Urban Route Research Articles

Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings?

Crashes at rail level crossings (RLXs) remain a persistent but ill-defined safety issue. In urban areas, RLXs are typically located in areas of high workload and visual clutter, such as busy shopping strips. Despite this, the impact of such environments on driver behaviour and compliance with RLX controls is not well understood. This study sought to examine where drivers direct their attention on approach to urban RLXs located in busy shopping strip areas, and whether this differs between novice and experienced drivers. Participants drove an instrumented vehicle around a pre-defined urban route containing several active (flashing light with boom barriers) RLXs. Drivers’ visual scanning behaviour and cognitive processes were examined on approach to RLXs. The results suggest that RLXs were not a key focus of drivers’ attention. Further, rather than actively scanning, participants were over-reliant on RLX warning signals and the behaviour of surrounding vehicles to alert them to the presence of both trains and RLXs. This study provides important insights into drivers’ visual and cognitive behaviour on approach to urban RLXs located in areas of high visual demand.

Influences of population, building, and traffic densities on urban heat island intensity in Chiang Mai City, Thailand

This research aims to evaluate the Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) and study the influences of population density, building density, and traffic density on the UHII in Chiang Mai city on each season and time. The surrounding air temperature was measured by thermocouples at a constant height of 2 m above the road by mobile surveying approach. The surveyed routes were divided into urban routes and rural routes. The UHII was calculated from the average surrounding air temperature difference between the urban and the rural areas. Experimental investigations were carried out in two seasons, consisting of summer (March-May, 2014) and winter (December 2013-February 2014). Experimental investigations were carried out in two periods, which were a daytime period (01.00-03.00 pm) and a nighttime period (10.00 pm-00.00 am) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays. The results show that the UHII in summer day, summer night, winter day, and winter night were 1.07°C, 1.27°C, 0.58°C, and 1.34°C, respectively. This implies that the temperature in Chiang Mai city’s urban area is higher than that in the rural area the entire year. Moreover, it was found that the UHII in summer day, winter day, and winter night were primarily affected by the traffic density with the sensitivity percentage of 87.50%, 72.73%, and 63.33%, respectively. In contrast, the UHII in summer night was mainly affected by the building density with the sensitivity percentage of 50.00%.

Intelligent Optimization of Urban Real-Time Traffic Route Based on DNA Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm

The urban traffic condition is changed timely, so the traditional serial algorithm cannot satisfy the requirement of traffic scale and condition changes. Therefore, this paper proposes a DNA non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm for route optimization problem of multi-objects. First, through Pareto frontiers solution set optimization and algorithm complexity analysis, we determine the multi-objects problem to be optimized. Then we convert the problem into optimization problem of single-object fitness function, namely the elite populations optimization strategy, through which we can obtain the optimal solution of timely traffic condition.

Road Impedance Model Study under the Control of Intersection Signal

Road traffic impedance model is a difficult and critical point in urban traffic assignment and route guidance. The paper takes a signalized intersection as the research object. On the basis of traditional traffic wave theory including the implementation of traffic wave model and the analysis of vehicles’ gathering and dissipating, the road traffic impedance model is researched by determining the basic travel time and waiting delay time. Numerical example results have proved that the proposed model in this paper has received better calculation performance compared to existing model, especially in flat hours. The values of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and mean absolute deviation (MAD) are separately reduced by 3.78% and 2.62 s. It shows that the proposed model has feasibility and availability in road traffic impedance under intersection signal.

