dwell time, a survey was conducted regarding the tram network of the City of Zagreb. The dwell time at three consecutive island stops served by three different tram vehicle types was analyzed. The stops are located near the city center, in a separate tram corridor, at the far side of signalized intersections. Dwell time was determined and evaluated through the statistical analysis of observed, measured, and video-recorded data. The results show that at stops with up to 200 passengers per hour, the dwell time is around 15 s. For volumes of 20 passengers or less per tram, the dwell time is mostly affected by the tram door opening mechanism and opening/closing time. As the passenger volumes become higher, the number of doors per vehicle becomes more significant.

Birds using tram tracks in Poznań (Poland): Species, infrastructure use and behaviour

Transport infrastructures, mainly roads and railways, influence many aspects of bird life. The use of trams in urban areas for mass transit has been suggested as having a lower impact on the environment. However, to date, the impact of tram tracks and the surrounding infrastructure on birds has not been directly tested. Therefore, we posed two questions during a study of tramways in Poznań (western Poland): (1) which bird species use tram tracks and their infrastructure; and (2) how does their behaviour respond to moving trams. Tram tracks were recorded as used by 11 species, with four corvids (jackdaw Corvus monedula, rook Corvus frugilegus, magpie Pica pica and hooded crow Corvus cornix) totalling 66% of records and feral pigeon Columba livia contributing a further 24%. Species showed different usage patterns of the tram infrastructure. In the case of rook during winter, significantly more birds were observed further from a tram stop. In summer, a higher density of jackdaws occurred where track surroundings were vegetated, and both hooded crows in winter and magpies in winter were more abundant where track geometry was more complex. During our field work only two dead birds on tram tracks were observed. The results of this study, and a literature survey of other transport options, suggest that tram tracks are not very dangerous for birds, and at least from this point of view, can be recommended as an environmentally friendly transport system in urban areas.

Measuring the inequality of accessible trams in Melbourne

In Melbourne, public policy has recently been enacted to improve access to the tram service with an emphasis upon people with a disability. Achieving that objective requires two elements. One is a low-floor tram and two is an elevated tram stop platform that facilitates boarding the tram. Currently the fleet of trams in Melbourne is made up of high-floor and low-floor designs, thus accessible services are unevenly distributed. In addition, construction of new tram stop platforms has been uneven. This suggests a form of inequality in accessible tram services for the disabled.Several studies of transport services have addressed this issue using the Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve calculations as seen in studies of disadvantaged groups such as the elderly. This research utilizes those approaches to estimate the current access of the disabled population to trams services in Melbourne. The approach compares the geography of the total and accessible tram services with the geography of the total and disabled population using the Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve.The results show that there is inequality in the accessible trams amongst people with a disability in Melbourne (Gini = 0.66) as 70% of the disabled population has access to only 22% of the accessible tram supply. In comparison, considering the total tram supply and the entire population, (Gini = 0.48) 70% of the population shares 40% of the tram supply. Hence, at this stage the provision of accessible tram services for people with a disability falls well below that of the general population. These results provide an insight into the current tram service inequality and can be used as a reference for future tram system investment. Further, the approach could be used to increase awareness of this matter and encourage an inclusive and sustainable public transport planning and development in both local and global contexts.

Multicriterial analysis of the accessibility of public transport stops in Cracow

This study deals with the synthesis of selected attributes of public transport accessibility. The aim is to present a new method of multi-criteria analysis. As the research area, the city of Cracow has been chosen. The GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) system has been used to obtain traffic data for buses and trams within the city‘s transport company (MPK Krakow). The analysis itself consists of 4 main accessibility indicators (walking time to each stop, number of lines, directions, and connections from each stop). The problem of exceeding the stops accessibility beyond the administrative border of Cracow has been solved by using a 500 m wide buffer zone around the city. To connect the individual layers of indicators into a multicriteria analysis, the Voronoi diagram function has been applied. The results of the method are presented in the form of synthetic maps of transport accessibility for each bus and tram stop in Cracow. Together with the synthetic accessibility maps, an index of a stop importance has been created as well, which consists of the sum of the mean percentages from 3 indicators (number of lines, directions, connections). The synthetic method used and acquired detailed values not only for the city of Cracow as a whole, but also its individual parts make it possible to provide a comprehensive picture of accessibility by public transport. This multicriteria analysis can also be extended for a comparative study of selected cities.

