Formal scientific research of traffic collision data utilizing GIS

This paper explores the tenuous link between speeding behavior and accident causation, one that has not been well established in the international literature to date. Taking advantage of established engineering conventions and formulae, we were able to set up an a priori hypothesis suitable for testing. Utilizing this formal scientific method (which GIS researchers have been criticised for not using) we establish a statistical link for this relationship. Our methodology can be used to support all police intervention strategies, including the controversial photo radar systems. The results from our research have been entered into a GIS in order to create a map for spatial display. This map illustrates the relative probability or risk of collision occurrence resulting from speeding at all intersections and interchanges within the scope of the study. It is suggested that this methodology could easily be maintained with periodic updates of data, thus creating a dynamic model from which to monitor traffic safety within the city. Furthermore, this model can be utilized to study specific strategies, allowing for the scrutiny of before, during and after effects. The study area is the entire city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and includes all traffic collisions occurring during the year of 1994.     

Safety modeling for two‐way left‐turn lanes and a procedure to identify two‐way left‐turn lane segments with safety concerns

In the past, two‐way left‐turn lane (TWLTL) median treatments have been frequently used in Florida to inexpensively improve traffic and safety performances. In order to identify factors that may have significant impacts on safety operations in TWLTL sections and to identify TWLTL locations that present existing and future safety concerns, a research project was carried out and results are summarized in the paper. In the research, a three‐year crash history database with crashes and section characteristics from a total of 1688 TWLTL sections all over Florida was developed and used. A negative binomial regression model was developed to determine the statistical relationship between the number of crashes per mile per year and several variables such as traffic volume, access density, posted speed, and number of lanes. In regard to the methodology, in order to identify locations with safety concerns, several steps are needed: development of real crash data distribution, determination of statistical distribution models that better represent the actual crash data, determination of percentile values for the average number of crashes, estimation of crash rates for sections with the same characteristics, estimation of critical values for the variables corresponding to the percentile values for average number of crashes, calculation of tables of critical average annual daily traffic values, and generation of a list of TWLTL locations with critical safety concerns. Results presented in the paper have been used in real applications. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A note on the use of correlation coefficients for assessing goodness-of-fit in spatial interaction models

The use of correlation coefficients to evaluate the accuracy of spatial interaction models is inappropriate unless such models have been fitted using least squares techniques. In other cases the correlation involves an implicit intercept value and a regression coefficient that may significantly modify the interaction model's estimates. Researchers have not acknowledged the role of these two parameters when the correlation is used. A generalized root mean square error is proposed as an alternative indicator of accuracy that may be used with any model.     

A practical assessment of stated preferences methods

Stated preferences data in the form of rankings, ratings and choices were collected in Santiago and discrete choice models estimated with them. The models were compared in terms of accuracy v/s the cost of obtaining the information and models. All methods produced reasonable but different models and fairly close subjective values of time. In terms of production costs the ranking method was a clear looser although the experimental design was slightly biased against it. Finally, the use of computerised interviews is highly recommended particularly for dealing with low income people.     

Dynamics of the railway track and the underlying soil: the boundary-element solution, theoretical results and their experimental verification

A combined finite-element boundary-element method is presented in detail to calculate the dynamic interaction of the railway track and the underlying soil. A number of results are shown for ballasted and slab track, demonstrating the influence of the stiffness of the soil and the rail pads on the vertical compliance of the track. The compliance of the track is combined with a simple model of the vehicle giving the transfer function of vehicle-track interaction. An experimental verification of the theoretical results is achieved by harmonic and impulse excitation with and without static (train-) load and by combined measurements of train-track-soil interaction. A clear vehicle-track resonance is found for the slab track with elastic rail pads and for higher frequencies at highspeed traffic, the dynamic axle loads due to sleeper passage are reduced.     

A study on the stability of a motorcycle wheel–swingarm suspension with chain transmission

The present study describes a possible driving mechanism for a self-excited oscillation observed in motorcycle dynamics, often referred to as chatter. This phenomenon, affecting the performance of road racing motorcycles, has been simulated in straight running braking manoeuvres with multibody motorcycle models. It involves rear suspension bounce and driveline oscillation in the frequency range between 17 and 22?Hz. A simplified model of a motorcycle rear suspension with chain transmission is proposed and its stability in equilibrium configurations is studied via eigenvalue analysis. The sensitivity with respect to all its governing parameters is analysed by means of stability maps and the self-excitation mechanism is explained with the aid of energy balance analysis and phase diagrams. It is found that the key role for the instability onset is played by the gradient of the nonlinear characteristic slip function of the tyre.     

Application of Sensitivity Methods to Analysis and Synthesis of Vehicle Dynamic Systems

The development and application of sensitivity methods for determining the effects of parameter changes on the response of vehicle dynamic systems is presented. The procedures shown can be used to enhance the analysis and synthesis processes of virtually any road or rail vehicle system regardless of its complexity. The parametric sensitivity of vehicle models in time domain, steady state models and vehicle models in frequency domain can be investigated using different types of sensitivity functions, both dimensional and dimensionless including first order standard, percentage, logarithmic, second order standard, and logarithmic and percentage sensitivity measures. These sensitivity functions and measures are determined as functions of partial derivatives of system variables taken with respect to system parameters. In the case of sensitivity functions in the frequency domain the variable values are computed as either the magnitude or phase angle of a complex element of the transfer function matrix. The methods presented enable to determine the influence of all system primary (constant) and secondary (non-constant) parameters on system primary and secondary variables. The primary variables are state variables or elements of the transfer function matrix and the secondary variables may be any functions of primary variables and system parameters. Typical secondary system parameters which can be examined include initial conditions, time variant coefficients, natural frequencies, loads, and typical secondary variables are forces, weight transfers, stability factors and energy components. The analysis of sensitivity results obtained for three vehicle handling models in both linear and nonlinear regimes of vehicle performance and utilizing various types of sensitivity functions is also presented.