PATRIMONIO INDUSTRIAL INMATERIAL RELATIVO A “150 AÑOS DE FUNDICIONES EN CÓRDOBA”: UNA PROPUESTA PARA SU DIFUSIÓN BASADA EN LA CREACIÓN DE UNA RUTA URBANA DOTADA DE CÓDIGOS DE RESPUESTA RÁPIDA Y EL USO DE DISPOSITIVOS MÓVILES

Although Cordoba (Spain) is not an industrial city, up to 7 foundries have been working on it during last 150 years. Most of them was dedicated to the construction of metal fences and gates as well as to the manufacture of agricultural tools. Nevertheless, some of these foundries developed enough technology to equip whole industries dedicated to extracting olive oil or milling cereals. The foundries, located at extramural, were disappearing progressively one by one due to different socioeconomic reasons. Because of their excellent location, the spaces occupied by the foundries were replaced by residential buildings in successive enlargements of the city. Today nothing remains of these foundries, with exception of intangible heritage. Authors have recollected and organized this intangible heritage with the intention for avoiding their oblivion. But the work goes beyond: the authors also make a proposal for the diffusion of this heritage by means the creation of a pedestrian urban route along the different points where the foundries were located in the past. In every point of this route, a sticker with a QR code has been placed. Access to linked content can be done by capture of such QR code using a mobile device, as a tablet or a smartphone. The route has been designed for high schools students who are studying technology subjects. Also it can be interesting for students of vocational training in manufacturing. Some groups of students have already completed the route and, although some limitations were detected, the first feedbacks are good.

Tempo and walking speed with music in the urban context.

The study explored the effect of music on the temporal aspects of walking behavior in a real outdoor urban setting. First, spontaneous synchronization between the beat of the music and step tempo was explored. The effect of motivational and non-motivational music (Karageorghis et al., 1999) on the walking speed was also studied. Finally, we investigated whether music can mask the effects of visual aspects of the walking route environment, which involve fluctuation of walking speed as a response to particular environmental settings. In two experiments, we asked participants to walk around an urban route that was 1.8 km in length through various environments in the downtown area of Hradec Králové. In Experiment 1, the participants listened to a musical track consisting of world pop music with a clear beat. In Experiment 2, participants were walking either with motivational music, which had a fast tempo and a strong rhythm, or with non-motivational music, which was slower, nice music, but with no strong implication to movement. Musical beat, as well as the sonic character of the music listened to while walking, influenced walking speed but did not lead to precise synchronization. It was found that many subjects did not spontaneously synchronize with the beat of the music at all, and some subjects synchronized only part of the time. The fast, energetic music increases the speed of the walking tempo, while slower, relaxing music makes the walking tempo slower. Further, it was found that listening to music with headphones while walking can mask the influence of the surrounding environment to some extent. Both motivational music and non-motivational music had a larger effect than the world pop music from Experiment 1. Individual differences in responses to the music listened to while walking that were linked to extraversion and neuroticism were also observed. The findings described here could be useful in rhythmic stimulation for enhancing or recovering the features of movement performance.

Прогнозирование распределения пассажирских корреспонденций по участкам маршрутной сети

We present an iterative algorithm for the calculation of predicted values of the urban transport route network sections traffic. This algorithm is designed for use in automated design systems of urban passenger transport systems and based on accounting for the influence of the actual waiting time of a passenger at a bus stop point on the probability of choice of route alternative sets. Using this approach allows to increase the accuracy of the forecast for 5–10 %.

Examining Physiological Responses Across Different Driving Maneuvers During an On-road Driving Task: A Pilot Study Comparing Older and Younger Drivers

