A risk-informed approach to setting economically-justifiable maintenance strategies for railway tracks

The global railway infrastructure is carrying ever increasing amounts of railway and freight traffic which in turn is causing accelerated rates of infrastructure deterioration. Given the pressure to increase track utilization, the ageing infrastructure on which much of the railway transport systems are founded, and the constrained budgets under which the infrastructure is managed, appropriate maintenance needs to be predicted, prioritized, planned and carried out efficiently and economically. This doctoral research aims to develop a means of appraising railway track maintenance strategies economically while taking into account the associated risks and uncertainties. To this end, this research proposes, a Whole Life Cycle Cost Analysis (WLCCA) under uncertainty, while considering the direct and indirect costs of track maintenance, and the benefits to train operation, users, safety and the environment. The developed risk-informed approach is demonstrated via case studies on three different route types within the UK mainline railway network

Using Waste Plastics in Road Construction

The idea of using waste plastics in road construction is relatively new. Laboratory tests have shown positive results when a small amount (5-10% by weight) of plastic is incorporated in bituminous mixes (asphalt), resulting in improved pavement stability, strength, and durability. However, international field experience using plastics in actual road construction is quite limited. In this review, we found examples of waste plastics being used in road construction in a few case studies in India, UK, Netherlands, Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa. While roads constructed using waste plastics have shown good longevity and pavement performance to date, the first roads constructed using this technology are only about ten years old, so long-term outcomes are not yet clear. This review did not find any evidence discussing the maintenance of roads constructed using waste plastics

The impact of government measures and human mobility trend on COVID-19 related deaths in the UK

The COVID-19 global pandemic has rapidly expanded, with the UK being one of the countries with the highest number of cases and deaths in proportion to its population. Major clinical and human behavioural measures have been taken by the UK government to control the spread of the epidemic and to support the health system. It remains unclear how exactly human mobility restrictions have affected the virus spread in the UK. This research uses driving, walking and transit real-time data to investigate the impact of government control measures on human mobility reduction, as well as the connection between trends in human-mobility and severe COVID-19 outcomes. Human mobility was observed to gradually decrease as the government was announcing more measures and it stabilized at a scale of around 80 % after a lockdown was imposed. The study shows that human-mobility reduction had a significant impact on reducing COVID-19-related deaths, thus providing crucial evidence in support of such government measures

Lessons from Road Safety Research and Policy Engagement in Pakistan, Nepal, Tanzania

DFID invests in research on transport infrastructure to promote knowledge on cross-cutting issues, such as road safety, and to influence standards and practices across the sector. This rapid desk based study provides lessons from DFID funded road safety research and policy engagement in Pakistan, Nepal and Tanzania. To this end, this report considers recent projects/studies published post-2005 only. DFID also has a number of initiatives linked to developing the capacity building of national governments to make greater use of research findings in road safety. For example, the Global Road Safety Facility has developed new standards and approaches to road safety issues, influencing both the World Bank (which in 2015 made road safety a mandatory component of all road projects) and partner country governments. Furthermore, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has reported positive impacts on road safety standards and practices through DFID investments in road safety projects. The Research for Community Access Partnership (RECAP) is developing low-cost solutions for rural roads, and we found evidence of uptake of new road standards by national governments. Broadly the reports examined showed that all DFID funded projects have been generally successful in improving road safety, while providing recommendations and identifying associated challenges in Pakistan, Nepal and Tanzania

A vulnerability-based approach to human-mobility reduction for countering COVID-19 transmission in London while considering local air quality

An ecologic analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between air pollution, and COVID-19 cases and fatality rates in London. The analysis demonstrated a strong correlation (R2>0.7) between increment in air pollution and an increase in the risk of COVID-19 transmission within London boroughs. Particularly, strong correlations (R2>0.72) between the risk of COVID-19 fatality and NO2 and PM2.5 pollution concentrations were also found. Although this study assumed the same level of air pollution across a particular London borough, it demonstrates the possibility to employ air pollution as an indicator to rapidly identify the vulnerable regions within a city. Such an approach can inform the decisions to suspend or reduce the operation of different public transport modes within a city. The methodology and learnings from the study can thus aid public transport to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak by adopting different levels of human-mobility reduction strategies based on the vulnerability of a given region

Evidence of the Impact of Rural Road Investment on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development

This report provides a rapid review of some of the recently published evidence of the impact of such investment. This rapid evidence based assessment builds on the more thorough systematic review conducted by Hine et al. (2016) which found that published studies in general demonstrated a strong link between good access and indicators of socio- economic benefit. The findings of this rapid review confirm the earlier findings by Hine et al. (2016) and demonstrate positive impacts associated with increased income, poverty reduction, employment, agricultural output and sales, education, health, traffic volumes, transport services, transport costs and general economic indicators. In a number of the recent studies it was found that rural road investment encouraged structural transformations of villages by facilitating non-farm employment and enabling migration to urban areas. However, this did not necessarily translate into substantial increases in incomes. With increased interest in climate change a small but growing body of literature outlines the potential negative impacts of roads on forest cover and biodiversity, although it depends on the local context and type of road

Designing user-centric transport strategies for urban road space redistribution

Cities worldwide are geared to promote economic growth, improve accessibility, address environmental issues, and enhance the quality of life. However, the processes that lead to the design of urban roads, particularly the space distribution, reflect the inequalities existing in the fabric of our society. Motorists often have shorter travel time and more space than passengers of other modes. Furthermore, the existing transport appraisal and planning tools that frame sustainable transport policies fall short of considering the dimension of social justice. Therefore, our urban transport systems are essential areas for advancing sustainability through a transport justice-based approach to planning that can pivot the distribution of infrastructure investments over different social groups and transport modes. This study proposes such an approach by which such suitable urban transport strategies can be identified, co-created with users and appraised while considering the commuters’ needs. Specifically, the interaction between the multidimensional characteristics of sustainability and the principles of transport justice are investigated. The proposed approach is applied to London and Birmingham. The results show that a transparent and holistic approach to integrating users within transport planning is an effective way to reflect diverse needs and local circumstances and thereby ensure a just transition to sustainable urban transport policies. The results from the case studies highlight a strong rationale for the centrality of justice in any urban transport planning and policy making efforts, particularly in the allocation of road space

Morbidity Pattern Among The Geriatric Population In South India: An Observational Study

Introduction: India, the second most populous country in the world is expected to have an increase in geriatric population of 37% by 2051.Along with the rise in geriatric population there is also a rise in geriatric related morbidity which requires special attention and care.Methods: This was a community-based study, consisting of house to house survey of all people aged 65 years and above in Ernakulam district. Residents of Ernakulam district who are ambulant and above the age of 65 years formed the study population of this study. Subjects aged 65 years and above were selected for the study using multi stage stratified random cluster sampling method. A total of 1000 samples were collected.Results: Among the 1000 study subjects, 342(34.2%) were diabetic 768(76.8%) were hypertensive and 248(24.8%) were suffering from dyslipidemia. Hypertension (76.8%) followed by visual impairment (59.4%)and knee pain (56.5%) were the most common comorbidities in the present study population.Conclusion: The incidence of all the study parameters among the elderly population was very high in comparison with studies from other parts of India. A substantial impact on this burden, unique preventive health care strategies specific to the elderly need to be clearly formulated and tested