Measuring social effective speed to improve sustainable mobility policies in developing countries

Over the last few decades, many developing countries have experienced car fleet growth, which has contributed to congestion, increased travel times, and deteriorated public transport reliability and punctuality. However, alternatives to urban mobility can be found by creating policies to stimulate sustainable transportation modes with equal opportunities for all citizens. In this paper, measures of social effective speeds are presented to improve sustainable urban mobility policies in developing countries. Data from the 2018 Origin-Destination Survey of the Metropolitan Region of Recife (Brazil) were used to estimate social effective speeds. The results showed that motorized modes had lower effective speed than non-motorized modes. In addition, total external costs were $2 billion USD per year. The social effective speed will be valuable if inserted in sustainable urban mobility policies in developing countries.     

Performance comparison between pedestrian push-button and pre-timed pedestrian crossings at midblock: a Korean case study

Walking has been highlighted as an independent transportation mode as well as an access/egress mode to/from public transit to encourage the use of more sustainable transport systems. However, walking does not seem to have priority over other transportation modes, especially in areas where various modes of movement are in conflict. The pedestrian push-button system seems to be a solution to distribute the right of way. The focus of this study is on the performance issue of the pedestrian push-button. Specifically, this study deals with issues related to mid-block crossings and attempts to answer two questions: whose waiting time is longer at pre-timed and push-button crossings, pedestrians, or vehicles? and which system – pre-timed or push-button – is better in terms of total waiting time? According to our simulation analyses, if the pedestrian flow rate is less than 120, 85, and 70 ped/h for two-, three-, and four-lane roads, respectively, the push-button system is recommended.     

Does public transit improvement affect commuting behavior in Beijing,China? A spatial multilevel approach

Developing countries like China have experienced substantial city transformations over the past decade. City transformations are characterized by transportation innovations that allow individuals to access to speedy commuting modes for work activities and offer potential influences on commuting behavior. This paper examines the potential effects of subway system expansion in Beijing on commuting behavior. Our methodological design controls for spatial effects by employing Bayesian multilevel binary logistic models with spatial random effects. Using cross-sectional individual surveys in Beijing, the results suggest that there is a significant rise in subway commuting trips while non-motorized and bus commuting trips are reduced with the new subway expansion. Model comparison results show evidence about the presence of spatial effects in influencing the role of built environment characteristics to play in the commuting behavior analysis.     

Adding temporal information to direct-demand models: Hourly estimation of bicycle and pedestrian traffic in Blacksburg,VA

Cycling and walking are environmentally-friendly transport modes, providing alternatives to automobility. However, exposure to hazards (e.g., crashes) may influence the choice to walk or cycle for risk-averse populations, minimizing non-motorized travel as an alternative to driving. Most models to estimate non-motorized traffic volumes (and subsequently hazard exposure) are based on specific time periods (e.g., peak-hour) or long-term averages (e.g., Annual Average Daily Traffic), which do not allow for estimating hazard exposure by time of day. We calculated Annual Average Hourly Traffic estimates of bicycles and pedestrians from a comprehensive traffic monitoring campaign in a small university town (Blacksburg, VA) to develop hourly direct-demand models that account for both spatial (e.g., land use, transportation) and temporal (i.e., time of day) factors. We developed two types of models: (1) hour-specific models (i.e., one model for each hour of the day) and (2) a single spatiotemporal model that directly incorporates temporal variables. Our model results were reasonable (adj-R² for the hour-specific [spatiotemporal] bicycle model: ∼0.47 [0.49]; pedestrian model: ∼0.69 [0.72]). We found correlation among non-motorized traffic, land use (e.g., population density), and transportation (e.g., on-street facility) variables. Temporal variables had a similar magnitude of correlation as the spatial variables. We produced spatial estimates that vary by time of day to illustrate spatiotemporal traffic patterns for the entire network. Our temporally-resolved models could be used to assess exposure to hazards (e.g. air pollution, crashes) or locate safety-related infrastructure (e.g., striping, lights) based on targeted time periods (e.g., peak-hour, nighttime) that temporally averaged estimates cannot.     

Planning for pedestrian networks in North American downtowns

While North American urban regions are served by mechanical modes of transportation, downtowns are largely pedestrian environments. The growth and consolidation of office districts over the last twenty years have revived interest in developing coherent and efficient pedestrian networks, which can be coordinated with other transportation needs within the downtown. Ambitious plans for expansion of the downtown for offices, the retail and service industries as well as for housing and entertainment have been adopted in many North American cities during the 1980s. The successful integration of these large central areas depends to a considerable extent on the implementation of expanded pedestrian networks. This paper discusses certain spatial characteristics of North American cities which call for specific network designs and research into the walking environments of central areas. More knowledge is needed of the relative contributions to pedestrian regeneration of land use combinations, the design of networks and of walking paths.     