Objective: This pilot study aimed to investigate physiological responses during an on-road driving task for older and younger drivers.Methods: Five older drivers (mean age = 74.60 years [2.97]) and 5 younger drivers (mean age = 30.00 years [3.08]) completed a series of cognitive assessments (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA], Mini Mental Status Examination [MMSE]; Trail Making Test [Trails A and Trails B]) and an on-road driving task along a predetermined, standardized urban route in their own vehicle. Driving performance was observed and scored by a single trained observer using a standardized procedure, where driving behaviors (appropriate and inappropriate) were scored for intersection negotiation, lane changing, and merging. During the on-road driving task, participants’ heart rate (HR) was monitored with an unobtrusive physiological monitor.Results: Younger drivers performed significantly better on all cognitive assessments compared to older drivers (MoCA: t(8) = 3.882, P <.01; MMSE: t(8) = 2.954, P <.05; Trails A: t(8) = −2.499, P <.05; Trails B: t(8) = −3.262, P <.05). Analyses of participants’ performance during the on-road driving task revealed a high level of appropriate overall driving behavior (M = 87%, SD = 7.62, range = 73–95%), including intersection negotiation (M = 89%, SD = 8.37%), lane changing (M = 100%), and merging (M = 53%, SD = 28.28%). The overall proportion of appropriate driving behavior did not significantly differ across age groups (younger drivers: M = 87.6%, SD = 9.04; older drivers: M = 87.0%, SD = 6.96; t(8) = 0.118, P =.91).Conclusions: Although older drivers scored lower than younger drivers on the cognitive assessments, there was no indication of cognitive overload among older drivers based on HR response to the on-road driving task. The results provide preliminary evidence that mild age-related cognitive impairment may not pose a motor vehicle crash hazard for the wider older driver population. To maintain safe mobility of the aging population, further research into the specific crash risk factors in the older driver population is warranted.

Fuel consumption and gas emissions of an automatic transmission vehicle following simple eco‐driving instructions on urban roads

Following eco-driving instructions can reduce fuel consumption between 5 to 20% on urban roads with manual cars. The majority of Australian cars have an automatic transmission gear-box. It is therefore of interest to verify whether current eco-driving instructions are e cient for such vehicles. In this pilot study, participants (N=13) drove an instrumented vehicle (Toyota Camry 2007) with an automatic transmission. Fuel consumption of the participants was compared before and after they received simple eco-driving instructions. Participants drove the same vehicle on the same urban route under similar tra c conditions. We found that participants drove at similar speeds during their baseline and eco-friendly drives, and reduced the level of their accelerations and decelerations during eco-driving. Fuel consumption decreased for the complete drive by 7%, but not on the motorway and inclined sections of the study. Gas emissions were estimated with the VT-micro model, and emissions of the studied pollutants (CO2, CO, NOX and HC) were reduced, but no di erence was observed for CO2 on the motorway and inclined sections. The di erence for the complete lap is 3% for CO2. We have found evidence showing that simple eco-driving instructions are e cient in the case of automatic transmission in an urban environment, but towards the lowest values of the spectrum of fuel consumption reduction from the di erent eco-driving studies.

Drivers’ Route Choice Behavior Analysis Based on Cumulative Prospect Theory

Due to different travel experiences, travel attitude varies from people of different levels of familiarity with urban route network. Expected utility theory (EUT) is usually used to describe travelers’ route choice behavior. But there is huge discrepancy between reality and the results under the condition with network uncertainty when the cumulative prospect theory (CPT) is more attractive to describe the travelers’ route choice behavior. Based on CPT this study designs scenarios at different levels of familiarity with urban road network, analyzes route choice behavior in all scenarios and conclude travelers’ behavior characteristics compared with reality investigation results. It shows that CPT is really more powerful to describe the travelers’ behavior under risk and people of high familiarity level are more relied on constraint time and tend to take a risk for more gain.

Urban routes and commuting bicyclist’s aesthetic experience

The present study examines whether and in what way aesthetic experience is involved in the judged quality of bicyclist’s route which they have chosen to ride between home and work. In this respect it is considered important to distinguish aesthetic experience from experience that is related to the influence of instrumental or functional features. The aesthetic impact is primarily related to features that stimulate emotional well-being when cycling. An online survey was conducted in three Nordic cities, Odense, Trondheim and Reykjavík, concentrating on cycling in different urban surroundings. The interpretation of the meanings and values associated with certain features or characteristics that influenced the commuting cyclists’ aesthetic experience is in this paper based on three theoretical viewpoints: (1) the phenomenology of perception and experience, (2) urban design theory and (3) environmental aesthetic theories and methods. The last theory involves the interpretation of experience from the environment into aesthetic meaning. The results of the survey indicate that aesthetic experience is of value to most of the respondents and is, therefore, of importance in developing the quality of bicycle routes for commuting. Greenery and contact with the natural environment and distance from motorised traffic are the most important influences on pleasurable aesthetic experience.

