Urban Road Transport Research Articles

Optimal Mode of Interaction between Rail and Ground Urban Passenger Transport within the TIH

The development of the infrastructure of transport interchange hubs is currently necessary to meet the growing demand for passenger services and to prevent infrastructural constraints on technological modernisation of entire transport system. Large-scale infrastructure projects are of a pronounced complex nature, involving many related industries in their sphere, which ultimately leads to an additional increase in GDP. A modern transport interchange hub is a public and business centre that ensures the quality of services, safety, technological reliability and creates an active business environment based on development of passenger infrastructure. Considering the latest global trends in the field of passenger transportation that englobe multimodality, speed, comfort and safety of passenger transportation, there is a pronounced need to develop modern transport interchange hubs.Minimisation of passenger transfer time between interacting modes of transport at TIH can be achieved by coordinating contact timetables of different modes of transport. To do this, it is necessary first, to solve the problem of determining the optimal mode of interaction between ground urban passenger and rail transport.The objective of the study described in the article is to determine the mode of supply of the units of ground urban passenger transport, which ensures the minimum time for a passenger to stay at TIH in accordance with the timetable of electric trains regarding the considered TIH. To reduce the dimension of the problem, it is assumed that all electric trains will have the same composition.The methods of scheduling theory were used to solve the problem in the context of the study that resulted in a formalised problem of determining the optimal mode of interaction between ground urban passenger transport in transport interchange hubs illustrated by the example of interaction of rail and urban road transport and considering all existing constraints.

Citizen participation in decision-making for urban road transport planning in Abuja, Nigeria

Abuja, Nigeria is facing a transport crisis. It has only road as its mode of transport, it has inadequate road transport infrastructure and facilities that create delays for commuters. As a result, the city is ill prepared for transport demand and transition to a zero-carbon transport system. This study aims to understand user needs and satisfaction while using the existing transport system, and the involvement of transport users in the development of the city’s transport system. The FCT has a population of 1,406,239, and the average daily passenger number for bus travel in the whole administrative region is under 800,000. This study highlights the implications of inadequate citizen participation, demonstrating an absence of agency to influence strategic planning decisions for road transport provision in the city. A semi-structured interview with 261 commuters (sample size was calculated with 90% confidence level and 5% margin of error) was carried out in Abuja, the interviews was a purely random approach to commuters. The study found out 79.7 of respondents supports the need to involve the citizens in decision making, 62.5% do not own any type of vehicle, 53.6% are not satisfied with public transport services, and 60% of research participants are young people and people of working age. Also, understanding the needs and priorities of commuters and operators of road transport facilities, supported by the necessary numerical and factual data is important for establishing a sustainable transport system in Abuja. It is argued that civic engagement, participation, collective citizen action, and the knowledge of the governance system should be guiding themes for understanding the needs of the stakeholder priorities.

Potential for Transition to Low-Carbon Urban Road Transport in Developing Countries: Insights from Literature

It is projected that if no actions are taken to cut down the current rate of global warming, global temperatures will rise to irreversible levels between the years 2030 and 2050. Consequently, climate-induced risks to health, livelihoods, food and water supply/security, economic development, and human security will increase. However, although many efforts have been put in the developed nations to enhance sustainability in cities through the development of a Low-carbon transportation system, the situation is different in the developing nations. These countries are, for some reason, reluctant to adopt the concept of Low-carbon cities. For example, in Kenya, despite the evident climate threat associated with rising urban carbon emissions in the country, very little action to curb the emissions is observed both at individual and government levels. This is especially so in the transport sector. Therefore, it is critical that suitable low-carbon transition pathways are identified and adopted in the sector in order to cut down the emission levels. Although the transition to low-carbon transport is faced with a myriad of challenges, transitions bring about an enormousness of environmental and societal benefits through the development of environmentally sustainable systems. Policy instruments are governance tools that can be used to enhance the environmental sustainability of urban transport options. However, climate change targets cannot be realistically attained by a single policy instrument. Instead, research indicates the need for more integrative and strong policy packages that can stimulate low-carbon transitions. In view of this, there is a clear need for the envisioning of sustainable future cities and potential transition pathways towards the realisation of these futures, as it is considered advantageous to various disciplines. This study provides information that can be used to develop an integrated urban transportation system that is environmentally sustainable and which efficiently incorporates all modes of transport; based on the theory of transitional management