Spatial epidemiologic analysis of relative collision risk factors among urban bicyclists and pedestrians

Pedestrians and bicyclists are the victims of countless car crashes in U.S. cities as well as around the world. Yet, many dimensions of their involvement in crashes remain rather poorly known. In this article, we follow a spatial epidemiologic approach to study the relative risk factors of bicycle and pedestrian crashes at the neighborhood level in the City of Buffalo, NY over a two-year period. The analysis examines physical road characteristics such as roadway and intersection functional classes, urban density and type of development—business or residential, as well as socio-economic and demographic variables to identify discriminating risk factors between the two non-motorized transportation modes. The analysis underscores significant differences tied to neighborhood ethnicity, educational attainment and land use, while physical characteristics of the road infrastructure register as marginally discriminating factors. Income related socio-economic status is not found to play a prominent role.     

Discovering themes and trends in transportation research using topic modeling

Transportation research is a key area in both science and engineering. In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of 17,163 articles published in 22 leading transportation journals from 1990 to 2015. We apply a latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model on article abstracts to infer 50 key topics. We show that those characterized topics are both representative and meaningful, mostly corresponding to established sub-fields in transportation research. These identified fields reveal a research landscape for transportation. Based on the results of LDA, we quantify the similarity of journals and countries/regions in terms of their aggregated topic distributions. By measuring the variation of topic distributions over time, we find some general research trends, such as topics on sustainability, travel behavior and non-motorized mobility are becoming increasingly popular over time. We also carry out this temporal analysis for each journal, observing a high degree of consistency for most journals. However, some interesting anomaly, such as special issues on particular topics, are detected from temporal variation as well. By quantifying the temporal trends at the country/region level, we find that countries/regions display clearly distinguishable patterns, suggesting that research communities in different regions tend to focus on different sub-fields. Our results could benefit different parties in the academic community—including researchers, journal editors and funding agencies—in terms of identifying promising research topics/projects, seeking for candidate journals for a submission, and realigning focus for journal development.     

Skateboarding for transportation: exploring the factors behind an unconventional mode choice among university skateboard commuters

Transportation - Efforts to promote non-motorized, active transportation modes typically focus on walking and bicycling. However, other self-propelled devices such as skateboards, roller skates,...     

Mathematical programming models for airport site selection

Three mathematical programming models are developed in this paper, using different criteria, for the airport site selection problem in developing countries. Estimation of parameters, based on Turkish data, and the sensitivity analyses are presented. The first is a typical set covering model used to determine the minimum number of airports required for a given population of passengers. The other two are location-allocation type models used to find the optimal airport location patterns, the number of passengers to be bussed to cities having airports, and the optimal frequencies of transportation modes between the city pairs.     

Area- and gender-based commuting differentials in India’s largest urban-rural region

In the countries of the Global South such as India, rapid urbanization and the increase in individual motorization may lead to a predominance of unsustainable commuting patterns. However, urbanization also has important positive effects, including the empowerment of women. This paper examines newly released, spatially disaggregated data on home-to-work commuting by non-agricultural workers in the National Capital Region of India. It aims to understand and compare commuting patterns in urban and rural areas, including choice of travel modes, commuting distances, and gender differentials.The results reveal a tendency observable in urban residents to use individual motorized transport more often both for short and for long trips, although the proportion of individual motorization is far from what it is in the industrial world. Rural areas are characterized by the predominance of non-motorized travel modes and a large share of long trips. The mobility gap between men and women does not appear to increase with literacy. In urban areas, women often choose to commute by car rather than using green modes of transportation (especially in higher-income districts). The paper stresses the importance of the area and gender differentials that need to be taken into account when formulating regional transport policies.     

an analysis of transportation energy conservation projects in developing countries

