Latent classes of daily mobility patterns: the relationship with attitudes towards modes

Transportation - Active modes (i.e. walking and cycling) have received significant attention by governments worldwide, due to the benefits related to the use of these modes. Consequently,...     

E-bike user groups and substitution effects: evidence from longitudinal travel data in the Netherlands

Transportation - In recent years, the e-bike has become increasingly popular in many European countries. With higher speeds and less effort needed, the e-bike is a promising mode of transport to...     

Connected variable speed limits control and car-following control with vehicle-infrastructure communication to resolve stop-and-go waves

The vision of intelligent vehicles traveling in road networks has prompted numerous concepts to control future traffic flow, one of which is the in-vehicle actuation of traffic control commands. The key of this concept is using intelligent vehicles as actuators for traffic control systems. Under this concept, we design and test a control system that connects a traffic controller with in-vehicle controllers via vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The link-level traffic controller regulates traffic speeds through variable speed limits (VSL) gantries to resolve stop-and-go waves, while intelligent vehicles control accelerations through vehicle propulsion and brake systems to optimize their local situations. It is assumed that each intelligent vehicle receives VSL commands from the traffic controller and uses them as variable parameters for the local vehicle controller. Feasibility and effectiveness of the connected control paradigm are tested with simulation on a two-lane freeway stretch with intelligent vehicles randomly distributed among human-driven vehicles. Simulation shows that the connected VSL and vehicle control system improves traffic efficiency and sustainability; that is, total time spent in the network and average fuel consumption rate are reduced compared to (uncontrolled and controlled) scenarios with 100% human drivers and to uncontrolled scenarios with the same intelligent vehicle penetration rates.     

A State-of-the-Art Review: Developments in Utility Theory,Prospect Theory and Regret Theory to Investigate Travellers' Behaviour in Situations Involving Travel Time Uncertainty

Abstract

Despite the wide use of utility theory to model travellers' behaviour, the interest in non-expected utility theories has increased due to their potential to capture more realistic behaviour. A main question raised is whether travellers are better described as utility maximizers or should be qualified differently.

This paper presents a literature review on the use of expected utility theory (EUT), prospect theory (PT) and regret theory (RT) to model travellers' behaviour. Gaps in the literature are identified and a discussion about advantages and disadvantages of each theory is presented. A case study illustrates the differences between the theories.

Under certain conditions, PT and RT restrict themselves to EUT. Their added value, however, is the possibility of capturing loss aversion, risk aversion and risk-seeking (PT) and regret aversion (RT). On the practical level, the use of EUT is well established, while contributions of PT and RT are marginal. On the theoretical level, however, RT seems to be (marginally) more suitable to model travellers' behaviour, while EUT and PT are equally suitable. This suggests that the large use of EUT is highly influenced by its very tractable framework. We do not claim the superiority of any theory, but propose to compare them through a systematic review.     

Understanding bikeability: a methodology to assess urban networks

Transportation - A fully separated bicycle network from vehicular traffic is not realistic even for the most bicycle-friendly cities. Thus, all around the world urban cycling entails switching...     

Overtaking assistant assessment using traffic simulation

This contribution presents the results of a microscopic traffic simulation study of the potential effects of an overtaking assistant for two-lane rural roads. The overtaking assistant is developed to support drivers in judging whether or not an overtaking opportunity can be accepted based on the distance to the next oncoming vehicle. Drivers have been found to consider this to be a difficult part of an overtaking manoeuvre. The assistant’s effects on traffic efficiency, driver comfort and road safety have been investigated using traffic simulation. The results indicate that this type of overtaking assistant can provide safety benefits in terms of increased average time-to-collision to the next oncoming vehicle during overtaking manoeuvres. This safety benefit can be achieved without negative consequences for traffic efficiency and driver comfort. A driver assistance system that supports the distance judging part of overtaking manoeuvres can therefore contribute to improved traffic conditions on the two-lane rural roads of the future.     

A review on travel behaviour modelling in dynamic traffic simulation models for evacuations

Dynamic traffic simulation models are frequently used to support decisions when planning an evacuation. This contribution reviews the different (mathematical) model formulations underlying these traffic simulation models used in evacuation studies and the behavioural assumptions that are made. The appropriateness of these behavioural assumptions is elaborated on in light of the current consensus on evacuation travel behaviour, based on the view from the social sciences as well as empirical studies on evacuation behaviour. The focus lies on how travellers’ decisions are predicted through simulation regarding the choice to evacuate, departure time choice, destination choice, and route choice. For the evacuation participation and departure time choice we argue in favour of the simultaneous approach to dynamic evacuation demand prediction using the repeated binary logit model. For the destination choice we show how further research is needed to generalize the current preliminary findings on the location-type specific destination choice models. For the evacuation route choice we argue in favour of hybrid route choice models that enable both following instructed routes and en-route switches. Within each of these discussions, we point at current limitations and make corresponding suggestions on promising future research directions.     

Walking infrastructure design assessment by continuous space dynamic assignment modeling

For the planning and design of walking infrastructure, characterized by the fact that the pedestrians can choose their paths freely in two‐dimensional space, applicability of traditional discrete network models is limited. This contribution puts forward an approach for user‐optimal dynamic assignment in continuous time and space for analyzing for instance walking infrastructure in a two‐dimensional space. Contrary to network‐based approaches, the theory allows the traffic units to choose from an infinite non‐countable set of paths through the considered space. The approach first determines the continuous paths using a path choice model. Then, origin‐destination flows are assigned and traffic conditions are calculated. The approach to determine a user‐optimal assignment is heuristic and consists of a sequence of all‐or‐nothing assignments. An application example is presented, showing dynamic user equilibrium traffic flows through a realistic transfer station. The example is aimed at illustrating the dynamic aspects of the modeling approach, such as anticipation on expected flow conditions, and predicted behavior upon catching or missing a connection.     

Quantification of motorway capacity variation: influence of day type specific variation and capacity drop

Many road authorities work with static values for road capacities, while it has been proven that capacity is not a fixed quantity. At the same time, there is an increasing need for accurate stochastic input for traffic models, such as the variation in road capacity. In this paper, a methodological framework with a conceptual model for practical stochastic capacity estimation is presented, and a quantification of motorway capacity variation is given for the influence of day‐type specific variations in capacity values. The results of the analysis show that there is a reduction in motorway breakdown capacity of 4% on weekend days in comparison with workdays. Furthermore, a capacity decrease of 8% was found for the discharge capacity in comparison with workdays. The analysis further shows that the breakdown capacity on holidays is not significantly lower than on workdays. Discharge capacity and capacity drops are also derived in each case. The results show that the capacity is significantly different depending on the type of day. A quantification of these differences is given in the form of a Weibull capacity estimation fit for each type‐of‐day scenario. Further consideration of the implications and applications of the framework is also given. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Counting people in the crowd using social media images for crowd management in city events

Transportation - City events are getting popular and are attracting a large number of people. This increase needs for methods and tools to provide stakeholders with crowd size information for crowd...