Planning of Tram Stop Design: Usak University Sample

Günümüz koşulları göz önünde bulundurulduğunda sosyal, siyasal, kültürel ve en önemlisi teknolojik gelişmeler neticesinde insanlar kentlerde yaşamayı daha çok tercih etmektedir. Kent içi ulaşımda yaşanan trafik sıkıntıları sebebiyle kullanıcıların ihtiyaçları göz önünde bulundurularak tasarlanmış çevreye daha az zarar veren, daha gürültüsüz çalışan, konforu yüksek, daha hızlı ve daha güvenli toplu taşıma araçlarının kullanılması zorunlu hale gelmektedir. Uşak ili sürekli gelişen ve büyüyen, dışarıdan göç alan şehirlerden biridir. Bu artış beraberinde Uşak ilinde de trafik sorunlarını gündeme getirmekte ve trafik akışı zor hale gelmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; tramvay sistemi güzergahını belirlemek, tramvay duraklarının tasarımını yapmak ve tramvay sistemleri ile Uşak şehri ve Uşak Üniversitesi kampüsü arasındaki trafikte yaşanan sorunlara yönelik çözümleri değerlendirmektir. Ayrıca, çalışma sonuçlarında Uşak şehri ile Uşak Üniversitesi kampüsü arasındaki yolun genel özelliklerinden bahsedilmekte ve Uşak tramvay sistemi projesinin gerekliliği vurgulanmaktadır.

The value of a tram station on local house prices: an hedonic modelling approach

ABSTRACTThere are many drivers of house prices. In urban locations, public infrastructure is considered one of the leading determinants. To explore this relationship, an Hedonic house pricing model was applied to an established Birmingham, the UK working class residential area which is serviced by the Metro Midland tram line. The selected Wednesbury Great Western Street station provides ease of access for the local residents to Birmingham and Wolverhampton City Centres plus there has been recent sale evidence of 100 properties within close proximity to the station. Independent variables consisted of a range of typical physical, locational and neighbourhood attributes for the Hedonic house pricing model input data.Based on the preferred linear Hedonic model, the findings from the recent 100 Wednesbury house sales showed property type, bedrooms, floor area, ambience and distance to the tram station were key explanatory factors in relation to pricing levels. On the evidence provided, property price increased by £16,878 for every km closer to the tram stop. However, when examining properties within defined distance bands with smaller datasets, the location to the tram station was not a significant statistical driver. This suggests that proximity to a public transport access point alongside key housing characteristics should form part of the housing decision making process as they are significant predictors of local house prices.

Safety Assessment of Tram Stops

Abstract The safety of public transport stops is the subject of numerous studies in large agglomerations around the world. This is due to the fact that it is a passenger exchange zone where collisions and accidents involving people getting on or off public transport vehicles most often occur. For this reason, the purpose of the article is to present the results of the safety assessment of the stop zones for two selected tram lines in Wroclaw. The assessment of tram stops is based on an indicator that takes into account three parameters that affect the safety level of the tram stop zone - the location and infrastructure of the tram stop, its availability and traffic in the tram stop zone. The analysis of stops has been prepared on the basis of direct observation. As a result of the assessment process, these stops were indicated, whose safety index was the lowest. The improvement solutions for them should be prepared at first.

Nowe stanowisko Euphorbia maculata (Euphorbiaceae) w Polsce

A new locality of Euphorbia maculata L. in Katowice (Upper Silesia, southern Poland) was found in June 2018. It is located in Katowice Szopienice at the Szopienice Pętla tram stop on Wiosny Ludów street (50°15′38.1″N, 19°06′34.1″E). This species, native to North America, was first reported in Poland in 1864, from Cracow.

