Quality of pedestrian flow and crosswalk width at signalized intersections

Among various pedestrian facilities, signalized crosswalks are the most complex and critical ones. Their geometry and configuration including width, position and angle directly affect the safety, cycle length and resulting delays for all users. Existing manuals do not provide clear and rational specifications for the required crosswalk width under different pedestrian demand combinations and properties. Furthermore, they do not consider the bi-directional flow effects on crossing speed and time when addressing pedestrian flow at signalized crosswalks. However, quantifying the effects of such interactions on the behavior of pedestrian flow is a prerequisite for improving the geometric design and configuration of signalized crosswalks. The objective of this paper is to develop a methodology for estimating the required crosswalk width at different pedestrian demand combinations and a pre-defined LOS. The developed methodology is based on theoretical modeling for total pedestrian platoon crossing time, which consists of discharge and crossing times. The developed models are utilized to generate the fundamental diagrams of pedestrian flow at signalized crosswalks. A comprehensive discussion about the effects of bi-directional flow and various pedestrian age groups on the characteristics of pedestrian flow and the capacity of signalized crosswalks is presented. It is found that the maximum reduction in the capacity of signalized crosswalks occurs at roughly equal pedestrian flows from both sides of the crosswalk. By utilizing existing LOS thresholds for pedestrian flow at signalized crosswalks, the required crosswalk widths for various pedestrian demand combinations are proposed for implementation.     

Circular motion tests and uncertainty analysis for ship maneuverability

Circular motion test data and uncertainty analysis results of investigations of the hydrodynamic characteristics of ship maneuvering are presented. The model ships used were a container ship and two tankers, and the measured items were the surge and sway forces, yaw moment, propeller thrust, rudder normal and tangential forces, pitch and roll angles, and heave. The test parameters were the oblique angle and yaw rate for the conditions of a hull with a rudder and propeller in which the rudder angle was set to zero and the propeller speed was set to the model self-propulsion conditions. Carriage data showing the accuracy of the towing conditions in the circular motion test are also presented. It was confirmed that the uncertainties in the hydrodynamic forces such as the surge and sway forces, yaw moment, rudder tangential and normal forces, and propeller thrust were fairly small. The reported uncertainty analysis results of the circular motion test data may be beneficial in validating data quality and in discussing reliability for simulation of ship maneuvering performance.     

Model experiment reproducing an incident of fast ferry

A model scale experiment at a new basin reproduced a phenomenon occurring for a fast ferry; large roll motion and subsequent cargo shift in a quartering sea. Wave generators surrounding the whole periphery of the basin realized a designated directional sea. A carriage system tracked a free-running model ship and a movable weight simulated the cargo shift. Measuring the directional wave field in the basin confirmed the all-around wave generator successfully reproduced the intended wave field that was estimated for the location and the time of the incident. The encounter wave spectrum analyzed using measured data agree well with the theoretically predicted one. The reproduced ship motion, triggered by a small concentrating wave, tells how the ship responded in the successive large quartering waves and the validity of the procedure to reproduce the incident. Repeated measurements of the model ship’s extreme motion confirm a high repeatability of the experiment.     

Apparent phytoplankton bloom due to island mass effect

A continuous monitoring of temperature and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration from a surface water monitoring system and a towed free fall instrument (MVP) around a small island in the Kuroshio showed low sea surface temperature (SST) and high surface Chl-a concentration (SCC) distribution in the lee of the island that indicates typical “island mass effect” phenomena. When the observed Chl-a profiles (0 to 250 m) were integrated, the total amounts in the lee side data were slightly smaller than those of the upstream side of the island. The difference was statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The cross section diagram of Chl-a indicated the diffusion of subsurface Chl-a maximum (SCM) from the upstream to the downstream flanks of the island. The diffusivity of SCM and the change of potential energy require the same level of strong turbulent dissipation rate at the flanks of the island. That is consistent with our previous direct measurement in a similar hydrodynamic condition. Therefore, the observed high SCC is due to turbulent diffusion of SCM, and clearly showed that high SCC does not require any new production. Although a high fluorescence field behind an isolated island in a strong flow is often visible from satellite images, the images do not necessarily indicate an enhanced primary production at that moment.