Urban Transport Infrastructure Research Articles

Оценка моментов прибытия городского общественного транспорта на остановочные пункты

The problem of determining the arrival moments arrival of vehicles (V) at stopping points (SP) based on navigation data on the position and speed of movement has been considered. The precise definition of these points is key to obtaining an up-to-date matrix of interstop correspondence, which is necessary for planning the development of urban transport infrastructure. The development of algorithms for determining the time of arrival of T at the SP in real time has been analyzed. The authors have described the main drawback of the presented algorithms during failures of navigation systems. A method has been developed for estimating the arrival moments of T at the SP based on historical navigation data and up-to-date data on the position and speed of the vehicle both before and after arrival. The method takes into account possible failures in data transmission: it leads to the fact that there may be several SP between two known sequential positions of T. A rigorous theoretical and probabilistic justification of the developed method has been given and its advantages and limitations have been considered. In particular, the issue of the specifics of its validation and calibration has been discussed in detail. The results of the work can be useful for the management and planning of the development of the transport system.

STUDY OF THE DENSITY OF LOCATION OF CAR SERVICE ENTERPRISES IN NAMANGAN AND THE LIST OF SERVICES OFFERED

The problem of urban transport infrastructure is considered in terms of ensuring the rational organization of vehicle maintenance and repair based on the principle of optimal placement of car service enterprises in urban areas and the list of services offered. Factors have been identified that make it possible to solve the problem of the chaotic location of such enterprises.

Urban Traffic Accident Features Investigation to Improve Urban Transportation Infrastructure Sustainability by Integrating GIS and Data Mining Techniques

Urban traffic accidents pose significant challenges to the sustainability of transportation infrastructure not only in Vietnam but also all over the world. To decrease the frequency of accidents, it is crucial to analyze accident data to determine the relationship between accidents and causes, especially for serious accidents. This study suggests an integrated approach using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Data Mining methods to investigate the features of urban traffic accidents in Hanoi, Vietnam aiming to solve these challenges and enhance the safety and efficiency of urban transportation. Firstly, the dataset was segmented into homogenous clusters using the two-step cluster method. Secondly, the correlation between causes and traffic accidents was examined on the overall dataset as well as on each cluster using the association rule mining (ARM) technique. Finally, the location of accident groups and high-frequency sites of accidents (hotspots) were determined by using GIS techniques. As a result, a five-cluster model was created, which corresponded to five common accident groupings in Hanoi. Moreover, the results of the study also identified the types of accidents, the main causes, the time, and the surrounding areas corresponding to each accident group. In detail, cluster 5 depicted accidents on streets, provincial, and national roads caused by motorbikes making up the highest percentage within the groups, accounting for 29.2%. Speeding and driving in the wrong lane in the afternoon and at night were the main causes in this cluster (Cf ≥ 0.9 and Lt ≥ 1.22). Next, cluster 2 had the second-highest proportion. Cluster 2 presented accidents between a truck/car and a motorbike on national and provincial roads, accounting for 27.8%. Cluster 1 presented accidents between a truck/car and a motorbike on local streets, accounting for 22%. Cluster 3 illustrated accidents between two motorbikes on the country lanes, accounting for 12.3%. Finally, cluster 4 depicted single-vehicle motorbike crashes, with the lowest rate of 8.8%. More importantly, this study also recommended using repeatability criteria for the same type of accidents or causes to determine the location of hotspots. Also, suggestions for improving traffic infrastructure sustainability were proposed. To our knowledge, this is the first time in which these three methods are applied simultaneously for analyzing traffic accidents.

DEVELOPMENT OF A MACHINE VISION SYSTEM FOR DAMAGE AND OBJECT DETECTION IN TUNNELS USING CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Abstract. Tunnel inspection, i.e. detection of damages and defects on concrete surfaces, is essential for monitoring structural reliability and health conditions of transport facilities, thus providing safe and sustainable urban transportation infrastructures. In this study, an innovative visual-based system is developed for damage and object detection tasks in roadway tunnels based on deep learning techniques. The main components of the developed Machine Vision System such as industrial cameras, flash-based light sources, controller, the synchronization unit and corresponding software programs are designed to collect high-resolution images with sufficient quality from dimly lit tunnel environments in normal traffic flows with an operating speed of 30–50 km/h. Unlike recent studies, the training data includes multiple types of damage such as cracks, spalling, rust, delamination and other surface changes. Furthermore, 10 classes of common tunnel objects including traffic signs, traffic cameras, traffic lights, ventilation ducts, various sensors and cables are labeled for object detection. As state-of-the-art Convolutional Neural Networks, DeepLab and U-Net are trained and evaluated using accuracy metrics for image segmentation. The results highlight the most important parameters of the discussed Machine Vision System as well as the performance of DeepLab and U-Net for object and damage detection.

