Chen, Peng; Shen, Qing; Childress, Suzanne. (2018). A GPS Data-based Analysis of Built Environment Influences on Bicyclist Route Preferences. International Journal Of Sustainable Transportation, 12(3), 218 – 231.
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Abstract
This study examines the effects of built environment features, including factors of land use and road network, on bicyclists' route preferences using the data from the city of Seattle. The bicycle routes are identified using a GPS dataset collected from a smartphone application named CycleTracks. The route choice set is generated using the labeling route approach, and the cost functions of route alternatives are based on principal component analyses. Then, two mixed logit models, focusing on random parameters and alternative-specific coefficients, respectively, are estimated to examine bicyclists' route choice. The major findings of this study are as follows: (1) the bicycle route choice involves the joint consideration of convenience, safety, and leisure; (2) most bicyclists prefer to cycle on shorter, flat, and well-planned bicycle facilities with slow road traffic; (3) some bicyclists prefer routes surrounded by mixed land use; (4) some bicyclists favor routes which are planted with street trees or installed with street lights; and (5) some bicyclists prefer routes along with city features. This analysis provides valuable insights into how well-planned land use and road network can facilitate efficient, safe, and enjoyable bicycling.
Keywords
Cyclists; Mobile Apps; Multiple Correspondence Analysis (statistics); Traffic Engineering; Cycling; Bicycle Route Choice; Built Environment; Labeling Routes; Mixed Logit Model; Principal Component Analysis; Smartphone GPS Data; Choice Sets; Safe Routes; Walking; Models; Health; Infrastructure; Facilities; California; Networks
Muni, Kennedy; Kobusingye, Olive; Mock, Charlie; Hughes, James P.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Guthrie, Brandon. (2019). Motorcycle Taxi Programme is Associated with Reduced Risk of Road Traffic Crash among Motorcycle Taxi Drivers in Kampala, Uganda. International Journal Of Injury Control & Safety Promotion, 26(3), 294 – 301.
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Abstract
SafeBoda is a transportation company that provides road safety training and helmets to its motorcycle taxi drivers in Kampala. We sought to determine whether risk of road traffic crash (RTC) was lower in SafeBoda compared to regular (non-SafeBoda) motorcycle taxi drivers during a 6-month follow-up period. We collected participant demographic and behavioural data at baseline using computer-assisted personal interview, and occurrence of RTC every 2 months using text messaging and telephone interview from a cohort of 342 drivers. There were 85 crashes (31 in SafeBoda and 54 in regular drivers) during follow-up. Over the 6-month follow-up period, SafeBoda drivers were 39% less likely to be involved in a RTC than regular drivers after adjusting for age, possession of a driver's license, and education (RR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.97, p = .04). These findings suggest that the SafeBoda programme results in safer driving and fewer RTCs among motorcycle taxi drivers in Kampala.
Keywords
Motorcyclists; Motorcycle Helmets; Text Messages; Telephone Interviewing; Motorcycles; Kampala (uganda); Uganda; Boda-boda; Crash; Injury; Road Safety; Injuries; Burden; Riders; Kenya; Traffic Accidents; Transportation; Risk Management; Crashes; Demographics; Transportation Safety; Short Message Service; Traffic; Traffic Accidents & Safety; Roads; Risk Reduction; Taxicabs; Protective Equipment; Drivers Licenses; Kampala Uganda
Aziz, Ahmed M. Abdel. (2021). The Practice of Roadway Safety Management in Public-Private Partnerships. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 147(12).
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Abstract
As a matter of course, the private party in public-private partnerships (PPPs) assumes the responsibility for roadway safety management (RSM). However, because most PPPs are performance-based, public highway agencies must articulate the specifications and methods they develop to enforce RSM practices. Despite the increased interest in PPPs in recent decades, little has been published on developing and propagating the RSM practices used with this delivery system. To fill this research gap and explore RSM practices in PPPs, this work took a synthesis research approach, using content analysis to critically review and analyze 16 PPP agreements in seven states and provinces leading in PPP contracting in North America. The study discovered several methods and organized them under five mechanisms: Mechanism 1, integrating roadway safety into project performance specifications and initiating new tools such as safety compliance orders; Mechanism 2, imposing nonconformance monetary deductions based on point and classification systems; Mechanism 3, regulating safety payments on the basis of crash statistics; Mechanism 4, promoting safety initiative programs; and Mechanism 5, enforcing administrative countermeasures such as work suspension and default/termination triggers for persistent developer noncompliance. Mechanisms 1 and 5 were the default mechanisms in all toll- and availability-based projects, whereas Mechanism 2 was common in availability-only projects. The research reviewed the RSM packages in the PPP agreements, elucidating the particulars of the RSM mechanisms, highlighting RSM design considerations, presenting implementation guidelines, and articulating research needs. The research results were validated against PPP highways in five other states and provinces. This synthesis research provides highway agencies with an extensive practice review to support RSM package design for future PPP projects.
