A Straightforward Framework for Road Network Screening to Lombardy Region (Italy)

It is not possible to deal with sustainable mobility without considering road safety as a key element: Target 3.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims at halving the number of road deaths by 2030. To do so, further effort and effective tools are required for road authorities, to implement improvement measures and enhance road safety for all. Road network screening (RNS) is the first step of the whole Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) System process. It is applied to a wide scale to assess the safety performance of the whole road network and identify the worst performing roads (or sites). The literature is quite rich with RNS models and methods, which have greatly improved, recently. Moreover, although many national frameworks on road safety have been issued over time, some barriers remain, specifically related to data quality, such as accurate crash location, which is mainly used to integrate crash data with other databases. In addition, most of these frameworks adopted partial indexes to identify black spots and presented results using fixed maps for visualization. This paper fills these gaps by the proposal of a straightforward operational framework to perform RNS, based on a simple and flexible rationale to integrate raw crash, traffic, and road data. Specifically, the framework: (i) manages crash location data, without relying on plane or geographical coordinates, which are missing or inaccurate and still are a crucial issue in many European countries such as Italy; (ii) adopts an adjusted accident cost rate index that integrates frequency and severity of crashes as well as a measurement of exposure; (iii) introduces variable maps that show the results at different jurisdiction levels. A relevant case study demonstrates the usefulness of this framework using 30,000+ crash data of the whole non-urban road network of the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy). Road authorities could adopt this framework to perform an accurate safety screening on the overall regional road network. Moreover, this framework could be implemented in a road traffic safety managerial system to better prioritise safety interventions within a tight budget and help achieve sustainable development targets

Bridge's vehicular loads characterization through Weight-In-Motion (WIM) systems. The case study of Brescia

The growing traffic flow and the increase in transported masses negatively affect infrastructural safety. Several authors have characterized traffic loads on bridges in the American and Chinese context using Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems. Conversely, very few studies have been carried out in Europe and, as far as the authors know, none in Italy. This study covers this gap by providing a statistical analysis of raw WIM data collected on a main bridge near the city of Brescia (Italy). First, the traffic flow and the characteristics of vehicles were gathered by a WIM device. Second, some descriptive statistics were performed by computing the probabilistic distributions of numerous vehicular attributes. Third, as a novelty element, a K-means based Clustering technique was adopted on a wide set of vehicular features to detect heavy vehicle clusters. The results showed the existence of three main clusters: two predominately composed by lightly overloaded ordinary vehicles and construction machinery, respectively, and one by mass exceptional vehicles. This study considers a broader set of vehicular parameters than previous ones and then, provides a deeper understanding. Moreover, it shows that axle mass limits violations are noteworthy among mass exceptional vehicles in Italy highlighting the need of improving weight enforcement. These knowledges will be crucial for a rational organisation of the existing assets

Kinematic performance of micro-mobility vehicles during braking: experimental analysis and comparison between e-kick scooters and bikes

According to the Italian legislation, e-kick scooters and bikes are considered a single category of vehicles and can travel on the same infrastructures with the same rules; however, their kinematic behavior is very different. The adoption of a bike as a vehicle for covering short distances i.e., within 5 km is widely known both at the kinematic level and for its use by users. Conversely, e-kick scooters are "unknown" vehicles both for their kinematic characteristics and for their use by users. A handful of studies have shown how the behavior of e-kick scooters and bikes is very different; however, there are not many studies that analyze the different kinematic behavior of e-kick scooters and bikes. This study presents an experimental analysis that evaluates braking behavior by comparing e-kick scooters and traditional bikes according to several vehicle speeds. These analyzes help build a probabilistic mathematical model for estimating the stopping space of e-kick scooters and bikes. The availability of this model is crucial for the design of safe intersections between cycle paths and roads intended for motor vehicle traffic. Moreover, this model may reveal insights that could challenge the recent European regulations that equated e-kick scooters as bikes

Comparing the vibrational behaviour of e-kick scooters and e-bikes: Evidence from Italy