Assessment of Pedestrians Crossing Behaviour at Mid-Blocks Under Mixed Traffic Conditions in Urban Contexts

Pedestrians are an integral part of urban transportation infrastructure systems, which is also sustainable mode of transportation system. But they are particularly at risk in isolated mid-block sites that have different levels of traffic. The purpose of this study is to investigate, analyze, and simulate pedestrian behavior at Uncontrolled Midblock Crossings in Hyderabad (Hitech city to Habsiguda) under Mixed Traffic Conditions. Particularly, the Mid-Block Crossing Behavior and Pedestrian Crossing Speed. A field survey needs to be conducted using during the project by using any kind of survey techniques, such as Video-graphic technique, manually. Different locations are to be identified, and to be chosen in accordance to Pedestrian traffic and Pedestrians Crossing at Midblock. The Survey should be carried out as per the standards and done during the peak hours. The overall Pedestrian Speed should be determined by using the pedestrian field survey. An Interview method Survey was done to determine the exact Age of Pedestrians at the Study Locations. The data that is required for analysis of pedestrian behaviour at the Mid-Block Crossings are included with Speed of vehicles, Crossing Speeds of Pedestrians, individual characteristics (Gender, Age etc.) as well as the type of Crossing Behaviour. The Pedestrian Crossing Speeds and the Cumulative Speeds were determined and the variations in accordance to Age and Gender were obtained for the selected locations. And further it can be extended to predict the Gap size of the locations by using the log Normal Regression Model and A Binary Logit Model can be examined to find the effects of behavioural aspects of parameters on the Gender (Male and Female) coded as a discrete variable.

Development of the transport network considering the specifics of Lviv’s planning structure (compared to Leipzig and Krakow)

The relevance of this study is determined by the need to adapt the transport network of Lviv to the requirements of modern urban traffic. The planning structure of Lviv was formed based on radial roads, later developing ring connections, which is typical for most European cities, but eventually acquired its own characteristics. The purpose of this study was to analyse the specific features of the current planning structure of Lviv, which affect the development of urban transport infrastructure and mobility of each mode of transport. The methodology of this study involves analysing the modern street and road network as the formative basis of the planning structure of the city of Lviv and assessing transport mobility based on geospatial data from open sources. Comparison with similar European cities, such as Leipzig and Krakow, helps to highlight the specific features and rational ways of developing Lviv’s transport network. The results of the study point to the main feature of Lviv’s planning structure, which is its compactness and high population density – twice as high as in comparable cities. This makes it impossible to adapt the transport infrastructure for car travel and highlights the need to improve public transport networks and cycling infrastructure as more efficient and environmentally friendly ways of urban transport. However, the study of urban transport mobility found that the means of limiting the use of private cars in Lviv are inferior to those implemented in comparable cities, and the public transport network and bicycle infrastructure are underdeveloped and do not provide a quality alternative to car travel as of 2023. The practical value of the study lies in highlighting the most problematic aspects of Lviv’s transport infrastructure that require urgent decisions to function in the context of the specific planning structure of the city

РОЛЬ ГЕНДЕРНОГО ФАКТОРА ПРИ ВЫБОРЕ СРЕДСТВА ПЕРЕМЕЩЕНИЯ ПО ГОРОДУ

Modern studies of approaches to urban development in general and to urban transport in particular pay great attention to the interests and needs of various population groups. In particular, the factor of gender identity becomes important in the formation of urban transport policy, namely, understanding the need to take into account the different requirements of men and women in the formation and development of urban infrastructure. In this paper, based on the results of empirical data collection, we show that the transportation behavior and factors of transportation mode choice are different for men and women. This allows us to conclude that developing urban transport infrastructure, city authorities have the opportunity not just to meet the needs of representatives of different gender, but also effectively influence the peculiarities of transportation behavior of citizens.

Short-term traffic flow prediction based on weather factors analysis and neural network

With the progress of urban transportation infrastructure and the construction of intelligent transportation system, sufficiently accurate traffic flow prediction is of increasing importance for urban planning and management. This paper based on traffic flow data in a section of highway in Los Angeles, USA, we combine external qualitative data such as weather and work calendars, analyze and process the factors significantly influencing traffic flow first, then train and test the traffic flow data by building machine learning Support Vector Regression (SVR) model and the Back Propagation neural network (BP neural network). The test results show that the BP neural network traffic flow prediction model incorporating the external environment is more accurate, and that the external environment has a significant impact on the traffic flow prediction problem. If more significantly influencing factors can be taken into account, or if the current algorithm can be optimized, the prediction accuracy will have further improved, thus effectively enhancing the efficiency and safety of traffic systems.

