Active Transportation: Making the Link From Transportation to Physical Activity and Obesity

Highlights findings on how public transit use and walking or biking to school raise physical activity levels, lower obesity rates, and reduce costs and how transportation infrastructure investments and awareness programs promote physical activity

Child pedestrian safety en route to and from rural schools: A case study

This research examines the safety hazards faced by child pedestrians at rural schools within the Waipa District. The main objectives of this research were to identify hazards child pedestrians face, to identify current counter-measures to these hazards, and to evaluate the regulations and policies pertaining to these counter-measures and child pedestrian safety. Meeting these objectives then allowed the design of possible counter-measures to the hazards faced by rural child pedestrians. The ultimate goal of this research was to improve child pedestrian safety at rural schools

Ergonomic standards for pedestrian areas for disabled people: literature review and consultations

As part of the project for the Transport and Road Research Laboratory concerned with the development of design guidance for pedestrian areas and footways to satisfy the needs of disabled and elderly people, a thorough examination of the literature was required. In addition the literature search was to be complemented by a wide-ranging series of discussions with local authorities, organisations representing the interests of elderly and disabled people, and other interested agencies. This Working Paper sets out the findings of this exercise. The objective of the literature review and the consultations was to identify the key impediments for elderly and disabled people when using pedestrian areas and footways. The current guidelines and standards relating to footways, pedestrianised areas and access to buildings were to be identified and their adequacy commented upon, as were the conflicts such recommendations raise between various groups of disabled people and with able-bodied people. The consultations were intended to provide greater insights into what the literature highlighted, and to suggest possible solutions. The literature review produced over 400 key references and a list of 35 impediments. A more detailed examination of the literature and the consultations reduced this list to six key impediments namely: parking; public transport waiting areas; movement distances; surface conditions; ramps, and information provision. The type and scale of problem created by the above impediments for various groups of disabled and elderly people are discussed, together with their measurement and assessment. The type and adequacy of existing design standards and guidance relating to these impediments are also outlined

Walkability in Dubai: Improving Thermal Comfort

In Dubai, the absurd dependence on air-conditioning in buildings and vehicles has led to sedentary lifestyles and a poor public realm in many outdoor spaces. The microclimatic conditions that have been impaired by the morphology of the built environment, reduced pedestrian comfort between buildings. Urban spaces depreciate for many months due to lack of pedestrians. The present thesis aimed to encourage what it calls walkability – the ability of a place to welcome people to walk– for longer periods every year. It focused on improving pedestrians’ overall thermal comfort and extending the distances that they could travel along their daily utilitarian journeys. Three main methods of fieldwork were applied to investigate the physical urban environment in two districts, namely Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) and The Greens. First, interviews were conducted with random passers-by along their everyday routes to the mosque, metro, office and school. These were conducted at different periods of the year and times of the day and were meant to identify the thermal comfort limits at such periods. Second, subjective assessments, consisting of thermal sensations and thermal comfort votes, were collected from six subjects over several days in the form of short walks at different times of the year. These helped to assess the influence of the successive changes endured on the thermal sensations and overall comfort. Third, data loggers were installed in four different spaces over a period of one year to identify the influence of urban morphology on the microclimatic parameters (air and globe temperatures and relative humidity). Finally, ENVI-met microclimatic simulations were run to analyse the urban district JLT and identify the hot spots likely to inhibit comfort. The findings of the fieldwork and simulation studies revealed the prospect for extending the distances that pedestrians tolerate walking outdoors, through improving their thermal sensation and comfort at certain areas along the journey described as the recovery conditions. The thesis proposes that allocating adequate shade and wind at frequent areas along the journey provides a psychological satisfaction and physical heat stress relief, which improves the overall comfort and encourages walkability. Proposed scenarios for such areas were modelled and tested using ENVI-met to show the improvements of the microclimate and comfort conditions that can be achieved at different times of the day and year

Integration of Bicycling and Walking Facilities into the Infrastructure of Urban Communities, Research Report 11-05

Several manuals, handbooks and web resources exist to provide varied guidance on planning for and designing bicycle and pedestrian facilities, yet there are no specific indications about which of the varied treatments in these guides work well for users. This project highlights best practices and identifies program characteristics associated with high levels of non-motorized travel, with an emphasis on bicyclists and pedestrians. It highlights practices in the California communities of Davis, Palo Alto and San Luis Obispo. The case studies are used to illustrate how urban communities have integrated non-motorized transportation modes into the physical infrastructure and worked to educate community residents and employees. The most salient themes that emerged from this study are linked to the following user preference: (a) distance to desired land uses and activities; (b) route directness; (c) route connectivity; (d) the separation of motorized and non-motorized transportation modes; (e) safety; (f) convenience; and (g) education and outreach. The aforementioned themes are integrated into key guiding principles that correspond to the trip-making cycle, from the decision to engage in an activity through the choice of route to arrival at the destination

Bicycling suitability in downtown, Cairo, Egypt

The Greater Cairo is one of the most crowded cities in the world and it is the biggest metropolitan area in Middle East. The high population density in the Greater Cairo causes traffic problems that harm many living aspects. This study discusses one of the solutions for limiting the traffic congestions using bicycle as an alternative transportation mean which is already applied in many other countries. There are many models have been introduced to study the suitability of having bicyclists on a motor road. This study will apply some of the most commonly used models created to measure bicycling suitability.in Down Town Cairo area. A GIS tool has been created to conduct applying the bicycling suitability models on the study area’s streets. The tool was developed in ArcMap using Microsoft Visual Studio. The results of this study encourage having alternative transportation network for bicycles in Down Town Cairo. A GIS tool created that is a user-friendly tool and it could be used for other researches in different areas or countries.The Greater Cairo is one of the most crowded cities in the world and it is the biggest metropolitan area in Middle East. The high population density in the Greater Cairo causes traffic problems that harm many living aspects. This study discusses one of the solutions for limiting the traffic congestions using bicycle as an alternative transportation mean which is already applied in many other countries. There are many models have been introduced to study the suitability of having bicyclists on a motor road. This study will apply some of the most commonly used models created to measure bicycling suitability.in Down Town Cairo area. A GIS tool has been created to conduct applying the bicycling suitability models on the study area’s streets. The tool was developed in ArcMap using Microsoft Visual Studio. The results of this study encourage having alternative transportation network for bicycles in Down Town Cairo. A GIS tool created that is a user-friendly tool and it could be used for other researches in different areas or countries