Analysis for models of interaction between road passenger transport operators

Introduction. The authors consider the current models for the organization of urban passenger road transport, the structure of each of the models and their characteristics. The reason for writing the work was the poor study of the factors that determine the break-even transportation of passengers and, as a result, the construction on this basis of a system of interaction between transport authorities and transport operators. Thus, the purpose of the study is to create models of interaction between subjects and objects of passenger road transport. The working hypothesis of the study is to overcome the existing fragmentation of models through the development of additional blocks, the content of which is a scientifically based choice of models for the interaction of participants in the transport process in the system of passenger road transportation.Methods and materials. Three existing models for organising the work of passenger road transport are analysed. Their influence on the economic efficiency and safety of the transport process is considered. The prerequisites for the creation of algorithms for the transition from one model to another and for evaluating their effectiveness are determined.Results. According to the authors, this study will be useful for both the organizers of passenger road transport and carriers. From a practical point of view, this study will be useful to improve the efficiency and break-even of passenger road transport, as well as to maximize the ‘transparency’ of financial interaction between participants in this market.Conclusions. Further direction of research on this topic will be carried out in the direction of developing a methodology for switching models between themselves, i.e. when and how it is expedient to apply one or another model of passenger road transportation.

Determination of Measurement Parameters for Vibration Analysis by Bus

Abstract From the point of view of field examinations, especially in the case of measurements done by instruments, it is crucially important to determine measurement conditions. Accurate identification of parameters enables accurate and certified measurement results to be achieved. In our work, we represent the determination of measurement conditions for harmful vibrations occurring during urban road transport of an Ikarus 55 type long-haul bus. This is a favourable basis for further vibration analysis regarding other buses.

Urban Road Transport Network Analysis: Machine Learning and Social Network Approaches

Traffic congestion is one of the most significant problems in urban transportation. It has been increasing, especially in regions close to intersections. Several methods have been developed to reduce the traffic congestion. One of the analysis methods is social network analysis (SNA). This method, which has increased use in transportation, can quickly identify the most central intersections in transportation networks. Improvements to central intersections, identified in a road network structure, speed up the traffic flow across the entire network structure. In this study, the Istanbul highway transportation network has been examined and values for a series of network centrality measures have been calculated using the SNA. The accuracy and error scales of the centrality values were compared using a machine learning algorithm. The Bonacich power centrality has been the best performance. Based on the study results the most central intersections in Istanbul have been determined.

Comprehensive Literature Review on the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Road Transportation System: Challenges and Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant public health problem and the leading cause of reduction in the demand and supply of public transit in the last three years. It has caused an unprecedented reduction in the demand for public road transportation, and it has changed passengers’ perceptions from positive to negative when it comes to using public transportation amenities. There is an increasing concern that the public road transportation systems are witnessing a new horizon, especially now that developed and developing countries are trying to resume their daily activities post COVID-19 pandemic. In this research, we focused on the overview of literature reviews of research within the past three years that focused on the challenges and solutions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public road transportation systems, especially when it comes to the enforcement of physical distancing in public transportation, usage of face masks and government interventions. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were used in reviewing the articles used for this literature review, and an original 140 articles were reduced to 100 articles that were used in this literature review. This research aims to create an overview literature review that highlights the impact of the pandemic on public transportation and identifies strategic ways in which urban planners and public road transportation researchers can develop constructive and efficient public road transportation planning to ensure the sustainability of public transportation systems in the post-COVID-19 era. This literature review extends our knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic in public road transportation. It also provides additional evidence concerning the effectiveness of physical distancing and the use of face masks to prevent the COVID-19 virus in public road transportation networks.