HFRS Morbidity Rates in the Territory of the Republic of Mordovia in 2009-2012

In the territory of Mordovia registered have been 321 cases of HFRS infection over the period of 2009-2012. Following the pattern of dynamics as regards HFRS epidemiological process, one can observe lingering tendency to the increment in morbidity rates, associated with the enhancement of quality and efficacy of clinical and laboratory diagnostics of the disease, as well as with activation of natural HFRS foci in the territory of Mordovia. Analysis of the gender-age structure of HFRS incidence has revealed that most liable to the infection is active, employable population, 20 to 50 years old. Morbidity rates for the male strata of the population are three times higher than for female. Epidemiological peculiarities of HFRS morbidity, characteristic of the Republic of Mordovia, are as follows: recurrence of epidemiological upsurge, autumn-winter seasonality, predominance of urban dwellers cohort and household route of infection.

Urban Heat Island Intensity in Chiang Mai City Using Mobile Surveying Approach

This research aims to evaluate on Urban Heat Island Intensity in Chiang Mai city and to study effects of population density, building density and traffic density on ambient air temperature. The ambient air temperature was measured by thermocouples at a constant altitude of 2 m above the road. The surveyed routes were divided to urban routes and rural routes. The Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) was calculated from an average ambient air temperature difference between urban and rural areas. Experimental investigations were carried out in 2 periods, which were a day time (12.30-02.30 pm) and a night time (10.00 pm-00.00 am) on Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday in summer time (March-May, 2013). The results show that the UHII in Chiang Mai city in a day time is +1.1 °C and in a night time is +1.3 °C. Moreover, the population density, building density and traffic density were found to have significant effects on ambient air temperature, especially the population density and building density have direct effect on ambient air temperature. However, the traffic density has direct effect on ambient air temperature only in a day time.

Experimental characterization of the probability density function of the operating loads supported by urban buses in Madrid, Spain

In order to approach properly a wide variety of issues concerning urban large passenger transport vehicles, such as the design of the bus structure, the comfort of passengers, the non-collision injury risk and the operating characteristics of the bus, detailed knowledge of the loads that the buses support when operating is required. These loads depend on numerous factors such as the geographic and urban features of the city where they operate, the type of route and the driver. All these factors provide the nature of these loads with a wide variability, and so studies based on experimentally obtained data during representative periods of operation must be developed. The main objective of the present paper is to carry out a representative characterization of the operating loads supported by large passenger transport vehicles during normal operation. It is with this aim that a study of the longitudinal accelerations and lateral accelerations to which large passenger transport vehicles are subjected was conducted over urban routes by using the data collected by the Global Positioning System. An extensive assessment of recorded data was carried out to evaluate whether the precision and the sample rate of the Global Positioning System were sufficient to characterize these accelerations accurately. To ensure that the sample was representative, data for an operation time of more than 600 h were recorded using 10 different models of large passenger transport vehicles operating over 13 different urban routes. From all the position data recorded, the instant longitudinal accelerations were calculated using second-order central differentiation, and the lateral accelerations were obtained using first-order central differentiation and the curvature radius. All the calculated accelerations were then subjected to data processing developed on an ad-hoc basis to filter the information that did not refer to accelerating manoeuvres. After this data-processing procedure, it was verified that both the lateral accelerations and the longitudinal accelerations fit normal probability distributions with a minimum margin of error (maximum differences of 0.165 m/s2 for lateral accelerations and 0.038 m/s2 for longitudinal accelerations).