Traffic Mitigation And Congestion In Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria: Causes And Solutions

This dissertation focuses on how technology has transformed road traffic congestion between road users by examining the relationship between government, businesses, and road users through the application of traffic management in many cities in four regions of the world. It analyzes the connections between political decisions of traffic management, how users are made knowledgeable and the new modes of transportation as they relate to the roles of public and private users. The dissertation examines current literatures of twenty two (23) different countries: North America (United States of America and Canada), Europe (Poland, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden), Asia (Russia, China, Singapore, Hongkong, United Arab Emirates, Israel, South Korea, Japan, India), and West Africa (Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria) as they relate to trends and causes of congestion and mitigation applied in each country. Finally, this dissertation takes an in depth look at how road network can be improved through mitigation to reduce congestion in Nigeria; most specifically in Ibadan focusing on the intersection of Sango Eleyele Road and Sango Ojoo Road representing most of the major intersections in Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria

Urban tourism crowding dynamics: Carrying capacity and digital twinning

The increase in tourism activity globally has led to overcrowding, causing damage to local ecosystems and degradation of the tourism experience. To plan tourist activity it is necessary to define adequate indicators and understand the dynamics of tourist crowds. The main goals of this dissertation are the development of (1) an algorithm for assessing spatially fine-grained, physical carrying capacity (PCC) for a complex urban fabric, (2) an agent-based simulation model for the egress of participants in public open space tourism attraction events and (3) an agent-based simulation model using the PCC algorithm for tourism crowding stress analysis in urban fabric constrained scenarios. OpenStreetMap open-data was used throughout this research. The proposed PCC algorithm was tested in Santa Maria Maior parish in Lisbon that has a complex ancient urban fabric. The GAMA agent-based platform was used in the two simulation studies. The first compared two scenarios (normal and COVID-19) in three major public spaces in Lisbon and the second focused on the simulation of a real-time tourism crowding stress analysis scenario of visitors’ arrival at the Lisbon Cruise Terminal. The results show the proposed algorithm’s feasibility to determine the PCC of complex urban fabrics zones and its application as an initial reference value for the evaluation of real-time crowding stress, namely in simulations for assessing overtourism scenarios, both in public open spaces as in highly constrained urban fabrics.O aumento da atividade turística a nível global tem levado à superlotação, causando danos aos ecossistemas locais e degradação da experiência turística. Para planear a atividade turística é necessário definir indicadores adequados e entender as dinâmicas das multidões turísticas. Os principais objetivos desta dissertação são o desenvolvimento de (1) um algoritmo para avaliar a capacidade de carga física (CCF) de fino grão espacial para uma malha urbana complexa, (2) um modelo de simulação baseado em agentes para o escoamento de participantes em eventos de atração turística em espaços abertos e (3) um modelo de simulação baseado em agentes usando o algoritmo de CCF para análise do stress de aglomeração de turistas em cenários de malha urbana restritiva. Os dados abertos do OpenStreetMap foram usados nesta investigação. O algoritmo CCF proposto foi testado na freguesia de Santa Maria Maior, em Lisboa, que tem uma malha urbana antiga e complexo. A plataforma GAMA baseada em agentes foi usada nos dois estudos de simulação. O primeiro comparou dois cenários (normal e COVID-19) em três grandes espaços públicos de Lisboa e o segundo analisou o stress de aglomeração causado pela chegada de navios ao Terminal de Cruzeiros de Lisboa. Os resultados mostram a viabilidade do algoritmo proposto para determinar a CCF de zonas com tecidos urbanos complexos e a sua aplicação como valor de referência inicial para a avaliação do stress de superlotação em tempo real, nomeadamente na avaliação de cenários de aglomeração turística excessiva, tanto em espaços abertos, como em malhas urbanas intrincadas

Survey of Bicycle Trail-Users in New Orleans: Characteristics, Attitudes and Implications for Planning

This thesis focuses on bicyclists using the Jefferson Davis multi-use, off-street trail in the City of New Orleans. Understanding user characteristics and perceptions of bicyclists will help inform planning, policy, and design related to bicycle infrastructure. This thesis uses a review of the relevant literature, intercept surveys of bicyclists, and automatic bicycle counts to understand how user characteristics can influence successful bicycle design, policies, and planning. The user characteristics of the bicyclists on the Jefferson Davis Trail provide us with information on who is using the trail, how often, why, and what users would like to see improved. Planners need to understand the motivations of the current and potential trail users. Making bicycling a safe mode of travel in an urban area involves influencing citizens at both the socialecological level and the travel-behavioral level, providing the culture around bicycling and the facilities available to do so

Promoting Bicycle Commuter Safety, Research Report 11-08

We present an overview of the risks associated with cycling to emphasize the need for safety. We focus on the application of frameworks from social psychology to education, one of the 5 Es—engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation. We use the structure of the 5 Es to organize information with particular attention to engineering and education in the literature review. Engineering is essential because the infrastructure is vital to protecting cyclists. Education is emphasized since the central focus of the report is safety