Transport network criticality metrics: a comparative analysis and a guideline for selection

ABSTRACT

Transport network criticality analysis aims at ranking transport infrastructure elements based on their contribution to the performance of the overall infrastructure network. Despite the wide variety of transport network criticality metrics, little guidance is available on selecting metrics that are fit for the specific purpose of a study. To address this gap, this study reviews, evaluates and compares seventeen criticality metrics. First, we conceptually evaluate these metrics in terms of the functionality of the transport system that the metrics try to represent (either maintaining connectivity, reducing travel cost, or improving accessibility), the underlying ethical principles (either utilitarianism or egalitarianism), and the spatial aggregation considered by the metrics (either network-wide or localised). Next, we empirically compare the metrics by calculating them for eight transport networks. We define the empirical similarity between two metrics as the degree to which they yield similar rankings of infrastructure elements. Pairs of metrics that have high empirical similarity highlight the same set of transport infrastructure elements as critical. We find that empirical similarity is partly dependent on the network’s topology. We also observe that metrics that are conceptually similar do not necessarily have high empirical similarity. Based on the insights from the conceptual and empirical comparison, we propose a five-step guideline for transport authorities and analysts to identify the set of criticality metrics to use which best aligns with the nature of their policy questions.     

Cost-effectiveness of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from High-Speed Rail and urban transportation projects in California

A rising trend in state and federal transportation finance is to invest capital dollars into projects which reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, a key metric for comparing projects, the cost-effectiveness of GHG emissions reductions, is highly dependent on the cost-benefit methodology employed in the analysis. Our analysis comparing California High-Speed Rail and three urban transportation projects shows how four different accounting framings bring wide variations in cost per metric tonne of GHG emissions reduced. In our analysis, life-cycle GHG emissions are joined with full cost accounting to better understand the benefits of cap-and-trade investments. Considering only public subsidy for capital, none of the projects appear to be a cost-effective means to reduce GHG emissions (i.e., relative to the current price of GHG emissions in California’s cap-and-trade program at $12.21 per tonne). However, after adjusting for the change in private costs users incur when switching from the counterfactual mode (automobile or aircraft) to the mode enabled by the project, all investments appear to reduce GHG emissions at a net savings to the public. Policy and decision-makers who consider only the capital cost of new transportation projects can be expected to incorrectly assess alternatives and indirect benefits (i.e., how travelers adapt to the new mass transit alternative) should be included in decision-making processes.     

Transport resilience and vulnerability: The role of connectivity

This paper aims to adopt a critical stance on the relevance and interpretation of the recently emerging concepts of resilience and vulnerability in transportation studies. It makes a clear distinction between engineering and ecological interpretations of these concepts and offers a systematic typology of various studies in this field. A core element in the study is the linkage between the aforementioned concepts and connectivity/accessibility in transport networks. The methodological findings in the study are put in perspective by addressing also such concepts as robustness, reliability and friability of transport systems.     

Assessment of antenna characteristic effects on pedestrian and cyclists travel-time estimation based on Bluetooth and WiFi MAC addresses

Monitoring pedestrian and cyclists movement is an important area of research in transport, crowd safety, urban design and human behaviour assessment areas. Media Access Control (MAC) address data has been recently used as potential information for extracting features from people’s movement. MAC addresses are unique identifiers of WiFi and Bluetooth wireless technologies in smart electronics devices such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. The unique number of each WiFi and Bluetooth MAC address can be captured and stored by MAC address scanners. MAC addresses data in fact allows for unannounced, non-participatory, and tracking of people. The use of MAC data for tracking people has been focused recently for applying in mass events, shopping centres, airports, train stations, etc. In terms of travel time estimation, setting up a scanner with a big value of antenna’s gain is usually recommended for highways and main roads to track vehicle’s movements, whereas big gains can have some drawbacks in case of pedestrian and cyclists. Pedestrian and cyclists mainly move in built distinctions and city pathways where there is significant noises from other fixed WiFi and Bluetooth. Big antenna’s gains will cover wide areas that results in scanning more samples from pedestrians and cyclists’ MAC device. However, anomalies (such fixed devices) may be captured that increase the complexity and processing time of data analysis. On the other hand, small gain antennas will have lesser anomalies in the data but at the cost of lower overall sample size of pedestrian and cyclist’s data. This paper studies the effect of antenna characteristics on MAC address data in terms of travel-time estimation for pedestrians and cyclists. The results of the empirical case study compare the effects of small and big antenna gains in order to suggest optimal set up for increasing the accuracy of pedestrians and cyclists’ travel-time estimation.     

