Exploring the impact of walk–bike infrastructure,safety perception,and built-environment on active transportation mode choice: a random parameter model using New York City commuter data

This study estimates a random parameter (mixed) logit model for active transportation (walk and bicycle) choices for work trips in the New York City (using 2010–2011 Regional Household Travel Survey Data). We explored the effects of traffic safety, walk–bike network facilities, and land use attributes on walk and bicycle mode choice decision in the New York City for home-to-work commute. Applying the flexible econometric structure of random parameter models, we capture the heterogeneity in the decision making process and simulate scenarios considering improvement in walk–bike infrastructure such as sidewalk width and length of bike lane. Our results indicate that increasing sidewalk width, total length of bike lane, and proportion of protected bike lane will increase the likelihood of more people taking active transportation mode This suggests that the local authorities and planning agencies to invest more on building and maintaining the infrastructure for pedestrians. Further, improvement in traffic safety by reducing traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists, will increase the likelihood of taking active transportation modes. Our results also show positive correlation between number of non-motorized trips by the other family members and the likelihood to choose active transportation mode. The model would be an essential tool to estimate the impact of improving traffic safety and walk–bike infrastructure which will assist in investment decision making.     

An application of a rank ordered probit modeling approach to understanding level of interest in autonomous vehicles

Surveys of behavior could benefit from information about people’s relative ranking of choice alternatives. Rank ordered data are often collected in stated preference surveys where respondents are asked to rank hypothetical alternatives (rather than choose a single alternative) to better understand their relative preferences. Despite the widespread interest in collecting data on and modeling people’s preferences for choice alternatives, rank-ordered data are rarely collected in travel surveys and very little progress has been made in the ability to rigorously model such data and obtain reliable parameter estimates. This paper presents a rank ordered probit modeling approach that overcomes limitations associated with prior approaches in analyzing rank ordered data. The efficacy of the rank ordered probit modeling methodology is demonstrated through an application of the model to understand preferences for alternative configurations of autonomous vehicles (AV) using the 2015 Puget Sound Regional Travel Study survey data set. The methodology offers behaviorally intuitive model results with a variety of socio-economic and demographic characteristics, including age, gender, household income, education, employment and household structure, significantly influencing preference for alternative configurations of AV adoption, ownership, and shared usage. The ability to estimate rank ordered probit models offers a pathway for better utilizing rank ordered data to understand preferences and recognize that choices may not be absolute in many instances.     

Traffic integration and environmental traffic management in Denmark

This paper assesses Danish experience in attempting to integrate traffic with its surroundings in existing areas. Rest and play areas, quiet roads with a 30 km/h speed limit, and major road schemes on urban shopping streets and through villages are all discussed; so too are policies seeking to create safe routes to school, the problems arising from the introduction of speed reduction measures on bus routes, and the merits of area‐wide as opposed to incremental approaches. Evaluations indicate that speed reductions to a maximum of 30 km/h are achievable on local roads, and that the quiet street approach represents a cost‐effective and popular means of achieving environmental improvements and safer, more liveable streets for residents. It is recommended as an appropriate model for Britain to follow. Incremental implementation risks being sub‐optimal in design terms but has distinct advantages in minimizing conflicts and enabling rapid implementation. Evaluations of shopping street and village schemes are incomplete but speed reductions and environmental gains have undoubtedly been achieved.     

Review of computer software for traffic engineers

The mid‐1970s saw the initiation of several lengthy research and development programmes in the United Kingdom which culminated in a range of software for the traffic engineer. The early 1980s brought cheap, powerful microcomputers, thereby enabling the facilities offered by the software to be exploited to the full. This article describes the range of programs now available and in common usage for the design and appraisal of traffic management schemes in the United Kingdom, and suggests a few of the areas where some research and development effort is still needed.     

Traffic noise studies in a tropical environment

This paper reports upon a survey of traffic noise annoyance in three residential districts of Trinidad, West Indies. Householder perceptions were solicited by means of a questionnaire survey and direct measurements of traffic noise levels were taken. The results were compared with surveys elsewhere. It was concluded that household status had little effect on annoyance perception, that at L₁₀ levels greater than 70 dB(A) at a dwelling facade the noise level is unacceptable. L₁₀ levels less than 65 dB(A) at the building facade are not perceived as annoying in the environment considered.     

Modelling journey‐to‐work fuel consumption: a case study of Bayridge subdivision

Fuel consumption is calculated using a modelling procedure for automobiles travelling on three alternative street patterns designed for a subdivision in Kingston Township, Ontario. The modelling procedure is described. The results indicate that grid and solar superblock street patterns, compared to the existing street pattern, offer small fuel savings to a tripmaker in the portion of the work trip travelled in the subdivision.     

The impact of job assignment rules for straddle carriers on the throughput of container terminals

Straddle carriers represent a critical resource in the handling of containers within a container terminal. It is essential that they are deployed in an as efficient manner as possible. The research presented in this paper is motivated by the need to critically evaluate job assignment rules for straddle carriers that operate in a multiple straddle environment. This is achieved by developing a discrete event simulation model using industrial simulation software to model a container terminal located in Melbourne, Australia. The model accounts for variables such as the number of straddle carriers needed, the speed of straddle carriers, the arrival rate of trucks, and the job assignment rule. A principal finding of the study is that increasing the number of straddles in the present set‐up from 6 to 7 has a negligible effect on daily throughput. However, an increase in the number of straddles to 7 is expected to have a profound effect on reducing the average waiting time of trucks within the terminal from over 16 minutes to under 9 minutes, a decrease of 46.5%. However, a further increase in the number of straddles results in no further increase in daily throughput. It was observed that the throughput of the terminal is very sensitive to the speeds at which straddles travel. The management of the terminal has proposed a new heuristic job assignment rule for straddles, because the present rule does not assign the jobs to straddles closest to the truck requesting to load or unload a container. As a result a new heuristic job assignment rule was tested. The simulation results revealed that both the old and new rules performed equally well using performance indicators such as average container flow time, daily throughput, average waiting time of jobs, number of jobs in the queue, and straddle utilisation. Therefore, the new rule will not improve these performance measures if implemented     

RMS Values of Force, Stroke and Tyre Deflection in a Half-Car Model with Preview Controlled Active Suspension

Summary Matrix expressions are developed for the direct computation of rms values for the optimal control forces, front and rear suspension strokes and dynamic tyre deflections in a half-car model on a random road of given roughness. A quadratic performance index is employed with assumed weighting factors and evaluated in the same computation.     

A Multi-Spoke, Three Plane Tyre Model for Simulation of Transient Behaviour

Based on the multi-spoke, single-plane, steady-state tyre model, a transient multi-spoke, three-plane tyre model is presented. This model involves updating the states of all the spokes under consideration to t+dt from the corresponding states at t. Also, a spoke base, which has lateral and longitudinal flexibilities relative to wheel hub, is included. By adding two extra planes of spokes to the original one, the effect of tyre width is built into the model. The three planes are equally spaced across the width of the tyre. The interaction with the ground of the spokes on these three planes is used to represent that of tyre elements at different locations across the width. Analytical results show good qualitative agreement with published experimental data. This model can be used to illustrate transient tyre behaviour and in simulations in which a generic tyre will suffice.