NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION – AN EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE FOR URBAN COMMUNITIES

The continuous growth of the urban traffic threats cities with “thrombosis“, generating social, economic and ecological long term problems. The paper outlines the positive externalities induced by the non-motorized transportation (walking, bicycling or small-wheeled transport) at individual, social and environmental level. This kind of transportation meets the requests of the urban sustainable development, being used stand-alone or as a part of an intermodal chain. Local authorities, education institutes, corporate and non-governmental organizations should be involved in challenging perceptions and attitudes toward non-motorized trips. Beside the infrastructure construction, the early education is mandatory for creating a civic culture regarding the use of non-motorized transportation. The case study in Bucharest shows out the present state concerning the use of non-motorized transportation and the barriers in using it.urban mobility, non-motorized transportation, sustainable transport barriers.

Modeling the transit of containers through quay buffer storage zone in maritime terminals

The maritime container terminal allows the transfer of container flows from maritime vessels to the land transport network and vice versa. The transit capacity through the terminal is affected by the handling capacity of the equipment at the terminal, by the size of the storage areas and least by the technologies used in handling and storing the containers in the terminal. In this paper, the influence of these last two technologies on the duration of the process of unloading/loading of sea vessels within the terminal is analyzed. A discrete simulation model is used to evaluate the sizing method for short-term storage area located on the dock. The manner of allocating the flows of containers on it, as well as the working technology of the handling equipment, have an influence on the number of containers taken over, respectively loaded on the maritime vessels. The simulation model topology is developed following the existing physical structure of a container terminal from Constanta Port, in Romania. The obtained results can help the administration of the container terminal in optimizing the activity of handling, storing, and transferring the flows of containers from the maritime environment to the mainland and vice versa

Using Intersection Conflict Index in Urban Traffic Risk Evaluation

AbstractThis paper presents part of the research on traffic risk estimation for Bucharest City area. The aim of our research is to develop complex models as tools of urban traffic risk assessment in planning phase. In this way, several urban planning alternatives could be analysed and evaluate before important transport infrastructure investment are made. The first part of the paper analyses the state of road accidents recorded in Bucharest. The second part of the paper demonstrates how the intersection conflict index can be used in traffic micro-simulation models to assess measures of traffic risk reducing

Evaluating the Influence of Data Entropy in the Use of a Smart Equipment for Traffic Management at Border Check Point

The transit through a Border Check Point of cargo vehicles supposes, in the case of the Romanian highway network, the carrying out of a process of weighing and verifying of transport licenses. The limited number of weighing equipment and the long duration of these processes cause large queues and long waiting times. A solution for these problems is to use smart equipment to identify the cargo vehicles and to separate the vehicles that require weighing from exempted ones. The separation process is made using external input data. The quality of received data can generate some dysfunctionality in the separation process. The discrete simulation model can be used to evaluate the influence of the uncertainty over the system serving parameters. A study case is developed for a real situation using real data collected from a Romanian Highway Traffic Control Center (HTMC). The results are used in the implementation of the new smart equipment in a Romanian Border Check Point

Assessing the transit capacity of port shunting yards through discrete simulation

The port shunting yards are developed inside the area of the ports. The main activities are to receive the freight trains from the hinterland, to shunt the freight wagons according to their final destinations from the area of the port, to receive the wagons from maritime terminals, to accumulate wagons according to their destination, and to depart the freight train to the hinterland. So, it is important for port administration to have good methods to evaluate the transit capacity of port shunting yards. A feasible method is to use the discrete simulation model. In our paper, we develop one of this taking into consideration the input flow characteristics of freight trains from land network, the input flow characteristics of freight wagons from maritime terminals, the number of tracks in a port railway station, the technology used for separation of freight wagons on destinations (inside the port or from hinterland), and the duration of technological processes. From the results, we extract the values of trains and wagon sets that transit through the main areas of the railway station (Receiving Tracks, Hump(s) and Departure Tracks)

Evaluating the Influence of Data Entropy in the Use of a Smart Equipment for Traffic Management at Border Check Point

The transit through a Border Check Point of cargo vehicles supposes, in the case of the Romanian highway network, the carrying out of a process of weighing and verifying of transport licenses. The limited number of weighing equipment and the long duration of these processes cause large queues and long waiting times. A solution for these problems is to use smart equipment to identify the cargo vehicles and to separate the vehicles that require weighing from exempted ones. The separation process is made using external input data. The quality of received data can generate some dysfunctionality in the separation process. The discrete simulation model can be used to evaluate the influence of the uncertainty over the system serving parameters. A study case is developed for a real situation using real data collected from a Romanian Highway Traffic Control Center (HTMC). The results are used in the implementation of the new smart equipment in a Romanian Border Check Point

TRANSIT TIME THROUGH THE BORDER-CROSSING POINTS: THE CASE STUDY OF THE EU'S ROAD BCP WITH MOLDAVIA

. This paper provides an overview on the ACROSSEE project (funded by the ERDF under the SEE program), its objectives, general methodology, and the main results. Moreover, the main survey results are presented as they relate to the Romanian road and rail border-crossing points (BCPs) with the Eastern neighbourly country, Moldavia. Results include the actual status of the road BCP, surveys on exiting and entering traffic flows, answers to specific questionnaires of the truck and car drivers in relation with origin-destination of the trips, average waiting time in queue and time required for procedures and controls. Discussion on the mathematical modelling is presented and a provisional simulation model is developed, using ARENA software. The early results are used in order to introduce the need for future assessment of the transit time in a road BCP, with the main purpose: the substantiation of the strategic and operational actions for improvements in trade and transport crossings of the EU borders, considering the need for more vigilant and less time-consuming checks at the outside borders of the EU