Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed description of a framework for the estimation of time-sliced origin-destination (OD) trip matrices in a transit network using counts and travel time data of Bluetooth Smartphone devices carried by passengers at equipped transit-stops. A Kalman filtering formulation defined by the authors has been included in the application. The definition of the input for building the space-state model is linked to network scenarios modeled with the transportation planning platform EMME. The transit assignment framework is optimal strategy-based, which determines the subset of paths related to the optimal strategies between all OD pair Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

div" "p"Public transportation is vital for many people who do not have the means to use other forms of transportation. In small communities, transit service is often limited, due to funding constraints of the transit agency. In order to maximize the use of available funding resources, agencies strive to provide effective and efficient service that meets the needs of as many people as possible. To do this, effective service planning is critical."/p" "p" "/p" "p"Unlike traditional road-based transportation projects, transit service modifications can be implemented over the span of just a few weeks. In planning for these short-term changes, the traditional four-step transportation planning process is often inadequate. Yet, the characteristics of small communities and the resources available to them limit the applicability of existing transit demand models, which are generally intended for larger cities."/p" "p" "/p" "p"This research proposes a methodology for using population and demographic data from the Census Bureau, combined with stop-level ridership data from the transit agency, to develop models for forecasting transit ridership generated by a given geographic area with known population and socioeconomic characteristics. The product of this research is a methodology that can be applied to develop ridership models for transit agencies in small cities. To demonstrate the methodology, the thesis built ridership models using data from Lafayette, Indiana."/p" "p" "/p" "p"A total of four (4) ridership models are developed, giving a transit agency the choice to select a model, based on available data and desired predictive power. More complex models are expected to provide greater predictive power, but also require more time and data to implement. Simpler models may be adequate where data availability is a challenge. Finally, examples are provided to aid in applying the models to various situations. Aggregation levels of the American Community Survey (ACS) data provided some challenge in developing accurate models, however, the developed models are still expected to provide useful information, particularly in situations where local knowledge is limited, or where additional information is unavailable."/p" "/div" "br

Abstract

The limited funding available for roadway capacity expansion and the growing funding gap, in conjunction with the increasing congestion, creates a critical need for innovative lane use management options for Indiana. Various cost-effective lane use management strategies have been implemented in the U.S. and worldwide to address these challenges. However, all the strategies have their own costs, operational characteristics, and additional requirements for field deployment. Hence there is a need for systematic simulation-based methodology to perform a comprehensive study to identify congested corridors and the specific set of lane use management strategies that are effective in Indiana. A systematic simulation-based methodology is proposed for evaluating lane use management strategies. A 10-mile stretch of the I-65 corridor south of downtown Indianapolis was selected as the study corridor using traffic analysis. The demand volumes for the study area were determined using subarea analysis. Its performance was evaluated using a microsimulation-based analysis in the context of alleviating congestion for three strategies: reversible lanes, high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and ramp metering. Furthermore, an economic evaluation of these strategies was performed to determine the financial feasibility of their implementation. Results from this analysis indicated that reversible lanes and the ramp metering strategies improved traffic conditions on the freeway in the major flow direction. Implementation of the HOV lane strategy resulted in improved traffic flow conditions on the HOV lanes but aggravated congestion on the general purpose (GP) lanes. The HOV lane strategy was found to be economically infeasible due to low HOV volume on these lanes. The reversible lane and ramp metering strategies were found to be economically feasible with positive net present values (NPV), with the NPV for the reversible lane strategy being the highest.

Abstract

Introduction/Methods:"/jats:title""jats:p"A significant application of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Naples, in southern Italy, will be described with specific reference to design a sustainable transport scenario for one of the highest density and congested area of the city: Municipio square, in the centre of Naples, where the homonymous station of the Metro Line 1 was under construction. The particularity of this case study is that Municipio Square is a high dense population area characterized by multimodal traffic flows (vehicles and pedestrians) and a thousand of travellers who embark/disembark every day from the marina to the islands of the Naples Gulf ("jats:italic"e.g."/jats:italic"Capri, Ischia) and cruises around the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of vehicles and people pass through the square every day, often slowing the vehicular flows."/jats:p""jats:p"Starting from these considerations, a multi-scale modelling architecture (estimated"jats:italic"ad-hoc"/jats:italic"for the specific case study) was proposed to better evaluate policy impacts ("jats:italic"e.g."/jats:italic", transport, social, environmental), applying both macroscopic and microscopic simulation models simultaneously to design a sustainable transport scenario in term of both geometrical and traffic solutions."/jats:p""/jats:sec""jats:sec""jats:title"Results:"/jats:title""jats:p"Six different design scenario were compared and the main results of the most significant one are described and discussed. The best project solution reduces the average travel time and the long queues thanks to a better distribution of the flows (both vehicles and pedestrians) in the broader area around of Municipio square. The simulation results also underlined the benefits for pedestrians related to the presence of different size of sidewalks and paths."/jats:p""/jats:sec""jats:sec""jats:title"Conclusion:"/jats:title""jats:p"Because of the realization of the new metro station will increase the pedestrian flows, the external layout of the square was designed, regarding infrastructures and paths, to minimize the conflicts and reduce the overall travel time. The proposed sustainable transport scenario was conceived in term of best geometrical devices and traffic solutions."/jats:p""jats:p"Finally, a cost-benefit analysis was also proposed, according to the European guidelines, aiming in improving transport, urbanistic, artistic/cultural, aesthetic, economic and environmental aspects as well as liveability for citizens, transport users (public and private) and tourists."/jats:p""/jats:sec