Spatiotemporal Changeability of the Load of the Urban Road Transport System under Permanent and Short-Term Legal and Administrative Retail Restrictions

In Poland, in 2018, the act on Sunday retail restrictions was introduced, changing citizen’s spatial mobility (altered patterns of transport behaviour related to shopping on a weekly scale). Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2020) on transport behaviour during this time has had an impact, since people were encouraged to stay at home and limit their mobility to an absolute minimum. As a result, the main aim of the article was to identify spatiotemporal changeability of the load of the urban road transport system under permanent and short-term legal and administrative retail restrictions and to determine its spatial and temporal nature on the example of Łódź (a big city in central Poland) during 2018–2021. For that purpose, the authors used three types of source data, i.e., official governmental normative data (acts, ordinances, etc.), informative data (official pandemic announcements issued during ministerial press conferences, governmental social media content, etc.), and objective empirical data (induction loops). The pandemic restrictions imposed on top of the existing permanent retail restrictions were shown to distinctly shape the weekly distribution of traffic. In weeks with non-trading Sundays, the percentage of vehicle traffic on weekdays was substantially higher than on weekends, which was particularly noticeable during the first year of the pandemic (2020). Long-term observations have also shown that people began to plan their weekends differently upon the initial implementation of Sunday retail restrictions.

Air pollution and CO2 from daily mobility: Who emits and Why? Evidence from Paris

Urban road transport is an important source of local pollution and carbon emissions. Designing effective and fair policies tackling these externalities requires understanding who contributes to emissions today. We estimate individual transport-induced pollution footprints combining a travel demand survey from the Paris area with NOx, PM2.5 and CO2 emission factors. We find that the top 20% emitters contribute 75%–85% of emissions on a representative weekday. They combine longer distances travelled, a high car modal share and, especially for local pollutants, a higher emission intensity of car trips. Living in the suburbs, being a man and being employed are the most important characteristics associated with top emissions. Among the employed, those commuting from suburbs to suburbs, working at a factory, with atypical working hours or with a manual, shopkeeping or top executive occupation are more likely to be top emitters. Finally, policies targeting local pollution may be more regressive than those targeting CO2 emissions, due to the different correlation between income and the local pollutant vs. CO2 emission intensity of car trips.

Opportunities, Challenges, and Uncertainties in Urban Road Transport Automation

Automated driving has attracted intense attention in the media and among the general public, based on extremely optimistic predictions from some industry participants, but these have started to become more realistic in the last couple of years, after the “hype cycle” for automation peaked. This paper explains the opportunities for Automated Driving System (ADS) technology to improve the urban transport of people and goods, together with the challenges that will limit the scope and timing of the deployment of urban ADS. The discussion emphasizes the diversity of ADS applications and services, each of which has its own opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties, leading to diverse deployment scopes and schedules. The associated challenges are sufficiently daunting that ADS deployment will lag behind electrification and connectivity, leaving more time for cities to prepare for it.

Spatiotemporal analysis of urban road congestion during and post COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become one of the most serious global health crises in decades and tremendously influence the human mobility. Many residents changed their travel behavior during and after the pandemic, especially for a certain percentage of public transport users who chose to drive their owned vehicles. Thus, urban roadway congestion has been getting worse, and the spatiotemporal congestion patterns has changed significantly. Understanding spatiotemporal heterogeneity of urban roadway congestion during and post the pandemic is essential for mobility management. In this study, an analytical framework was proposed to investigate the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of urban roadway congestion in Shanghai, China. First, the matrix of average speed in each traffic analysis zones (TAZs) was calculated to extract spatiotemporal heterogeneity variation features. Second, the heterogenous component of each TAZ was extracted from the overall traffic characteristics using robust principal component analysis (RPCA). Third, clustering analysis was employed to explain the spatiotemporal distribution of heterogeneous traffic characteristics. Finally, fluctuation features of these characteristics were analyzed by iterated cumulative sums of squares (ICSS). The case study results suggested that the urban road traffic state evolution was complicated and varied significantly in different zones and periods during the long-term pandemic. Compared with suburban areas, traffic conditions in city central areas are more susceptible to the pandemic and other events. In some areas, the heterogeneous component shows opposite characteristics on working days and holidays with others. The key time nodes of state change for different areas have commonness and individuality. The proposed analytical framework and empirical results contribute to the policy decision-making of urban road transportation system during and post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sustainable Development of Road Transport Infrastructure by Including Elements of Reverse Traffic in the “Smart City” Program

Recently, the use of various information data has significantly increased the growth of cities. Previously, the development of projects for the sustainable development of urban road transport infrastructure lasted for many years, but today most urban road transport problems are solved in a short time, due to intelligent transport systems (ITS). ITS is a “smart” innovative system, the main goal of which is to optimize the safe movement of transport. In this article, the authors present the analytical review and propose effective directions for solving the road transport problem by including an element of reverse traffic in the “Smart City” program to improve the efficiency of the road network and sustainable development of the road transport infrastructure of the city of Volgograd.