Are HOV/eco-lanes a sustainable option to reducing emissions in a medium-sized European city?

Innovative traffic management measures are needed to reduce transportation-related emissions. While in Europe, road lane management has focused mainly on introduction of bus lanes, the conversion to High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) and eco-lanes (lanes dedicated to vehicles running on alternative fuels) has not been studied comprehensively. The objectives of this research are to: (1) Develop an integrated microscopic modeling platform calibrated with real world data to assess both traffic and emissions impacts of future Traffic Management Strategies (TMS) in an urban area; (2) Evaluate the introduction of HOV/eco-lanes in three different types of roads, freeway, arterial and urban routes, in an European medium-sized city and its effects in terms of emissions and traffic performance. The methodology consists of three distinct phases: (a) Traffic and road inventory data collection; (b) Traffic and emissions simulation using an integrated platform of microscopic simulation; and (c) Evaluation of scenarios. For the baseline scenario, the statistical analysis shows valid results. The results show that HOV and eco-lanes in a medium European city are feasible, and when the Average Occupancy of Vehicles (AOV) increases, on freeways, the majority of vehicles can reduce their travel time (2%) with a positive impact in terms of total emissions (−38% NOx, −39% HC, −43% CO and −37% CO2). On urban and arterial corridors, the reduction in emissions could be achieved only if the AOV increases from 1.50 to 1.70passengers/vehicle. Total emissions of the corridor with an AOV of 1.70passengers/vehicle can be reduced up to 35–36% for the urban route while the values can be reduced by 36–39% for the arterial road. With the introduction of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) it is possible to reduce emissions, although the introduction of eco-lanes did not show significant reductions in emissions. When both policies are simulated together, an emissions improvement is observed for the arterial route and for two of the scenarios.

Cyclist exposure to UFP and BC on urban routes in Antwerp, Belgium

Ultrafine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC) concentrations show a highly dynamic micro-variability in urban area. Mobile monitoring using a bicycle platform (354 runs in 1 month) was adopted in this study to characterize the micro-variability in relation to traffic intensity, street topology and meteorological conditions. For UFP and BC a positive relationship was demonstrated between pollutant concentration and traffic intensity. In addition, the distance to the traffic and the street topology were the dominant factors influencing the UFP and BC concentrations. A high variability between streets and even within streets was observed, and also between days and hour of the day. The exposure of cyclists in urban environments is strongly linked to the spatio-temporal variability of the pollutant concentrations. Fixed-track comparisons through time revealed significant differences in exposure between days and hour of the day, but even more importantly due to the occurrence of peak concentrations along the cycling track. Peaks were mainly found near busy cross-roads and in tunnels.

A new offline optimization approach for designing a fuel cell hybrid bus

In this study a hydrogen powered fuel cell hybrid bus is optimized in terms of the powertrain components and in terms of the energy management strategy. Firstly the vehicle is optimized aiming to minimize the cost of its powertrain components, in an official driving cycle. The optimization variables in powertrain component design are different models and sizes of fuel cells, of electric motors and controllers, and batteries. After the component design, an energy management strategy (EMS) optimization is performed in the official driving cycle and in two real measured driving cycles, aiming to minimize the fuel consumption. The EMS optimization is based on the control of the battery’s state-of-charge. The real driving cycles are representative of bus driving in urban routes within Lisbon and Oporto Portuguese cities. A real-coded genetic algorithm is developed to perform the optimization, and linked with the vehicle simulation software ADVISOR. The trade-off between cost increase and fuel consumption reduction is discussed in the lifetime of the designed bus and compared to a conventional diesel bus. Although the cost of the optimized hybrid powertrain (62,230€) achieves 9 times the cost of a conventional diesel bus, the improved efficiency of such powertrain achieved 36% and 34% of lower energy consumption for the real driving cycles, OportoDC and LisbonDC, which can originate savings of around 0.43€/km and 0.37€/km respectively. The optimization methodology presented in this work, aside being an offline method, demonstrated great improvements in performance and energy consumption in real driving cycles, and can be a great advantage in the design of a hybrid vehicle.