Decouple transport CO2 emissions from China’s economic expansion: A temporal-spatial analysis

China’s transport industry is energy intensive and high-polluting. While with the surging urbanization and the development of service industry, China’s economic relies more and more on the transport sector. Therefore, exploring the relationship between transport energy-related carbon emission (TECE) and economic development is crucial to the realization of China’s “Post Paris” mitigation target. The paper carries out a decoupling research between TECE and Gross domestic product (GDP) at both national level and province level based on Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition analysis with the extended Kaya identity and Tapio decoupling model. The model quantifies eight factors’ effects on the relationship with focusing on external macro socio-economic related factors (i.e., spatial pattern, urbanization, per capita service industry output value, reciprocal of the service industry’s share of GDP, and demographic variable) successfully. The key conclusions are indicated as follows: (1) the national decoupling status was extensive coupling during 2004–2010 and then weak decoupling during 2010–2016. The progress can be attributed to the decline of energy intensity. (2) Per capita service output was always the prominent factor to promote carbon emissions growth in different time periods and provinces with inhibiting the advancement of decoupling process, followed by urbanization. (3) Scenario analysis shows that with the continuous growth of traffic demand and the promotion of urbanization, improving energy efficiency has become the key link to realize the decoupling between China’s TECE and its economy.     

旅游交通规划成套技术探究

从行业、角度、目标和路径四大方面更新旅游交通规划理念,建立时空、资源、体验三大模块规划体系,达到旅游交通网络构建、功能拓展、配套完善的效果。在此规划体系基础上,根据不同地区特色,突出主题品牌设计,创新产品供给,紧密结合当地规划与落地方案,形成了丰富的规划应用成果,为交旅融合快速发展奠定理论基础。     

轨道交通桥梁预制盖梁结构力学行为研究

通过运用有限元程序ANSYS、MIDAS和规范理论算法,研究轨道交通桥梁预制盖梁的结构力学行为,在施工和运营两种荷载工况下,对接口连接构造的力学行为和计算建模方法进行较为详尽的论述,以及对不同边界条件下的计算结果进行对比分析。从接口部位的环形焊缝应力、钢板与混凝土连接的钢筋应力和接口部位的混凝土应力分析结果可知,该接口构造的连接方案具有一定的可靠性和安全性,同时该研究过程和理论分析成果为其他工程的设计分析工作具有一定的借鉴作用。     

温州市域铁路交通系统关键技术分析

市域铁路是解决市域范围交通需求的有效途径。介绍温州轨道交通发展模式,车辆、限界设计、行车组织、车站建筑、桥梁结构、轨道工程、供电系统、信号体系、通信技术等市域铁路关键技术;从运输能力、线路条件、设备技术条件和投资效应等角度,分析市域铁路与中等城市的适应性。温州市域铁路是一种新模式,采取城轨运行模式,集合国铁乘坐舒适度和地铁的便捷性,具有行车速度高、运能大的特点。     

钢轨扣件减振橡胶阻尼耗能特性分析

为了掌握钢轨扣件减振橡胶中阻尼的分布及其随振幅和频率的变化规律,对减振橡胶元件受压和受剪两种扣件进行了试验研究。建立钢轨扣件减振橡胶非线性弹性力和混合阻尼叠加的动力学模型,完成模型参数识别及结果检验。根据所建立的动力学模型计算各试验工况下的弹性变形能、阻尼耗能和结构损耗因子。分析发现:压缩和剪切两种扣件减振橡胶的阻尼参数随振幅和频率的变化规律相似,弹性变形能、阻尼耗能和结构损耗因子均随振幅的增大而显著增大,而受频率的影响较小。相同工况下,压缩型扣件减振橡胶的结构损耗因子远大于剪切型扣件,说明压缩型扣件在发挥减振功能时,其耗能特性优于剪切型扣件,而隔振特性劣于剪切型扣件。因此,在钢轨扣件创新设计时,可以通过控制减振橡胶压-剪组合变形,来实现扣件隔振和衰减振动能量两功能的均衡发挥,将结构损耗因子作为设计过程中的控制指标。     

动车运用所轮对检测间隔离信号机联锁设计

动车所隔离信号机用于保护轮对检测间检修人员,但仅由人工控制不能完全确保安全,故将隔离信号机纳入联锁系统控制,以消除安全隐患、提高运输效率。为此,设计了相应的控制电路。