Abstract

As defined by the European Commission, the Orient/East-Med Corridor is one of the most significant European transport axes. However, it runs through states with low economic performance and poor infrastructural networks; it coincides with the Western Balkan and eastern Mediterranean migration routes; finally, administrative bottlenecks along the corridor are common practice. Despite such a status, it is one of the key areas for international investments in transport hubs and lines. Therefore, in order to find proper solutions for complex problems along the corridor, an overview of the main conditions that influence the corridor development as well as local requirements is given as follows. First, in order to clarify the strategic position of Europe against transcontinental relations, the main trade, economic and demographic statistical indicators are presented. Second, a brief overview of transport and technical conditions relevant for the countries along the corridor are indicated. Finally, a close interaction between transport and spatial development in the cities along the corridor is briefly presented. Such a multi-scalar perspective gives a hint of the dynamics of transnational cooperation, as well as the cooperation process among many stakeholders from various domains, mainly transport and spatial planning. Gemäß Definition der Europäischen Kommission ist der Orient/East-Med Corridor eine bedeutende Transportachse Europas. Zugleich verläuft er jedoch auch durch Staaten mit vergleichsweise geringer Wirtschaftskraft und unzureichenden Transportinfrastrukturen, außerdem überschneidet er sich mit der Migrationsroute des Westbalkans und des östlichen Mittelmeerraums. Auch Mängel in der administrativen Zusammenarbeit sind durchaus üblich entlang des Korridors. Dessen ungeachtet nimmt diese Achse eine Schlüsselstellung für internationale Investitionen in Verkehrsknoten und -achsen ein. Im Folgenden wird ein Überblick über die wichtigsten Bedingungen, die die Korridorentwicklung beeinflussen, sowie über die lokalen Anforderungen gegeben, um geeignete Strategien für die komplexen Herausforderungen entlang des Korridors aufzuzeigen. Zunächst werden die wichtigsten handels- und wirtschaftsstatistischen sowie demographischen Indikatoren dargestellt, um die strategische Position Europas gegenüber den transkontinentalen Beziehungen zu verdeutlichen. Im Weiteren wird ein kurzer Überblick über die relevanten Verkehrsinfrastrukturen und ihre Zustände in den betreffenden Ländern gegeben. Abschließend wird der enge Zusammenhang zwischen Verkehrs- und Raumentwicklung in den Städten entlang des Korridors erläutert. Diese vielschichtige Perspektive verdeutlicht die Dynamiken der transnationalen Zusammenarbeit sowie die Kooperationsprozesse zwischen vielen Akteuren aus unterschiedlichen Bereichen, hier insbesondere aus den Bereichen Verkehr und Raumplanung. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Accessibility is a concept which either looks at how easy it is to reach a certain location from many other locations, or how easy it is to reach other locations or opportunities from a given starting point. This chapter looks at the latter, discussing that this is a quantity that can be defined separately for every point (x,y) in space, rather than treating accessibility as uniform within, say, zones. As a result, accessibility can also be seen as a continuous field A(x,y) in the two-dimensional environment. The chapter then continues to discuss how A(x,y) can be efficiently computed for regional scenarios. The approach combines interpolation of values computed on a grid with fast shortest-path tree computations and information caching for repeated sub-computations of the same quantities, using the econometric logsum term as an example of a possible indicator of accessibility. A Zurich scenario needs about two minutes of computing time on a regular desktop computer in order to compute A(x,y) at a resolution of 100 m x 100 m. As a sensitivity study, workplace accessibility maps are given for free speed car, congested car, bicycle and walking. One can for example observe that accessibility by bicycle is similar to congested car accessibility within the urban area, while it is worse outside and considerably worse when compared to free speed car transport. Similarly, walking accessibility is similar to bicycle and congested car transport in the innermost urban core, but considerably worse everywhere else.

Abstract

This report looks at the status quo of policies, legislation and discourse relating to urban road transport and environmental justice in the US. It presents the findings from literature study and a series of interviews conducted during a trip to the US in the summer of 2011. Interview partners came from research, regional and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and from various levels of administration. Interviews were conducted in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento and Davis (all California) as well as Washington, D.C. and Boston, MA. The report gives an overview over the current research activities in the US relating to urban transport and environmental justice (EJ), it presents the legal framework for EJ related campaigning and decision making and relates some examples of current issues and campaigns in this area in the regions visited. The text also conveys the evaluations and opinions of those who were interviewed (in anonymous form). The trip was funded by the American Council on Germany through the 2011 McCloy Fellowship in Environmental Policy.

Abstract

We investigate setting up a traffic simulation scenario only from a high spatial resolution set of mobile phone trajectories and an OpenStreetMap road network model. Mixed road traffic is modelled as the result of a choice for each user between a simulated congested car mode and a non-congested alternative mode parameterized by its speed.

Abstract

Over the last two decades, electrification has gained importance as a means to decarbonise the transport sector. As the number of Electric Vehicles (EVs)increases, it is important to consider broader system aspects as well, especially when deciding the type, coverage, size and location of the charging infrastructure required. In this article, a Multi-Agent model depicting long distance transport in Sweden is proposed, allowing to simulate different scenarios and enabling a more detailed analysis of the interaction between these vehicles and the charging infrastructure.

Abstract

Recently, ridesharing services have grown rapidly. In future, fleets of shared and pooled autonomous vehicles may transform urban mobility. In this paper, we introduce an approach to dynamically simulate these services within a full-stack transport simulation using an insertion-based algorithm. In a first test case, using a taxi data set from Berlin, the potential for shared rides is evaluated using a fleet of vehicles with a capacity between two and four ride requests. The simulation suggests that the overall vehicle kilometers traveled may be reduced by 15-20%, while travel time increases can be kept at a relatively low level of less than three minutes per person. Additionally, the simulation results suggest in which areas of the city it may be the most rewarding to offer shared services.

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles (AV) create new opportunities to traffic planners and policy-makers. In the case of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs), dynamic pricing, vehicle routing and dispatch strategies may aim for the maximization of the overall system welfare instead of the operator’s profit. In this study, an existing congestion pricing methodology is applied to the SAV transport mode. On the SAV operator’s side, the routing- and dispatch-relevant cost are extended by the time and link-specific congestion charge. On the users’ side, the congestion costs are added to the fare. Simulation experiments are carried out for Berlin, Germany in order to investigate the impact of SAVs and different pricing setups on the transport system. For the pricing setup, where SAV users only pay the base fare and there is no congestion charge added to the user costs, the model predicts an SAV share of 17.7% within the inner-city Berlin service area. The level of traffic congestion increases, air pollution levels decrease and noise levels slightly increase in the inner-city area. The SAV congestion charge pushes users from SAVs to the walk, bicycle and conventional (driver-controlled) private car (CC) mode. The latter effect is avoided by applying the same congestion charge also to CC users. Overall, this study highlights the importance to control both, the SAV and CC mode in order to improve a city’s transport system.