Study on driving support system to share tram stop between bus and tram

Study on driving support system to share tram stop between bus and tram

Exploring road design factors influencing tram road safety – Melbourne tram driver focus groups

Melbourne, Australia has the largest tram/streetcar network in the world including the largest mixed traffic tram operating environment. Therefore, Melbourne tram drivers are responsible for controlling one of the heaviest vehicles on road ranging from shared tram lanes to exclusive tram lanes. In addition to different tram lane configurations, tram drivers need to follow different traffic signal phases at intersections including tram priority signals as well as need to serve passengers at various types of closely spaced tram stops. Despite all these challenges, no research has explored tram driver perceptions of the risk factors on different tram route road design configurations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how tram drivers’ safety perceptions alter along various tram route sections, signal settings and stop configurations. A tram driver focus group approach was adopted for this research involving thirty tram drivers (4 female and 26 male drivers). The tram drivers’ age ranged from 29 to 63 years, with an average age of 47.6 years (standard deviation of 10.1 years), and their experience of tram driving ranged from 1.17 to 31 years, with an average experience of 12.5 years (standard deviation of 10.2 years). The participating tram drivers perceived that the raised tram tracks and tramways with raised yellow curbing beside tracks are safer lane priority features on the Melbourne tram network compared to full-time, part-time and mixed traffic tram lanes. They regarded ‘hook turns’ as a safe form of tram signal priority treatment at intersections and platform tram stops as the safest tram stop design for all passengers among all other tram stop designs in Melbourne. Findings of this research could enhance the understanding of crash risk factors for different tram route features and thus can offer effective planning strategies for transit agencies to improve tram road safety.

Infrastructure and Operational Influences on Collisions Between Trams and Left-Turning Cars

This research identified infrastructural and operational factors that influenced the most common type of car–tram collision: cars making opposing turns in front of trams. Few studies have analyzed influences on car–tram collisions quantitatively, but none have explored predictor factors for opposing-turn crashes—a research gap addressed with this paper. The two largest Swiss tram networks, Basel and Zurich, were used for the analysis. A point-based research approach was chosen: all locations within a tram network at which a car could turn left (an opposing turn where traffic drives on the right) in front of a tram were identified. For each of these points, data on dependent and predictor variables were collected. This data set was analyzed with Poisson, negative binomial, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. The number of left-turning car–tram collisions was used as the dependent variable, while predictors were derived from a literature review; models were fitted by using all predictors and with forward variable selection by means of Akaike’s information criterion. Traffic volumes (cars and trams), tram speed, and dedicated left-turn lanes were found to be significantly associated with a higher frequency of car–tram collisions, whereas turning left to access a service rather than a road, left-turn restrictions, proximity to a tram stop, and perpendicular turning angles were significantly associated with a lower frequency of left-turning car–tram collisions. On the basis of these results, left turns across tramways should be restricted for cars. Remaining conflict points should be located close to tram stops, have limited tram speed, and feature perpendicular turning angles.

Influence of traffic lights on tram’s time losses in a tram stop area

The paper presents an analysis of the impact of the location of the tram stop at intersections and near pedestrian crossings located on the sections between intersections equipped with traffic lights on the values of time lost. The research was performed in Wrocław, on the two tram stops (Pereca and Grunwaldzki Bridge) characterized by a similar location of tram stop within intersection, and on the two tram stops located on the section between the intersections with traffic lights, before (Hutmen) and behind (Bzowa) pedestrian crossing. Due to the time lost associated with waiting for the signal enabling entry to or exit from the tram, the location of the bus stop behind traffic lights is more advantageous.

What Is a Group? Young Children's Perceptions of Different Types of Groups and Group Entitativity.

To date, developmental research on groups has focused mainly on in-group biases and intergroup relations. However, little is known about children’s general understanding of social groups and their perceptions of different forms of group. In this study, 5- to 6-year-old children were asked to evaluate prototypes of four key types of groups: an intimacy group (friends), a task group (people who are collaborating), a social category (people who look alike), and a loose association (people who coincidently meet at a tram stop). In line with previous work with adults, the vast majority of children perceived the intimacy group, task group, and social category, but not the loose association, to possess entitativity, that is, to be a ‘real group.’ In addition, children evaluated group member properties, social relations, and social obligations differently in each type of group, demonstrating that young children are able to distinguish between different types of in-group relations. The origins of the general group typology used by adults thus appear early in development. These findings contribute to our knowledge about children's intuitive understanding of groups and group members' behavior.