Methodology for the determination of specific factors of road transport emission

Most of the air pollution originates from combustion processes, whereby traffic is one of the most important sources. Road traffic is one of the leading factors of pollution, so determining its contribution to pollution and overall emissions is very important. This study is a tool to develop a calculus method to determine the specific and annual emissions from road transport. The estimation was carried out using the methodology developed for combustion analysis. The study was based on vehicle fleet composition, fuel, and engine data, which represented the input for the combustion process simulation, while the output was combustion products. The following gases (chemical species) were included in the analysis: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). In the end, the specific emission factors, as well as bulk emission factors for urban and open road transport were derived. The results showed good agreement with the results of other authors.

Optimal Route Planning for Urban Road Transportation of Precast Beams Based on Dynamic Planning

Optimal Route Planning for Urban Road Transportation of Precast Beams Based on Dynamic Planning

АНАЛІЗ ВПЛИВУ МАРШРУТНИХ ТА ЕКСПЛУАТАЦІЙНИХ ФАКТОРІВ НА ТРАНСПОРТНУ ЕНЕРГОЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ МІСЬКИХ ПАСАЖИРСЬКИХ ПЕРЕВЕЗЕНЬ

The article establishes the relevance of using simulation test methods of technical and technological energy saving and increasing technological competitiveness of motor transport services according to energy criteria when renewing the fleet of buses for urban passenger transportation. It is shown that the existing methodology of bus transport organization does not provide urban passenger bus fleet renewal according to the concept of operational and technological energy saving and improvement of technological competitiveness of automobile transport services. According to the results of multivariate modeling the interrelation between the tasks of formation of energy saving technologies of passenger urban road transport and improvement of the method of technological selection of buses for urban routes with taking into account different (technical, operational and routing) factors. Quantitative dependences of influence of technical, operational and route factors on indexes of transport energy efficiency of transportations and operational intensity of machine procedures of bus transport technologies are received. The object of the research is the energy-consuming process of urban bus transportations taking into account the influence of various factors (technical, operational and route factors). Purpose of work – analysis of route and operational factors influence on transport energy efficiency of urban passenger transportation based on test modeling of bus operation as resource-technical means of motor transport technology. The method of the research is evolution-simulation analysis of transport energy efficiency of transportation and operational intensity of machine procedures of bus transportation technology in multiphase test operations, in which city route network conditions and different factors of bus transportation are taken into account, using software and methods of test-simulation analysis of generalized type vehicles of the NTU Department of Transport Technologies. 407 The results of the article and the method can be implemented by managers of passenger motor transport for long-term management of conceptually oriented development of resource and technological basis of motor transport enterprises and technological processes of bus transportation in cities. KEYWORDS: BUS, URBAN PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION, TRANSPORT ENERGY EFFICIENCY, OPERATIONAL INTENSITY OF MACHINE PROCEDURES, TECHNOLOGY TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL FACTORS, EVOLUTIONARY MODELING

Economic Evaluation of the Urban Road Public Transport System Efficiency Based on Data Envelopment Analysis

Air pollution resulting from massive urban development and increased use of private vehicles is a major environmental concern, with particular relevance in urban areas. Urban public road transport has a significant impact on shaping land use patterns, air pollution and welfare. It must therefore be efficient in terms of air pollution in order to contribute to sustainable metropolitan mobility and economic growth. This study proposes a novel and consistent data envelopment analysis, aiming to identify which urban public transport vehicle is the most efficient in terms of air pollution and therefore environmentally suitable for use in public road transport systems. The case of Madrid has been analyzed, as it is representative of other large cities, which have similar bus alternatives and the common objective of reducing air pollution. Madrid City Council data has been compiled by authors and assessed by a panel of twenty experts to determine the model criteria weights. The results show that the plug-in electric vehicle has the lowest pollutant emission values while delivering the highest performance. Useful recommendations are provided to support public policy decisions related to the complex relationships between urban land use, urban transport and air pollution in urban areas.