Industrialized countries have extensive experience with various transportation energy conservation measures and have been making steady progress in improving the efficiency of their transport sector. Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have also been making progress, but their experience in many aspects of transportation energy conservation is very limited. Development organizations have funded many transportation projects in developing countries, but the vast majority of these projects were designed to improve the transportation infrastructure. Very few transportation energy conservation projects have been implemented and decision-makers face a scarcity of information on effective strategies. This paper gives an overview of transportation projects in LDCs in order to identify those transportation energy conservation measures that offer the greatest potential for LDCs. Two case studies, from Tunisia and Costa Rica, are given to illustrate the issues involved in implementing transportation energy conservation measures in LDCs. Conclusions are drawn to suggest actions for developing countries and for development organizations.Acronyms DECAT Driver Energy Conservation Awareness Training - DSE Direccion Sectorial de Energia (Costa Rica) - GDP Gross domestic product - km Kilometer - LDCs Less Developed Countries - TOE Metric tonne of oil equivalent - USAID US Agency for International Development     

The relationship between non-motorized mode choice and the local physical environment

By estimating multinomial choice models, this paper examines the relationship between travel mode choice and attributes of the local physical environment such as topography, sidewalk availability, residential density, and the presence of walking and cycling paths. Data for student and staff commuters to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill are used to illustrate the relationship between mode choice and the objectively measured environmental attributes, while accounting for typical modal characteristics such as travel time, access time, and out-of-pocket cost. Results suggest that jointly the four attributes of the local physical environment make significant marginal contributions to explaining travel mode choice. In particular, the estimates reveal that local topography and sidewalk availability are significantly associated with the attractiveness of non-motorized modes. Point elasticities are provided and recommendations given regarding the importance of incorporating non-motorized modes into local transportation planning and in the study of how the built environment influences travel behavior.     

Built environment and mode choice relationship for commute travel in the city of Rajkot,India

Metropolitan areas around the world are looking for sustainable strategies to reduce use of private automobiles, energy consumption and emissions, often achieved by built environment interventions that encourage use of sustainable modes of transport. This study contributes by providing the empirical evidence on the relation between built environment and mode choice in context of Indian city of Rajkot. Using personal interview data and data available from Rajkot Municipal Corporation it is observed that there is a strong tendency among Rajkot residents to preselect their residential location to suit their modal preferences. This is especially true for non-motorized transport users. Among the built environment variables, access to destination and land use related indicators also have significant influence on mode choice. The study Infers that the land use policy should focus on accessibility and mixing of diverse uses, and transport supply will have to be location based to support non-motorized and public transport travel.     

The impacts of built environment on home-based work and non-work trips: An empirical study from Iran

This paper aims to explore the impact of built environment attributes in the scale of one quarter-mile buffers on individuals’ travel behaviors in the metropolitan of Shiraz, Iran. In order to develop this topic, the present research is developed through the analysis of a dataset collected from residents of 22 neighborhoods with variety of land use features. Using household survey on daily activities, this study investigates home-based work and non-work (HBW and HBN) trips. Structural equation models are utilized to examine the relationships between land use attributes and travel behavior while taking into account socio-economic characteristics as the residential self-selection. Results from models indicate that individuals residing in areas with high residential and job density, and shorter distance to sub-centers are more interested in using transit and non-motorized modes. Moreover, residents of neighborhoods with mixed land uses tend to travel less by car and more by transit and non-motorized modes to non-work destinations. Nevertheless, the influences of design measurements such as street density and internal connectivity are mixed in our models. Although higher internal connectivity leads to more transit and non-motorized trips in HBW model, the impacts of design measurements on individuals travel behavior in HBN model are significantly in contrast with research hypothesis. Our study also shows the importance of individuals’ self-selection impacts on travel behaviors; individuals with special socio-demographic attributes live in the neighborhoods with regard to their transportation patterns. The findings of this paper reveal that the effects of built environment attributes on travel behavior in origins of trips do not exactly correspond with the expected predictions, when it comes in practice in a various study context. This study displays the necessity of regarding local conditions of urban areas and the inherent differences between travel destinations in integrating land use and transportation planning.     

The influence of neighborhood types on active transport in China’s growing cities

Rapid urban expansion in China has created both opportunities and challenges for promoting active transport in urban residential communities. Previous studies have shown that the urban form at the city scale has affected active transport in Chinese cities. However, there is less agreement about how the physical and social variations of neighborhood types should be addressed. This research investigates the four most representative neighborhood types found in Chinese cities: traditional mixed-use, slab block work-unit, gated community, and resettlement housing. Household travel diaries conducted in Chengdu in 2016 were analyzed using binary logistic regressions, supplemented by informal onsite interviews. The findings indicate significant variations in the use and accessibility of active transport in each neighborhood type for non-work trips. This suggests that each neighborhood type may need different strategies for promoting active transport: (1) the traditional mixed-use neighborhoods are in need of intensified urban retrofitting projects to reclaim public open space; (2) the work-unit could benefit from comprehensive plans rather than a patchwork of projects; (3) while opening up gated communities can improve porosity across neighborhoods and promote active transport, the more pressing issue may be their inability to keep up with the transportation needs of the residents; and (4) residents of resettlement housing should have better access to employment using transit and non-motorized modes.     