Stochastic Dynamic Programming based Energy Management of HEV's: an Experimental Validation

This paper addresses an experimental validation of an energy management strategy on a parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). The strategy under consideration is based on Stochastic Dynamic Programming. The control law (determining the torque split between the engine and the motor) is computed off-line by solving an infinite horizon optimization problem. It results in a time-invariant state feedback controller function of vehicle acceleration and velocity, battery state of charge and engine state. This controller is first validated in simulation and then implemented in the vehicle electronic control unit. Experimental results highlight the good behavior of the control strategy. During a 35 km urban route, the strategy succeeds in regulating the battery state of charge and judiciously uses the powertrain.

Road Grade Influence on the Exhaust Emissions of a Scooter Fuelled with Bioethanol/Gasoline Blends

Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has assessed evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer and increases the risk of bladder cancer. Because air pollution in urban areas is mainly caused by transportation, it is necessary to evaluate pollutant exhaust emissions from vehicles and scooters during their real-world use. Laboratory tests, with the exception of the high repeatability of the results, often cannot explain the influence of some parameters, such as ambient conditions, traffic congestion, and road gradients. Therefore, experiments were conducted to study the effects of road gradients on the exhaust emissions of a medium displacement scooter, which represents a very popular means of travel in Southern Italy. First, the scooter was instrumented with a global positioning system (GPS) to acquire speed profiles and positions in an urban route of Napoli city, which is characterized by significant changes in the road gradient. The velocity profile has several missing points due to GPS signal loss over some stretches of road adjacent to tall buildings. The road gradient values were built into an algorithm to synchronize the missing data through Google elevation API based on a model of the same path with a complete set of data. Afterwards, some representative slope values for each kinematic sequence/driving cycle were evaluated. These new variables were found to contribute to the individual real-world driving cycles. The resulting real-world driving cycle was tested using a chassis-dynamometer to continuously simulate the exact road gradient. A series of experiments with and without the road gradient simulations were performed to evaluate the influence of the road gradient on the exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. This analysis was performed using a two-wheeler vehicle fuelled with commercial gasoline and two blends with a maximum bioethanol content of 20% vol. Gaseous emissions were correlated to the vehicle specific power (VSP), which is the most useful parameter for addressing the road gradient together with the kinematic characteristics of the driving cycle and the vehicle characteristics. Through a multivariate statistical approach, this type of gradient analysis can permit correlation of the emission profiles for a specific road position, and evaluate its influence on their behavior. A strict dependence on carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption exists for the VSP. The road gradient greatly increases the vehicle power demands, resulting in an increasing amount of fuel consumed for each kilometer driven.

City Logistics

This paper addresses freight management in large, congested urban settings. Congestion creates a substantial variation in travel time (speeds) during morning peak and evening peak periods. Besides the day-to-day dynamics of traffic conditions, traffic incidents contribute significantly to urban congestion, resulting in unplanned travel delays. Urban route designs that ignore such significant variations are often found to be inefficient or even infeasible (in regard to delivery or pickup time windows) in a congested traffic environment. This limitation may lead to delays, higher operational costs, and inferior customer service. To take the dynamics of traffic conditions into account, the proposed modeling framework includes an underlying dynamic network traffic simulation-assignment model that is able to compute time-dependent shortest paths (TDSPs) and simulate individual vehicles on a realistic representation of urban road network elements, including signalization, ramp metering, and other operational controls. A two-phase set-partitioning–based heuristic approach is proposed to construct freight vehicle routes. No parameter tuning is required. The integrated modeling framework was first tested on a small network, and then the application was demonstrated on a real-world urban network, the Chicago, Illinois, area network, with problem instances of up to 500 customers with TDSPs updated at 10-min intervals.