Keywords
Qualitative Research; Incentives; Public-private Partnerships (ppps); Performance Specifications; Roadway Safety; Payment Mechanisms; Availability Payment; Highways
Zou, Tianqi; Aemmer, Zack; Mackenzie, Don; Laberteaux, Ken. (2022). A Framework for Estimating Commute Accessibility and Adoption of Ridehailing Services Under Functional Improvements from Vehicle Automation. Journal Of Transport Geography, 102.
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Abstract
This paper develops an analytical framework to estimate commute accessibility and adoption of various ridehailing service concepts across the US by synthesizing individual commute trips using national Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) data. Focusing on potential improvements in cost and time that could be enabled by vehicle automation, we use this modeling framework to simulate a lower-price autonomous service (e.g., 50% or 75% lower) with variable wait times and implementation levels (solo, pooled, and first/last mile transit connections services, alone or in combination) to determine how they might affect adoption rates. These results are compared across metrics of accessibility and trip density, as well as socioeconomic factors such as household income. We find - unsurprisingly - that major cities (e.g. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) support the highest adoption rates for ridehailing services. Decreases in price tend to increase market share and accessibility. The effect of a decrease in price is more drastic for lower income groups. The proposed method for synthesizing trips using the LODES contributes to current travel demand forecasting methods and the proposed analytic framework can be flexibly implemented with any other mode choice model, extended to non-commute trips, or applied to different levels of geographic aggregation.
Keywords
Choice Of Transportation; Demand Forecasting; Poor People; Adoption; Price Cutting; Metropolis; Employment Statistics; Los Angeles (calif.); New York (state); Chicago (ill.); Accessibility; Autonomous Vehicles; New Mobility Services; Ridehailing; Travel Demand; Preferences
This year, the Washington State Legislature allocated $4 million to continue work on a Cascadia Corridor high-speed rail and another $150 million to use as matching funds over the next six years to leverage federal funds available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Now that there is a significant funding commitment, how can an effort in Cascadia take the lessons learned and build on the success of others? That’s what a new Mobility Innovation Center project will examine, led…
Though Transit Equity Day is just one day, the issue of equity on Seattle’s public transit is an ongoing and important conversation to Seattle and King County residents. Neighborhoods across the county have unequal access to transit lines; bus stops are often located in inconvenient or dangerous places due to oncoming traffic and lack of sidewalks; and bus schedules are irregular or sparse, with long wait times. These are just a few of the challenges folks might experience before getting…
My current Ph.D. research is investigating the history of transportation in the U.S. national parks. My research will explore from a historical and ecological perspective how to protect and preserve the park’s natural resources, while accommodating the public’s ability to visit the parks without causing irreparable harm. I believe a new strategy is required to address the critical transportation issues in these parks. I would like to formulate, develop, and evaluate a strategic model that explores alternatives to traditional modes of transport within national parks. There are three basic components of my research: conflict resolution, environmental ethics, and the ecological effects of roads (road ecology).
The main impetus for my decision to apply to the PhD program in the Built Environment, at the University of Washington is the opportunity to work in a program that offers me a unique opportunity to investigate the complicated problem of human-environment relationships. This will allow me to realize my belief that environments can be manipulated and planned to enhance the quality of people’s lives. I believe that significant impacts on the development of sustainable responses to environmental challenges can best be achieved through education and research.
A team led by the University of Washington has received a nearly $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to further research into how urban societal systems can be organized to be both efficient and resilient. The Leading Engineering for America’s Prosperity, Health and Infrastructure (LEAP-HI) project, based in the UW College of Engineering, supports fundamental research to generate the knowledge, mechanisms and tools needed to design an adaptable society. That is one, researchers say, that can switch between different operating strategies depending…
The Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans) announced in January 2021 the project proposals selected for funding. Qing Shen, Professor of Urban Design and Planning and Chair of the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning is among those selected for project funding. Shen is working alongside Co-Principal Investigator Catherine (Casey) Gifford–Innovative Mobility Senior Planner–on the applied research project titled “Supplementing fixed-route transit with dynamic shared mobility services: a marginal cost comparison approach”. The project goal is to address a…
Sensol Systems, a startup founded in 2020 by Janie Bube–a recent UW Masters of Landscape Architecture graduate–along with other students at University of Washington, was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) award to participate in the I-Corps program. This NSF program uses experiential education to help researchers gain valuable insight into entrepreneurship, starting a business or industry requirements and challenges. The curriculum integrates scientific inquiry and industrial discovery in an inclusive, data-driven culture driven by rigor, relevance, and evidence….