Pedestrian level of service assessment in an area close to an under-construction metro line in Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract Pedestrian mobility is one of the most sustainable transport alternatives as it offers significant environmental, social and economic benefits. In fact, the non-motorization contributes to the reduction of emissions and at the same time, walking is able to revive purchases and also sociality and communication between people. The present paper focuses on the assessment of a section of a pedestrian area located in the center of the Municipality of Kalamaria, which is one of the biggest Municipalities in the Thessaloniki Metropolitan area, Northern Greece. The pedestrian area which was examined includes the oldest and most important pedestrian street in the Municipality, as it is located in the central business district (CBD) and it serves a large number of pedestrian flows on a daily basis. Also, the construction of a metro station in the area is expected to further increase the pedestrian flows. The analysis of the paper includes the evaluation of the existing situation of the pedestrian street through Viswalk, which is a microscopic software for pedestrian simulation. The aim of the specific evaluation is the identification of variations in the Level of Service (LOS), as the pedestrian composition and flows change. The results of the simulation show that even tripling the pedestrian flow in the pedestrian area will not cause a significant drop in LOS, with the exception of specific sections of the pedestrian street, where bottlenecks are formed

Cycling traffic at turbo roundabouts: some considerations related to cyclist mobility and safety

Abstract The growing need for sustainable mobility has led the transport policy-makers as well as population to use more of soft mobility solutions such as pedestrian and cycling traffic. Several European countries are implementing policies for total mobility with less motorization in order to reduce the negative environmental effects generated by industries and transport. In the same time new unconventional types of intersections are developed in order to ensure safer conditions not only for motorized traffic but also for pedestrians and cyclist. One of those is turbo roundabout, at-grade two-lane roundabout, introduced also in urban areas where heterogeneous traffic users are expected and on which traffic safety should be considered carefully. This article aims to analyze the safety of cyclists in different traffic conditions at turbo roundabout with and without separated traffic lanes for cyclists. Through the evaluation of level of service and surrogate safety parameters, the advantages and critical aspects linked to turbo roundabout are highlighted. The research will be conducted on theoretical turbo roundabout with substantial variation in traffic flow. Comparison of the results will allow a better understanding of functionality (level of service, traffic safety) of turbo roundabout in the presence of pedestrians and cyclists of different age. The aim of this article is to present possible solutions to enable safer introduction of cycling traffic at turbo-roundabouts and help defining conditions (number of vehicles, number of cyclist, and number of pedestrians) in which safety of cyclist is questionable and there is need for different solution

Analysis of Pedestrians' Perceptions about the Design Aspects of Crossing Facilities: A Case in Nizwa, Oman

This study aims to identify the key factors in pedestrians' intentions when using crossing facilities. For this purpose, a comprehensive questionnaire was designed and conducted at selected locations in Nizwa city. The main investigated variables are linked to personal characteristics, opinions on the main reasons for accidents, and how hard it is for pedestrians to cross roads at different locations in Nizwa city. Statements were also designed on the safety and health aspects of pedestrian crossings, as well as the physical and design aspects of pedestrian crossing facilities. Suitable locations were selected for the survey to assess the main concerns of pedestrian facilities. A total of 280 usable samples were collected from the selected locations. The analysis results revealed that young pedestrians do not find it difficult to use pedestrian bridges and underpasses when crossing roads. Pedestrians' prioritization of safety when crossing, pedestrians' health conditions, the proper cleaning and lighting of facilities, and the good design of facilities are significant determinants of pedestrians' intentions when using crossing facilities. Crossing facilities need to be maintained properly, for example, through the cleaning and lighting of facilities. Proper awareness among pedestrians and vehicle drivers is required for the safety of pedestrians

Comparison of red-light running (RLR) and yellow-light running (YLR) traffic violations in the cities of Enna and Thessaloniki

Abstract This paper investigates the characteristics of Red-Light Running (RLR) and Yellow-Light Running (YLR) traffic violations at three signalized intersections which are located in the city of Enna, Italy, and four signalized intersections which are located in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. The trigger for this particular research is that there are cases in the literature in which the driving styles, as far as compliance with the Highway Code regulations is concerned, change from city to city and from country to country. Two sets of counts were used in the framework of this paper in order to investigate this phenomenon. The first one concerns the year 2018 in Enna and the second one the year 2015 in Thessaloniki. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in order to analyze the collected data and more specifically to investigate the correlation between the violations at signalized intersections in both cities. One of the most important findings of the specific research is that private cars are the responsible for the vast majority of the violations at the signalized intersections. In addition, it was found that traffic lane plays a significant role in the under study traffic violations

Rapporto Finale del Progetto di alta formazione: “Esperti di Idroacustica, Analisi Dati, ICT e Tutela della Biodiversità Marina” (BLU-DATA-BIO)