Exploring the Relationships Between Urban Form, Transportation Infrastructure, and Travel Behaviour: A Cross-City Comparison of Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Tokyo

This paper combines traffic statistics of six typical Asian cities, including population density, GDP per capita, mode share, etc., and provides an in-depth analysis of the cities traffic situation. We summarized relationships between income, population density, transportation infrastructure, transportation policies in each city, and the mode of transportation in each area. We find that the population density in a town dramatically impacts the public transit systems, and there are significant relationships between the local travel policies and the mode share. In addition to the conclusions, we summarized the existing problems in this paper and made suggestions for future research in the field.

Patterns of Urban Transport Infrastructure in China

China has focused on heavily investing in transportation infrastructure for many decades, and this study has aimed to conduct a detailed discussion of Chinas transportation infrastructure and has also described the evolution of the transportation system over the past few decades. This report has examined that China has been aggressively focusing on transportation infrastructure to build stronger economic growth in the changing environment. The data was collected and extracted from secondary research, such as general articles and books. Results show that the Chinese government has heavily invested in different sectors, such as railways, airways, seaways and other commuting methods, to transform the infrastructure of the country's transportation system. The highly transformed transportation system also minimizes the gap between the urban and rural regions, helps the country to influence the economic growth, and opens a new source of business with international markets. Further findings of this report reveal that from the past few years, China government is also exceptionally accentuating the development of metropolitan public transportation foundations to limit the hole. The government has clarified that urban public transportation also requires financial investment to improve traffic conditions and encourage sustainable societal development.

Switching intention, WOM and quality of public transport services: A case of the Kuala Lumpur conurbation

Despite spending billions of dollars on urban transport infrastructure, Malaysia has a poor reputation for its public transit service. Consequently, the majority of urban residents continue to rely on their cars. Hence, this paper aims to understand commuters’ intention to switch from private vehicles to public transit and spread word-of-mouth (WOM) about its services and assess the roles of satisfaction and service quality as antecedents. A cross-sectional survey of 421 rail and bus passengers was undertaken in Kuala Lumpur's urban and sub-urban areas, and the data was analyzed using SmartPLS. According to the data, empathy is the strongest predictor of satisfaction with transit services. Except for reliability, the service quality characteristics influence satisfaction and yield positive indirect effects on both switching intention and WOM. Transit operators and planners should take into account that providing a pleasant and hassle-free riding experience has a substantial impact on commuter satisfaction and long-term commitment. This study contributed to the body of knowledge by exploring the intervention role of satisfaction in the relationship between service quality and switching intention, as well as WOM.

Identifying critical urban intersections from a fine-grained spatio-temporal perspective

With the rising travel demand of crowds, urban road networks are under increasing pressure, which makes them progressively more fragile. Accurate identification of critical intersections is essential for urban management, resource allocation and traffic supervision. However, existing intersection evaluation methods fail to fully exploit transportation infrastructure, travel behavior and their synergistic relationships, resulting in coarse-grained and low-dynamic evaluation results. In this study, we develop an urban Intersection Evaluation framework from a Fine-grained Spatio-Temporal perspective (IE-FST). The framework is divided into three parts: fine-grained extraction of intersection information, multi-perspective assessment of node importance, and dynamic perception of spatio-temporal patterns in importance ranking. Specifically, IE-FST upgrades the intersection evaluation scale to turn-level, proposes the concept of Turning Sub-Node (TSN) and constructs a refined TSN topology network. Then, by finely extracting the network properties and mobility patterns of TSNs and mining the association patterns among TSNs, IE-FST proposes a Critical Fine-grained node Identification (CFI) algorithm to achieve a refined and dynamic evaluation of urban intersections. Finally, IE-FST analyzes the temporal characteristics and spatial distribution of TSN importance rankings, and provides traffic management measures for different types of TSNs to improve urban transport efficiency. Experiments are performed in Wuhan, China, and the results indicate that the proposed IE-FST framework achieves an accurate perception of urban intersections with high spatial and temporal resolution. This study promotes a better understanding of the synergistic relationships between crowd travel movements and urban transportation infrastructure, and provides theoretical support for infrastructure siting, refined traffic supervision, and rational resource allocation, thus contributing to the resilient and sustainable development of transportation systems and society.