A Systematic Literature Review: Fuel subsidy and consumer environmental awareness in urban road transport

Using a systematic literature review, we explore fuel subsidies and consumer environmental awareness among users in urban road transport. Fuel subsidies given by the government to the public have to some extent brought them to more using own transport as the fuel cost is now cheaper. A growing number of vehicles and usage in the urban road transport sector worldwide has increased CO2 emissions and impact on environment. The misalignment of benefits from the implementation of fossil fuel subsidies and high emissions has grown attention to limit global warming since the Paris Agreement 2015 was signed. Nonetheless, consumer environmental awareness is interesting to bring forward for future research. Keywords: Fuel Subsidy, Consumer Environmental Awareness, Urban Road Transport, Systematic Literature Review eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i18.3097

Cost-effectiveness analysis on improving fuel economy and promoting alternative fuel vehicles: A case study of Chongqing, China

This study analyzed the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential and cost of urban road transportation policies from a boarder perspective including tank-to-wheel (TTW) and well-to-wheel (WTW) assessments, with Chongqing in China taken as the case city. Three policies and two mixed policies, including improving the fuel economy of passenger cars, promoting electric vehicles (EVs), and promoting natural gas vehicles (NGVs), are analyzed in this study. The two groups of mixed policies are developed to analyze the interaction between the policies. The results indicate that all the policies will reduce TTW and WTW fuel consumption and GHG emissions from 2016 to 2035. During this period, promoting an NGV policy will have the smallest marginal abatement cost (MAC) but the smallest GHG reduction potential, and promoting an EV policy will have the largest MAC but the largest GHG reduction potential from TTW. However, considering the GHG emissions from upstream energy consumption, the GHG emission reduction from promoting the EV policy is reduced and that of improving the fuel economy via the motor vehicle policy will increase significantly, resulting in a larger MAC from WTW than from TTW. With the mixed policies, hedging effects impact fuel savings, GHG emission reductions, and MACs. We put forward some policy suggestions to provide a reference for the formulation and adjustment of China's urban road transportation policies to cost-effectively mitigate GHG emissions in the future.

Impacts of reducing air pollutants and CO2 emissions in urban road transport through 2035 in Chongqing, China

The road transport sector in megacities is confronted with pressing local air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2) control issues. To determine effective policy instruments for saving energy and the co-control of air pollutants and CO2, several mainstream measures were examined and compared in Chongqing's road transport sector from 2017 to 2035. An integration assessment framework was developed by combining the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) system and a set of quantitative methods for evaluating the co-benefits of emission reductions (including the air pollutant equivalent (APeq), co-control coordinate system, and pollutant reduction cross-elasticity (Elsa/b)). Results showed that the shifting transportation modes scenario presented the most significant potential for energy-saving and emission reductions, reducing energy use by 30.9% and air pollutants and CO2 emissions by approximately 27–32% compared with the business as usual (BAU) scenario in 2035. The improving energy efficiency scenario also provided significant co-benefits for reducing air pollutants and CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, the promoting alternative fuel scenario may increase fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions by 2.2% compared to BAU in 2035 under the cleanness of regional electricity in 2017. Our findings suggest that the shifting transportation modes were effective measures to reduce air pollutants and CO2 in the short term synergistically, and highlighted the importance of cleaner electricity generation to develop electric vehicles in the medium and long term.

The Relationship between Passengers' Satisfaction of Urban Road Transport Services and Their Sense of Belonging

Passengers' satisfaction of urban road transportation services has been widely researched over the past few decades. However, no study has been conducted to analyze the relationship of the passengers' satisfaction of regular taxi and bus transport services with an external psychological factor. To this end, 100 passengers were randomly recruited to participate in this study. The participants were required to complete three questionnaires to assess their level of belonging and their satisfaction of regular taxi and bus transport services as two prominent urban road transport services. The questionnaire of sense of belonging had 12 items rated on a 5-point Likert Scale. The responses also were rated from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. The respondents were requested to grade 1 to 10 an 18-travel-attribute survey to assess their satisfaction of urban road transport services. The results indicated that passengers were not satisfied with urban road transport services; however, their satisfaction with regular taxi was higher in comparison with bus transport services. The findings also revealed that there was a significant correlation between the passengers' level of belonging and their satisfaction of public transport services.