A vehicle type-based approach to model car following behaviors in simulation programs (case study: Car-motorcycle following behavior)

Traffic simulation models often neglect the important role of motorcycles and assume a flow of various combinations of cars. This paper addresses how much different would be the behavior of a car driver while following a motorcyclist compared to cases in which a car follows another car, along with a segment of an urban highway in the non-congested flow. Recognition of such a difference might help to develop existing simulation models and to improve the behavior of car drivers in such a way to lead to lower accidents with motorcycles. To reach the goal, a GHR (Gazis-Herman-Rothery) model for car following is applied and data have been collected by video cameras during 15?min time intervals in three different days. Analysis of 198 car-motorcycle and 374 car-car following observations has indicated that when a car driver follows a motorcycle, keeps a higher headway (about 10?m in the low speed) with a lower acceleration/deceleration in comparison with the situation in which car driver follow another one. It means that the behavior of the follower car driver would be more cautious compared to situations in which a car driver follows another one, especially in space headways <10?m. In addition to main findings of the paper for developing a more realistic simulation program, the paper also addresses that in cases when the required safe space between a car and a motorcycle would be endangered, a warning message could be generated for the car driver (by implementing an in-veh ITS technology) to warn driver about keeping a safe distance.     

Shopping trip mode choice of older adults: an application of activity space and hybrid choice models in understanding the effects of built environment and personal goals

Transportation - Rapid growth of the older population worldwide, coupled with their overreliance on automobile and its negative consequences for the environment and for their wellbeing, has...     

An integrated assessment of factors affecting modal choice: towards a better understanding of the causal effects of built environment

This paper discusses the methodological challenges in understanding causal relationships between urban form and travel behavior and uses a holistic quasi-experimental approach to investigate the separable marginal influence of each of several urban form factors on mode choice as well as the complex relationships between those factors and a wide range of personal traits. Data analysis and models are used to reveal the effect of such interactions on mode choice for both work and non-work trips in Rome, Italy. It is found that population density does not have a significant marginal positive effect on sustainable mode choice for work trips. Conversely, this factor decreases sustainable mode choice for non-work trips. Small scale street design quality alone increases sustainable mode choice for non-work trips. This is while presence of street network integration alone increases automobile use for all trip purposes. The results point to the importance of incorporating all the urban form factors of diversity, design and street network integration if the goal is to increase the use of more sustainable modes of transportation for both work and non-work trips, but also show that attitudes and preferences can modify the response to urban design factors. The findings suggest that thoughtful policies triggering certain attitudes (cost sensitivity, sensitivity to peer pressure regarding the value attributed to sustainable transportation, and transit preference) can be adopted to significantly increase sustainable mode choice even in the neighborhoods with specific physical restrictions.