A Critical Review of the Proposed Hyperloop (Ultra-High-Speed Rail) Project between Mumbai and Pune and Its Broader Implications for Sustainable Mobility in Indian Cities

This review paper examines the appropriateness of a hyperloop line between Mumbai and Pune in India, examining, in particular, its potential economic implications and impact on people. This assessment builds on an earlier in-depth examination by the authors of the key urban and transport planning, technical, environmental, economic and human factors surrounding the hyperloop technology. The current detailed analysis of hyperloop’s expected implications in the Mumbai to Pune corridor is based upon use of a wide variety of existing indicative data from many sources, which are sufficient to provide a very broad “first-step” reality testing of hyperloop’s suitability to India. It could be argued that this is precisely the kind of analysis that should have been conducted, or at least made public, prior to committing to hyperloop in India. The paper highlights many negatives concerning hyperloop’s construction and operation, including a very high capital cost compared to other needed urban transport infrastructure projects in India, a potential lack of patronage due to a range of factors and its potentially exclusive upper income patronage cohort. It is concluded that rather than making a costly mistake, India should address current urban mobility challenges and needs such as bus rapid transit (BRT) and metros in its innumerable cities, whose construction costs are vastly lower than the expected cost of a single hyperloop line. Technology, such as the hyperloop, would need time to mature and gain operational experience. Should any corridor be found suitable, there would still need to be a thorough, detailed benefit–cost analysis together with a dedicated examination of the technology’s broader urban planning implications and less tangible factors. Setting aside the ultimate worthiness of hyperloops, India would need to at least achieve certain preconditions before proposing or pursuing such systems in the country.

Incorporating hybrid networks into urban transportation infrastructures for improved COVID-19 transmission forecasting

In this study, we focus on exploring the propagation characteristics of particle swarms in social networks and analyze the diffusion process of viruses among populations based on system dynamics. The article mainly discusses three propagation influence mechanisms, including individual attributes, group attributes, and particle swarm attributes, and delves into the modeling of diffusion processes based on network structures. Firstly, we adopt the main roads in the transportation network (hub nodes) as the initial network backbone. On this basis, by introducing branch networks with small-world characteristics and scale-free characteristics, we construct a transportation network that integrates multiple properties. Using this network, we conducted a detailed simulation and analysis of the COVID-19 transmission process and compared and verified it with the infection dynamic data of COVID-19 in Shanghai from March to September 2022. The verification results reveal that our proposed model can significantly improve prediction accuracy. Compared with other existing dynamic models, our model demonstrates excellent performance, possessing high practical application value. This study provides robust theoretical support for the propagation characteristics of particle swarms in social networks and lays the foundation for further research and application in related fields.

Generating and Calibrating a Microscopic Traffic Flow Simulation Network of Kyoto

Microscopic traffic flow simulations as tools for enabling detailed insights on traffic efficiency and safety gained numerous popularity among transportation researchers, planners and engineers in the first to decades of the 21st century. By implementing a test bed for simulation scenarios of complex urban transportation infrastructure it is possible to inspect specific effects of introducing small infrastructural changes related to the built environment and to the introduction of advanced traffic control strategies. The possibility of reproducing present problems or the transportation services, such as the ones of public bus services is a key motivation of this work. In this research, we reproduce the road network of the city of Kyoto for observing specific travel patterns of public buses such as the bus bunching phenomena. Therefore, a selection of currently available data sets is used for calibrating a cutout of the Kyoto road network of a relatively large extent. After introducing a method for geodata extraction and conversion, we approach the calibration by introducing virtual detectors representing present inductive loops and make use of historical traffic count records. Additionally, we introduce bus routes partially contributed by volunteer mappers (OSM project). First simulation outcomes show numerous familiar (local knowledge) flow patterns.

Public transport development and changing transport behavior

The purpose of the article is to identify the tasks of developing urban transport infrastructure and changing the transport behavior of passengers. Urban transport should allow solving the following tasks: the possibility of planning the travel time, ensuring the reliability and safety of the trip, creating conditions for the availability of transport services at their cost, safety and comfort, as well as providing transport services at minimal economic costs. In the process of applying analytical research methods, actual problems of urban infrastructure have been identified and directions for solving these problems have been proposed. Human transport behavior in the conditions of rapid development of information and communication technologies has been analyzed. The growing digitalization leads to the creation of a wide variety of proposals for the implementation of mobility and its use. In addition to multimodality, this also applies to suggestions for information support and organization of systems.

