To explore efficient strategies of adjusting travel mode structure and support scientific implements of public transit system, this paper investigated travelers’ mode choice behavior in a multimodal network incorporating inertia in utility specifications. Comprehensive stated preference surveys considering four modes and four key decisive variables were designed, and face-to-face investigations were conducted to collect reliable data in Shanghai. The discrete choice technique considering mode-specific inertias was employed for modeling. The influencing factors of car stickiness were particularly explored. The results show that there are significant and mode-specific inertias in travelers’ choices of travel mode. The inertia of car users shifting to other modes is considerably large compared to inertias of public transit users. Travel time reliability and crowdedness in public transit are identified to be crucial factors influencing car users’ willingness to use public transit. Demographic attributes (age, income, education level and gender), spatial context features (commuting duration) and the regime of flexible work time are found to be significant influential variables of car stickiness. Moreover, direct and cross elasticity analyses were executed to show practical implications of shifting car users to public transit. The results provide serviceable support for transport planning and strategy making.

Environmental sustainability of the transport sector is a highly important issue today. The European Commission has made a goal of delivering a minimum 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 2050. Part of this reduction will come from the railway sector by making the maintenance processes more environmentally friendly. This paper presents the results of the environmental assessment of the self-propelled bulk carriage (SPBC), an innovative new product aiming to decrease the environmental impact of the railway maintenance processes. The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used in the study, and environmental impact is given in five impact categories based on the CML 2001 method through three main modules of the self-propelled bulk carriage life cycle: upstream, core, and downstream. The novelty of the research includes the fact that this is the first life cycle assessment study done for the bulk carriage, as well in that the authors have proposed the use of a new functional unit in the category of freight railway vehicles. The biggest environmental impact of the self-propelled bulk carriage across all five categories is in the use and maintenance phase of its life cycle and mainly due to diesel fuel use. The SPBC uses significantly less fuel than a conventional diesel locomotive.

The macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) is a graphical method used to characterize the traffic state in a road network and to monitor and evaluate the effect of traffic management. For the determination of an MFD, both traffic volumes and traffic densities are needed. This study introduces a methodology to determine an MFD using combined data from probe vehicles and loop detector counts. The probe vehicles in this study were taxis with GPS. The ratio of taxis in the total traffic was determined and used to convert taxi density to the density of all vehicles. This ratio changes over the day and between different links. We found evidence that the MFD was rather similar for days in the same year based on real data collected in Changsha, China. The difference between MFDs made of data from 2013 and 2015 reveals that the modification of traffic control can influence the MFD significantly. A macroscopic fundamental diagram could also be drawn for an area with incomplete data gained from a sample of loop detectors. An MFD based on incomplete data can also be used to monitor the emergence and disappearance of congestion, just as an MFD based on complete traffic data.

In populated cities with high traffic congestion, traffic information may play a key role in choosing the fastest route between origins and destinations, thus saving travel time. Several research studies investigated the effect of traffic information on travel time. However, little attention has been given to the effect of traffic information on travel time according to trip distance. This paper aims to investigate the relation between real-time traffic information dissemination and travel time reduction for medium-distance trips. To examine this relation, a methodology is applied to compare travel times of two types of vehicle, with and without traffic information, travelling between an origin and a destination employing probe vehicles. A real case study in the metropolitan city of Tehran, the capital of Iran, is applied to test the methodology. There is no significant statistical evidence to prove that traffic information would have a significant impact on travel time reduction in a medium-distance trip according to the case study.

The aim of this paper is to improve the process of physical distribution of consumer goods in the Western Balkans region through defining and analyzing key indicators of physical distribution. Theoretical research identified the most important indicators that affect physical distribution, such as: transport costs, quality of delivery, condition of vehicles, customer relations, and institutional/regulatory factors. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 166 respondents in the distribution centers and transport companies and 146 end customers. Multiple regression analysis defined the individual contribution of each of these indicators to the process of physical distribution of goods. A comparison of results between the Western Balkan countries that are EU member states and those that are non-EU countries showed statistically significant differences in the impact of these indicators. Based on the obtained results, a model of physical distribution of consumer goods was presented. The results show to managements of distribution centers and transport companies which indicators should be developed to ensure timely and complete delivery of goods according to the 7P concept and thereby create a base of satisfied and loyal end users of transport services. Recommendations for future research are provided in the paper.

