Measuring the Impacts of Speed Reduction Technologies: Evaluation of Dynamic Advanced Curve Warning System

This paper presents the results of a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of a dynamic curve warning System deployed at one site on Interstate 5 in Oregon. On a dynamic message sign, the System displays messages directed to drivers on the basis of the observed speed of approaching vehicles. For the evaluation, three measures of effectiveness were selected: (a) the change in mean speed for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, (b) the change in the speed distribution for both passenger cars and trucks, and (c) public response to the sign. Speed samples were taken of vehicles with a laser ranging and detection device recording both speed and distance information over 7 days: four in the before period and three in the after period. The quantitative evaluation indicated that the advanced curve warning System was effective in reducing the mean speeds of passenger cars and trucks by approximately 3 mph for the southbound direction and 2 mph for the northbound direction. After the System was installed, the distribution of vehicle speeds was statistically different, with a lower number of vehicles in the higher speed bins. Because the System was installed only recently, crash reduction impacts have not yet been evaluated. Intercept surveys of motorists at nearby rest areas revealed a positive perception of the System. Overall, the results of the evaluation indicate that the advanced curve warning System is effective

A Comprehensive Statistical Study on Daytime Surface Urban Heat Island during Summer in Urban Areas, Case Study: Cairo and Its New Towns

Surface urban heat island (SUHI) is defined as the elevated land surface temperature (LST) in urban area in comparison with non-urban areas, and it can influence the energy consumption, comfort and health of urban residents. In this study, the existence of daytime SUHI, in Cairo and its new towns during the summer, is investigated using three different approaches; (1) utilization of pre-urbanization observations as LST references; (2) utilization of rural observations as LST references (urban–rural difference); and (3) utilization of the SIUHI (Surface Intra Urban Heat Island) approach. A time series of Landsat TM & ETM+ data (46 images) from 1984 to 2015 was employed in this study for daytime LST calculation during summer. Different statistical hypothesis tests were utilized for the evaluation of LST and SUHI in the case studies. The results demonstrated that there is no significant LST difference between the urban areas studied, and their corresponding built-up areas. In addition, daytime LST in new towns during the summer is 2 K warmer than in Cairo. Utilization of a pre-urbanization observations approach, alongside an evaluation of the long-term trend, demonstrated that there is no daytime SUHI during the summer in the study areas, and construction activities in the study areas do not result in cooling or warming effects. Utilization of the rural observations approach showed that LST is lower in Cairo than its surrounding areas. This demonstrates why the selection of suitable rural references in SUHI studies is an important and complicated task, and how this approach may lead to misinterpretation in desert city areas with significant landscape and surface difference with their most surrounding areas (e.g., Cairo). Results showed that, although SIUHI technique can be representative for the changes of variance of LST in urban areas, it is not able to identify the changes of mean LST in urban areas

Using Custom Transportation Data Collection Software with Handheld Computers for Education, Research, and Practice

In an effort to facilitate data collection for research, give students firsthand experience collecting data for course projects, and generate interest in the transportation field through outreach, the Intelligent Transportatio