Under which conditions is carrier cooperation possible? A case study in a Seville marketplace

The high volume of traffic originates two well-known problems in many cities: congestion and pollution. In recent years, a social phenomenon is emerging cooperation. This work is aimed at evaluating the circumstances under which transport cooperation is possible between different stakeholders operating in the same geographical area. To this end, a double survey process was conducted in a marketplace situated in the Seville City (Spain) centre. The first survey was designed to know the characteristics of the retailers and their preferences with respect to cooperation and regulations. A relational analysis between retailer features and their willingness to cooperate was carried out. After analysing the motivations for non-cooperation, a mixed proposal was designed and surveyed. Although the research was limited to a marketplace, the relevant data gathered from this double survey process highlights some implications: (a) the importance of personal relations in retailer cooperation; (b) a high volume of freight and the use of vans as on-street warehouses appear as significant motivations for non-cooperation; (c) forcing changes in the statu quo encourages cooperation.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) TEC2013-47286-C3-3-

Adolescent road user behaviour : a survey of 11-16 year olds

This study was carried out to investigate the safety related behaviour of road users aged 11-16. A self-completion questionnaire was designed to measure the frequency with which children from the target population carry out 43 different road using behaviours and a number of other variables including children's beliefs about the safety of their own road using behaviour. Two thousand four hundred and thirty three children from eleven secondary schools within England completed the questionnaire in lesson time at school. Factor analysis showed that scores on the 43 behaviour items were best represented by a three-factor solution. The three factors were named unsafe road crossing behaviour, dangerous playing in the road, and planned protective behaviour. Analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that demographic variables and exposure variables had statistically significant effects on how often these behaviours were carried out. More interesting was the finding that respondents had realistic perceptions of their own behaviour as road users. The more respondents believed their road using behaviour to be unsafe and irresponsible, the more often they reported carrying out road using behaviour that was undesirable from a road safety point of view. These results and their implications for road safety interventions and further research are discussed

The accident risk of motorcyclists

This report contains the findings of a study to explore and quantify the interacting influences which determine motorcyclist accident liabilities. It was conducted on behalf of Road Safety Division, Department for Transport. The study first reviewed existing data sources to investigate the trends in motorcycling accidents over the last decade or so. The main part of the study was to carry out a survey of nearly 30,000 current motorcyclists in order to explore the relationship between accident risk and variables such as annual mileage, age, experience, journey type, training, personal characteristics of the riders, and the self-reported behaviours and attitudes of the riders. The numbers of accidents reported by riders within the past 12-months of riding were modelled using generalised linear techniques to take into account factors such as mileage, age, experience, bike size and the conditions prevailing when they rode. Models of rider behaviour were developed using other statistical modelling techniques. These models investigated how attitudes/motivations/perceptions and rider style influence rider behaviour, and how rider behaviour influences the likelihood of accident involvement. The influence of age, sex and experience on attitudes and behaviours, and as direct or indirect influences on accidents were also investigated. Accident risk was also directly influenced by the number of miles ridden in the past 12-months. The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the safety of motorcycle riders

Lighting for cycling in the UK : a review

While UK governments have recently sought to increase cycling activity, it remains a minority interest. One reason for this is the perceived danger of cycling on roads filled with traffic. There is statistical evidence to support this perception; for equal exposure, cyclists are more likely to be seriously injured than either drivers or pedestrians. Lighting has a role to play in reducing the hazards of cycling by enhancing the visibility and conspicuity of cyclists. Unfortunately, it is not at all clear that the current lighting regulations and recommendations for cycling and cyclists are the best that can be achieved or are even adequate for these purposes. A number of actions are suggested that should enable lighting’s contribution to the safety of cyclists to be realized