Questo rapporto di fine progetto presenta i dati relativi al corso di formazione riportato nel titolo e rivolto a giovani laureati in scienze MM.FF.NN., chimiche, biologiche, ma anche ambientali, ingegneristiche e socio-economiche. Il corso è stato concepito come una prima di tappa di chi volesse intraprendere una carriera di ricerca presso Enti di Ricerca, oppure una carriera imprenditoriale nel settore della RS&I applicata alle scienze marine ed in particolare al concetto di “Crescita Blu”. L’ambiente marino con le sue risorse ha costituito il minimo comun denominatore di un’articolata offerta formativa finalizzata a creare nuove professionalità ad alta specializzazione all’interno di 2 macro-ambiti che costituiscono il “core business” del soggetto attuatore e che rappresentato i 2 Profili (A e B) del Progetto: 1. L’acustica marina attiva e passiva, connessa all’analisi dati e alle soluzioni ICT; 2. La tutela della biodiversità marina, connessa alla diffusione della cultura scientifica (Science Communication), collegata all’Osservatorio Regionale delle Biodiversità Siciliana Marina e Terrestre (D.D.G. del Dipartimento Ambiente della Regione Siciliana n. 342 del 10 giugno 2011)

Could clustering of comorbidities be useful for better defining the internal medicine patients’ complexity?

Internal medicine patients are mostly elderly with multiple comorbidities, usually chronic. The high prevalence of comorbidity and multimorbidity has a significant impact on both positive responses to treatment and the occurrence of adverse events. Clustering is the process of nosography grouping into meaningful associations with some index disease, so that the objects within a cluster have high similarity in comparison with one another. In the decision-making process it is imperative that, in addition to understanding the immediate clinical problems, we are able to explicit all the contextual factors that have to be taken into account for the best outcome of care. Cluster analysis could be leveraged in developing better interventions targeted to improve health outcomes in subgroups of patients

La Scienza e l'immaginario

L’attività di divulgazione della cultura scientifica ha un ruolo fondamentale sulla società, sia in termini di applicazioni innovative che di pianificazione dell’ambiente. I ricercatori dell’IAS-CNR di Capo Granitola operano da anni nell’ambito della diffusione della cultura scientifica, attraverso processi complessi e percorsi di divulgazione in partnership con istituti scolastici del territorio, realizzando attività seminariali, convegni direttamente nelle scuole, nonché visite didattiche guidate degli alunni nei laboratori dell’Istituto ed esperimenti interdisciplinari sull’ambiente marino. Tali processi divulgativi si sono sviluppati creando numerosi percorsi, in maniera per certi aspetti analoga a quella per cui dalla mescolanza dei tre colori fondamentali si è in grado di ottenere un numero pressoché illimitato di tinte diverse. Lo scopo di questa “mescolanza” è stato quello di ottenere un ventaglio di competenze e strumentazioni che consentissero di indagare i differenti aspetti dell’ecosistema marino da diversi punti di vista ed in maniera sinergica, tale da restituire un quadro il più ricco possibile di “tinte” e particolari. (Scienza e arte di Salvatore Mazzola) La Scienza e l'immaginario di Angela Cuttitta. Il progetto “La Scienza e l’Immaginario” nasce dalla collaborazione tra l’IAS - CNR di Capo Granitola e l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, che attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare ha voluto sperimentare l’unione tra il mondo scientifico e quello artistico, mettendo i giovani artisti, attraverso proiezioni e seminari scientifici, nelle condizioni di scoprire il mondo dell’ambiente marino e degli ecosistemi in esso presenti. Il progetto è nato dalla consapevolezza di come sia necessario operare sul piano della diffusione e divulgazione della cultura scientifica nei più vasti contesti sociali, a partire dall’ambito scolastico. Le azioni divulgative mirano, infatti, a diffondere la conoscenza dei processi geologici, chimico-fisici, climatici e biologici in modo pervasivo, non limitato a singole categorie/settori. La funzione strategica di tali azioni è quella di stimolare idee ed iniziative nonché di sviluppare una maggiore sensibilità nei confronti dei fenomeni che ci circondano, quale presupposto essenziale per una corretta programmazione politico-gestionale. Lo spirito che ha mosso tutte gli attori del progetto è stato quello di sensibilizzare gli studenti nei confronti della tutela delle risorse marine proprie del loro territorio e di sviluppare e promuovere la cultura come volano dello sviluppo sostenibile, della pace e dell’integrazione sociale, in armonia con quanto indicato dal Consiglio Europeo di Lisbona 2000. Grazie al lavoro di docenti e di ricercatori, l’arte come forma espressiva si è rivelata uno strumento valido e innovativo di divulgazione della cultura scientifica e ha portato alla creazione di suggestioni sui ragazzi che hanno percepito e realizzato forme e armonie espresse in questa mostra. L’impegno per questa manifestazione rappresenta, quindi, un appuntamento importante con le forze vive siciliane nel campo delle scienze del mare segnatamente ad esperti di biologia, chimica, fisica ed al mondo fantastico dell’arte, al fine di esprimere con le varie tecniche pittoriche un momento di riflessione culturale

Special Issue “New Perspectives in Intelligent Transportation Systems and Mobile Communications towards a Smart Cities Context”

Intelligent transportation solutions and smart information and communication technologies will be the core of future smart cities. For this purpose, these topics have captivated noteworthy interest in the investigation and construction of cleverer communication protocols or the application of artificial intelligence in the connection of in-vehicle devices by wireless networks, and in in-vehicle services for autonomous driving using high-precision positioning and sensing systems. This special issue has focused on the collection of high-quality papers aimed at solving open technical problems and challenges typical of mobile communications for Intelligent Transportation Systems