E-kick scooters are currently among the most popular emerging electric-powered Personal micro–Mobility Vehicles (e-PMVs) and have recently been equated to e-bikes. However, even if the dynamic behaviour of e-bikes is well studied, much less has been done to understand the behaviour of e-kick scooters. Furthermore, comparisons between the two vehicles have rarely been investigated and only based on mechanical models. This study covers this gap by proposing a novel framework that evaluates the vibrational behaviours of both vehicles when driven by different users and exposed to the pavement irregularities, using both real and simulated data. The experimental data are collected equipping an e-kick scooter and an e-bike with Inertial Measurement Units, and then processed by ISO 2631–1 method to obtain an objective evaluation of the comfort. Next, the experimental data are expanded to include uncertainty applying a Monte Carlo Simulation based on a two-layer feed-forward Artificial Neural Network. Afterwards, several statistical analyses are performed to understand the key factors affecting the vibrational magnitude (and their extent) for each vehicle. This framework was tested in an Italian city (Brescia) along urban paths with five different pavement surfaces. The results showed that the e-kick scooter appears to be globally more solicited than the e-bike in terms of vibrational magnitude. Moreover, pavement surface, sensor position, user gender, user height, and travel speed are identified as crucial factors explaining the vibrational magnitude for both vehicles. The overall findings challenge the recent European regulations that equated e-kick scooters with bikes. These findings may help public administrations in planning the circulation of e-bikes and e-kick scooters in cities and recommend that manufacturers improve the e-kick scooter design by including shock absorbers to increase comfort

Measuring Safety Performance in the extra-urban Road Network of Lombardy Region (Italy)

Road Network Screening (RNS) is a process to evaluate the safety performance of the whole road network and identify worst performing roads. Currently, literature provides many models and methods for RNS. Moreover, several frameworks of RNS were issued at the European National Level over time. However, even if sophisticated models and methods could be preferable for their computational accuracy, they may be far from the capabilities of practitioners. In addition, other issues such as availability of operative attributes and data quality and processing persist. For instance, accurate crash location, which is crucial for detailed analyses of high crash rates at some locations, is still an issue: many road administrations pointed out that coordinates miss or are inaccurate in many cases. Within this context, this paper proposes a straightforward operational framework to evaluate safety performance for RNS, using a flexible rationale that integrates crash, traffic, and road data, respectively. More precisely, this framework: (a) handles crash location data without using spatial coordinates; (b) computes the crash rate index at different administrative levels; (c) shows results by Geographic Information System (GIS) maps. This framework is applied to the whole extra-urban road network of the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy) using 30.000+ crash data provided by the Regional Institute for Lombardy Policy Support (PoliS). Road authorities could adopt this framework to perform an accurate safety screening on the road network aimed at rational planning of safety interventions

A comparative cycling path selection for sustainable tourism in Franciacorta. An integrated AHP-ELECTRE method

Cycle tourism is a form of sustainable itinerant tourism expanding in Italy and the rest of the world, with prospects for growth in coming years. Europe and North America have already developed a wide range of cycling infrastructures tied to tourism experiences. Benefits induced are generally recognised: first, it is a sustainable solution that increases local economics while conserving the environment; second, it guarantees advantages on social connections, amusement, and physical and mental health. However, it requires an adequate network to enjoy destinations as historical and landscape peculiarities. Currently, literature provides some methods for planning itineraries dedicated to cycle tourism. Despite that, there is less attention on how evaluating existing or already planned tourist itineraries. This study covers this gap, by applying an integrated method to assess bicycle connections for tourism experiences within municipalities. Since this evaluation may contain many conflicting criteria (e.g., preferences of public administrator, technical and economic viability) and possible alternatives, this study frames the method as a multi-criteria decision-making problem (MCDM). Specifically, at first, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is adopted to calculate weights for each criterium; next, the ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalitè (ELECTRE) method is applied to provide a (possible) priority ranking of cycling tourist paths among alternatives, by computing indices of discordance and concordance between pairs of alternatives. The framework is applied to the Franciacorta area (North-East Italy), a national and international tourist relevance territory encompassing 22 municipalities. This study may be useful for public administrators to rationalise and prioritise cycling routes

Non cross-linked equine collagen (Salvecoll-E gel) for treatment of complex ano-rectal fistula