With urban rail transit noise becoming an increasingly serious issue, accurate and quick analysis of the low to medium frequency spectral characteristics of this noise has become important. Based on the FE-SEA (Finite Element - Statistical Energy Analysis) hybrid method, a vibration prediction model of a U-beam was established using a frequency-dividing strategy. The frequency domain and spatial characteristics of the vibration and structural noise of the U-beam within the 1.25-500 Hz frequency range, when subjected to vertical wheel-rail interaction forces, were analyzed. Compared with other methods described in the literature, the proposed FE-SEA hybrid method improves the calculation efficiency while ensuring better accuracy for a wide frequency range of structural noise and vibration. It was found that the excitation frequencies of the wheel-rail force dominate the spectra of the vibration and structural noise of the U-beam. Therefore, the frequency band containing the excitation frequencies should be the target for noise and vibration reduction when implementing strategies. The results show that the bottom plate contributes the most to the sound pressure level at all prediction points, and therefore should be the focus for noise and vibration reduction.

This manuscript analyzes two methods for Global Navigation Satellite System positioning error determination for positioning performance assessment by calculation of the distance between the observed and the true positions: one using the Cartesian 3D rectangular coordinate system, and the other using the spherical coordinate system, the Cartesian reference frame distance method, and haversine formula for distance calculation. The study shows unresolved issues in the utilization of position estimates in geographical reference frame for GNSS positioning performance assessment. Those lead to a recommendation for GNSS positioning performance assessment based on original WGS84-based GNSS position estimates taken from recently introduced data access from GNSS software-defined radio (SDR) receivers.

Agencies that have large-scale traffic signal systems under their purview often have to face asset upgrade decisions. As one of the most advanced traffic control technologies, Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS) are among the options that must be taken into consideration. Having in mind the complexity of benefits and costs stemming from ATCS investments, there is a need for information-rich performance measures (PM) used in the evaluation and decision-making. However, individual PMs are often not suitable for evaluating the multidimensionality of ATCS operations, due the inherent variability of ATCS control parameters. To expand the range of PMs used in ATCS evaluation, this research develops a new PM, i.e., average arrivals on green ratio, and proposes a refinement of average delay PM to account for queue formation. The paper also presents an application framework for a multi-criteria analysis, assuming a combination of the proposed and existing PMs. In addition to presenting the analytical PM formulation, the evaluation methodology uses microsimulation for a case study comparison between actuated-coordinated and ATCS operations. The results include a comparison between previous and proposed PMs, based on the processed simulation data as well as field data. In conclusion, the proposed PMs have a high transferability potential, low data collection cost, and high data quality, thus being suitable for use in decision processes for signal asset investment. Finally, this research opens up further opportunities for advancing decision-support methods for traffic operations asset management.

Having come into effect, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments of 2004 requires ships to process their ballast water in accordance with specific standards. Different processing methods require different use of ship power, thus affecting fuel oil consumption, ships’ energy efficiency, and the ship economics in general. This paper presents the analysis and comparison of the economic viability of systems using two dominant ballast water treatment methods on merchant ships. The cost effectiveness of these methods, UV irradiation and electrochlorination, is compared to the standard efficiency of ballast water exchange using sequential flow method as a reference. The process efficiency is measured through fuel oil consumption on board. Taking into account possible variations in efficiency due to different designs and environmental constraints and assumptions, the findings are in favor of the electrochlorination method.

In this paper, the term “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) was first observed based on the existing pyramid, which defines CSR as a set of economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic activities. Then the dimensioning of the model of corporate responsibility in postal system was performed, where seven categories of the CSR model were defined. Only one category (out of seven) represents a set of all four activities defined by the existing pyramid. Based on this, a new model of CSR in the postal system was developed, that is seen through the development of three dimensions of the postal network: physical (PH), electronic (E), and financial (F). The main objective of the paper is to define a CSR model that will ensure the economic, social, and environmental development of the postal market by synergistic operation of all three dimensions of the postal network. An analysis of the existing state of the postal services market was carried out, and then the level of the future development of the postal network was determined. Through evaluation or systematic and objective assessment of the CSR model based on the determined parameters, measurability of the CSR model is assured. This paper deals with the case of the public postal operator (PPO) in the Republic of Serbia (RS).