Evaluating the effects of road hump on speed and noise level at a university setting

This study is carried out to determine the effectivness of road humps to reduce the traffic speed and traffic noise in institutional area. The difference in hump profiles in terms of height, width and length are the main factors in determing the effectiveness of road humps. The difference in the profiles of the road hump will cause changing driver behaviour of the users especially when approaching the road hump. The road humps with different design profiles are selected to measure the speed and noise level of the vehicles at, before and after each of the selected road humps. Radar speed gun and noise level meters are used to measure speed and noise level of the vehicles at each of designated points along the major circular road in IIUM. The changes in speed and noise level at different selected points at each of the different profiles of the road humps are the expected findings of this study

Evaluating the effects of road hump on the speed of vehicles in an institutional environment

Vehicles travelling at speed above the permissible speed limit have jeopardized the safety of road users. The concern is greater at institutional environment whereby most road users travel by walking. Road hump is considered as an efficient traffic calming measure in reducing the speed of the vehicle. This paper investigates the effects of different road hump dimensions in decreasing the speed of vehicles at the main road of International Islamic University Malaysia. Six (6) road humps with different design profile were selected. The design profile and spot speed of the vehicles at all six (6) road humps were measured. The speed of vehicles at the road hump was analyzed by using descriptive analysis and t-test. The findings of this study suggest that road hump is effective in lowering the speed of vehicles in an institutional environment. The dimensions of road hump, especially height, influence significantly the speed reduction of vehicles

Climate Change Impacts and Responses: Societal Indicators for the National Climate Assessment

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) Report Series summarizes regional, sectoral, and process-related workshops and discussions being held as part of the Third NCA process. The workshop on including and developing societal indicators as a part of the 2013 NCA was held in Washington, DC on April 28-29, 2011. Volume 5c of the NCA Report Series summarizes the discussions and outcomes of this workshop

Changes of urban green space patterns in Akure, Nigeria

Unplanned urbanisation and disappearance of green spaces have prevented Nigerian cities from meeting international best practice standards. The World Health Organisation (WHO) requires that a city must attain a minimum of 9m2 per capita green space benchmark before it can be considered liveable. One important indicator of a liveable city is the amount of green spaces it possesses. Urban green spaces represent the unbuilt part of a city reserved for recreation, relaxation, and the promotion of health and wellbeing. They also provide opportunities for physical and psychological restoration, and the production of ecosystem services. However, cities grow in size and number in Nigeria without corresponding increases in the quantity of their green spaces. Akure in Ondo State, Nigeria, manifests this deteriorating condition. Making Akure greener, attractive and liveable, therefore, constitutes an important goal. This research studied the changes in the pattern of urban green spaces in Akure, with a view to preserving the availability of green spaces in the city. The rational choice theory and the theory of planned behaviour were adopted for this research. The study utilised a mixed method approach to elicit the opinions of 317 systematically sampled city residents. It also utilised remote sensing imagery to classify and detect land use changes and vegetation health. Survey questionnaires were analysed with SPSS Version 22.0, structural equation modelling, and the relative importance index. Findings revealed that although urbanisation, state creation and government policy initiated the conversion and loss of open spaces, the contribution of attitudinal factors to the process has been quite significant. Analysis of attitudinal factors revealed that lack of political will to enforce tree planting and conversion of incidental open spaces and urban gardens to residential and commercial uses were very strong. Analysis of remote sensing imagery revealed that increases in built-up area resulted in a two-fold disappearance of urban green spaces between 1987 and 2016. Further analysis revealed that Akure has a low per cent urban green space (PUGS) availability at 17 per cent, 4.3m2 per capita green space index, and between 0.2 and 0.3 normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI). The low greenness indices imply that Akure is currently not green enough or liveable. The necessity for mass education and enlightenment towards pro-environmental behaviour, adoption of open space master plan, and harmonisation and centralisation of Akure urban land, are therefore canvassed. Apart from Akure, other cities in Nigeria and other developing countries in general, may also find these recommendations useful

Ecosystem Service and Land-Use Changes in Asia

This book highlights the role of research in Ecosystem Services and Land Use Changes in Asia. The contributions include case studies that explore the impacts of direct and indirect drivers affecting provision of ecosystem services in Asian countries, including China, India, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Findings from these empirical studies contribute to developing sustainability in Asia at both local and regional scales

Shifting to low-carbon transport in ASEAN:policy development in a rapidly motorising region

This thesis analyses how transport policy at different levels of governance is responding to sustainability challenges and how such policies can be strengthened, particularly for climate change mitigation in the ASEAN region. Its academic contribution comprises the application of transition studies and policy studies to low-carbon transport and sustainable development. The main conclusions are: 1) The Avoid – Shift – Improve approach needs to be expanded with Access, Lifestyle and Transition considerations in order to be an effective framework that does justice to the distributional, systemic and behavioural aspects of low-carbon transport policy; 2) The newer international climate instruments, such as NAMAs, NDCs and the GCF, show more potential than the Kyoto Protocol instruments to promote sustainable, low-carbon transport, as they are better aligned to national circumstances and better suited to address the barriers that developing country policymakers face; 3) ASEAN instruments around transport focus on policy cooperation and reflect ‘networked regionalism’. Sustainable transport has played a relatively small role in ASEAN cooperation but this role is growing, and a range of ‘soft’ measures can be used to further promote low-carbon transport in its member countries; 4) At the national level, transport policy objectives support international sustainable development and climate goals, however the instruments, mechanisms and calibrations need to be strengthened to reach those objectives. Climate change has, in a few cases, led to policy windows for modifying transport policy; 5) At the local level, Southeast Asian cities such as Bangkok and Manila increasingly recognise the potential and benefits of cycling, yet much remains to be done in policy and planning to move cycling beyond a niche activity. _______________________________________