A systemic overview of non‐motorized transportation for developing countries: An agenda for action

All through the twentieth century transportation planning and the implementation of transportation facilities in the developing world was heavily weighted toward motorized transportation (MT), despite the fact that non‐motorized transportation (NMT) constitutes a significant proportion of all trips. However, in the last two decades many researchers and practitioners all across the world have recognized the importance and advantages of NMT, and their investigations and findings have contributed toward identifying, if not mitigating, some of the more glaring problems in these countries. Unfortunately, most of these investigations have been performed in a piece‐meal and disjointed fashion. This paper explores the complex and sometimes poorly understood set of relationships between transportation and its links to a myriad of other factors, such as landuse, sustainability, safety, energy, ethical issues, value of time, telecommunication, environmental justice, and equity. The main objective of this paper is to provide a systemic overview of NMT by describing its multi‐dimensional aspects and to assist developing countries in formulating an “Agenda for Action”.     

The relationship between the built environment and nonwork travel: A case study of Northern California

Many studies have found that residents living in suburban neighborhoods drive more and walk less than their counterparts in traditional neighborhoods. This evidence supports the advocacy of smart growth strategies to alter individuals’ travel behavior. However, the observed differences in travel behavior may be more of a residential choice than a travel choice. Applying the seemingly unrelated regression approach to a sample from Northern California, we explored the relationship between the residential environment and nonwork travel frequencies by auto, transit, and walk/bicycle modes, controlling for residential self-selection. We found that residential preferences and travel attitudes (self-selection) significantly influenced tripmaking by all three modes, and also that neighborhood characteristics (the built environment and its perception) retained a separate influence on behavior after controlling for self-selection. Both preferences/attitudes and the built environment itself played a more prominent role in explaining the variation in non-motorized travel than for auto and transit travel. Taken together, our results suggest that if cities use land use policies to offer options to drive less and use transit and non-motorized modes more, many residents will tend to do so.     

Finding time‐robust fuel‐efficient paths for a call‐taxi in a stochastic city road network

Intra‐city commuting is being revolutionized by call‐taxi services in many developing countries such as India. A customer requests a taxi via phone, and it arrives at the right time and at the right location for the pick‐up. This mode of intra‐city travel has become one of the most reliable and convenient modes of transportation for customers traveling for business and non‐business purposes. The increased number of vehicles on city roads and raising fuel costs has prompted a new type of transportation logistics problem of finding a fuel‐efficient and quickest path for a call‐taxi through a city road network, where the travel times are stochastic. The stochastic travel time of the road network is induced by obstacles such as the traffic signals and intersections. The delay and additional fuel consumption at each of these obstacles are calculated that are later imputed to the total travel time and fuel consumption of a path. A Monte‐Carlo simulation‐based approach is proposed to identify unique fuel‐efficient paths between two locations in a city road network where each obstacle has a delay distribution. A multi‐criteria score is then assigned to each unique path based on the probability that the path is fuel efficient, the average travel time of the path and the coefficient of variation of the travel times of the path. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An inference engine for smartphones to preprocess data and detect stationary and transportation modes

A smartphone can be utilized as a cost-effective device for the purposes of intelligent transportation system. To detect the movement and the stationary statuses in the motorized and non-motorized modes, this study develops a new inference engine, including two sets of rules. The first sets of rules are defined by the related thresholds on the features of smartphone sensors while the second sets are extracted from the human knowledge to improve the results of the first rules. The experimental results reveal that by utilizing Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors in the proposed inference engine, it is possible to save 40% energy in comparison with the previous research. Moreover, this engine increases the accuracy of the motorized mode detection to 95.2% and determines the stationary states in motorized mode with 97.1% accuracy.     

Evaluating the pedestrian realm: instrumental rationality,communicative rationality and phenomenology

Following the passage of ISTEA, increased attention to pedestrian planning has led to the development of pedestrian plans, particularly at the metropolitan and municipal levels. This has raised the issue of how cities and metropolitan areas evaluate the walkability of the pedestrian realm and identify improvement projects. Three approaches to evaluating the pedestrian realm are examined: instrumental rationality, communicative rationality, and phenomenology. Case studies demonstrating the application of these approaches to the development of pedestrian plans are examined in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Portland, Oregon, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.