Spatial-Temporal Distribution and Coupling Relationship of High-Speed Railway and Economic Networks in Metropolitan Areas of China

The planning of urban transportation infrastructure and land-related policies has a significant impact on the living conditions of urban residents and socio-economic development, particularly in emerging economies. As urbanization continues to advance, Metropolitan Areas (MAs) have become crucial for achieving industrial coordination, functional complementarity between cities, and integrated regional development. Applying Social Network Analysis (SNA), the gravity model, and Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) analysis, this study investigated the spatial-temporal distribution patterns of High-Speed Railway (HSR) networks and economic networks in MAs in China and the dynamic coupling relationship between these two networks. The findings revealed that, although core cities in the Yangtze River Delta MA in China exert varying degrees of radiation and driving effects on the economic development of surrounding cities, the overall development remains immature with a noticeable disequilibrium phenomenon. The coupling relationship between the HSR networks and the economic networks also differs significantly among different MAs. It is expected that the findings and suggestions of this study will contribute to the improvement of urban planning and governance and facilitate coordinated development between urban transportation infrastructure and the economy in emerging economies.

The impact of urban population spatial distribution on CO2 emissions in China from the perspective of individual and interactive effects.

As China's rapid urbanization continues, uneven urban population spatial distribution (UPSD) has a profound impact on its CO2 emissions. To understand how UPSD shapes CO2 emissions in China, this study employs geographic detectors to analyze the spatial stratified heterogeneity patterns of urban CO2 emissions and explore the spatial individual and interactive effects of UPSD in 2005 and 2015. Results show that CO2 emissions increased significantly from 2005 to 2015, especially in developed cities and resource-based cities. The spatial individual effect of UPSD on spatial stratified heterogeneity pattern of CO2 emissions has gradually increased in the North Coast, South Coast, the Middle Yellow River, and the Middle Yangtze River. The interaction of UPSD and urban transportation infrastructure, urban economic development, and urban industrial structure plays a more important role on the North Coast and East Coast than in other city groups in 2005. In 2015, the interaction between UPSD and urban research and development was the traction of mitigating CO2 emissions in developed city groups, especially on the North Coast and East Coast. Moreover, the spatial interaction between the UPSD and urban industrial structure has gradually weakened in developed city groups, which means UPSD drives the prosperity of the service industry, thus contributing to the low-carbon development of Chinese cities.

Sustainable Operations: A Systematic Operational Performance Evaluation Framework for Public–Private Partnership Transportation Infrastructure Projects

With the application of public–private partnership (PPP) model in urban transportation infrastructure projects, various participants have put forward multi-dimensional demands to the operation and maintenance of infrastructures. This study aims to establish a systematic operational performance evaluation framework for PPP transportation infrastructure projects. Based on a literature review, the balanced scorecard was improved, and a conceptual model of multidimensional performance assessment was constructed. The structure of the qualitative performance assessment system was quantified and analyzed by combining structural equation modeling with questionnaires to obtain causal relationships among the indicators. Subsequently, a system dynamics model was constructed to assess the performance dynamically, and a validation analysis was conducted. It finds that maintaining a low level of operational quality over an extended period can significantly reduce stakeholder satisfaction, consequently exacerbating the decline in project performance. In contrast, an improvement in the level of informatization is found to positively contribute to enhancing operational quality and facilitating the long-term sustainability of project operations. It innovatively integrates four dimensions of financial, multi-stakeholder satisfaction, operation and maintenance quality, and sustainability performance to enrich the theoretical system of PPP transportation infrastructure performance assessment. At the same time, it analyzes the influence mechanism among the indicators and its long-term dynamic performance, which provides an effective decision-making tool for operational performance management.

Heterogeneous effects of urban transport infrastructure on population distribution: The role of educational access

This article investigates the heterogeneous effects of urban transport infrastructure on population distribution within a city. I focus on the case of Xiamen—a coastal city in China—where two bridges and a tunnel have been built to promote population growth on the city’s periphery. I first show that although population share increased substantially on the bridges-connected periphery, no significant growth in the population share was observed on the tunnel-connected periphery. This pattern is surprising, given that the reduction in the commuting distance enabled by the tunnel is more than five times as large as that enabled by the bridges. I then calibrate a quantitative urban model to demonstrate the importance of access to high-quality schools in explaining the distinct effects of the infrastructures. Counterfactual exercises suggest that increasing educational resources on the tunnel-connected periphery or relaxing the restriction on cross-district school enrollment may facilitate the intended population growth effect of the tunnel.