Summary: Background: Fistula-in-ano is one of the most commonly presenting anorectal diseases. Sphincter sparing treatment options should be considered in patients with complex fistulas. Salvecoll-E gel is a native collagen deantigenated and purified, non-cross-linked equine dermal extract, with an amino acid composition identical to human collagen. Methods: The multicentric trial study was a prospective, single-arm observational clinical study with the objective to assess the efficacy of Salvecoll-E gel for anal fistula repair in 70 patients. All patients had undergone preliminary surgical treatment consisting of positioning of a draining loosing seton that was maintained for a period of 4–6 weeks. After seton removal, a gentle debridement and washing of the fistula track was performed. The scar tissue was removed from the internal orifice. Internal opening was covered by a side-to side mucosal suture. Salvecoll-E was injected through the external opening into the fistula track, the external opening it has been opened. Results: Twelve months after surgery, 55 patients demonstrated a clinically healed fistula (78,5%), 15 patients have a recurrence (21,5%). Most of the recurrences were observed in the first 6 months of treatment (13/15, 86.6%). We don't observe any worsening in CCF score. The results obtained at 1 year certainly seem satisfactory and in line with the best results published in literature using mini-invasive techniques. Conclusion: Salvecoll-E gel is a promising non-invasive technique for conservative treatment of anal fistulas, it's well tolerated by the patients and, in case of recurrence, reinjection or all other known techniques are feasible. Keywords: Complex ano-rectal fistula, Non cutting technique, Mini-invasive treatmen

Recent Innovations & Daily Problems. A new prosthesis in inguinal hernia repair:preliminary results of a pilot study.

Introduction: Elective surgery for inguinal hernia is affected by very low mortality « 1 per 10000 operation); in contrast, when surgery is carried out for complicated inguinal hernia, risks of postoperative complication are higher. TAPP is a world-wide accepted surgical practice in the treatment of elective bilateral or recurrent inguinal hernia, above all in young patients. Few exploratory studies were published on laparoscopic approach in the treatment of urgent complicated inguinal hernia. Aim of this study was to analyze feasibility (operative time, conversion rate), safety (postoperative morbidity, length of hospital stay) and quality of life (acute and chronic pain, return to work) of trans-abdominal pre-peritoneal laparoscopic hernia repair in acute incarcerated inguinal hernia. Rationale of laparoscopic trans-abdominal approach is the easier hernia reduction under vision and a better exploration of the abdominal cavity. Methods: from September 2012 to September 2013, 15 consecutive patients admitted in emergency at the Division of General Surgery of University "Sapienza", Polo Pontino, for acute incarcerated inguinal hernia were submitted to TAPP using 3 trocars (1 of 10 mm and 2 of 5mm) and polyester prosthesis fixed by fibrin glue. Exclusion criteria for laparoscopic approach were age III, previous abdominal surgery, signs of strangulated hernia. All of them were evaluated for operative time, conversion rate, postoperative morbidity, organ resection or other surgery required. All patients were scored for pain by Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) during postoperative in hospital stay at 7 days, 1,6 and 12 months after surgery. Results: median follow-up was 16 months and 12 as minimum. In all cases reduction of hernia was always possible and none conversion to open surgery was recorded, median operative time was 89 minutes (55-137 as range), omental resection was carried out in one patient (6,6%), no other organ resections needed, whereas contralateral hernia was diagnosed and repaired at the same time in 4 patients (26,6%). No major complications were observed, median blood loss was 100 ml, minor morbidity was contained to 18% represented by fever and wound infection of surgical umbilical scar. Median in hospital stay was 1,5 days with 1-5 days as range. Postoperative median acute pain, measured by visual analogic scale (VAS), was 2 (range:0-4), none patient referred any pain during follow-up. Median time of return to work was 6,5 days, ranged between 3 to 15 days. Patients' compliance to treatment and to follow-up was complete as well their satisfaction. Conclusions: In centres skilled for laparoscopy in emergency, TAPP could be considered a feasible and safe technique. In well-selected patients (especially if emolled in controlled clinical trial) TAPP could represent an alternative surgical approach for complicated incarcerated inguinal hernia to conventional open surgery even in urgency. The main advantages of laparoscopic approach are the ability to perform surgical hernia reduction under vision, a better exploration and evaluation of abdominal cavity and diagnosis and treatment of eventual contralateral defect of wall, otherwise often missed. Finally, the good control of acute and chronic pain, faster return to normal activity and work, better aesthetic results contributed to total satisfaction and compliance of the patients