2014-9th

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://192.248.9.226/handle/123/13514

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 38

item: Conference-Full-text
Accident prediction model for highw ays with rest area by using poisson and binomial regression model
Tipakornkiat, Chalat
Currently, rest area positively impacts on road users in terms of business points and information providers; however, the important task of rest area is reducing the number of road accident cause of fatigue. In the past, truck drivers in Thailand usually parked their vehicles on roadside or shoulder, which these harmful areas could generate road accidents when parked vehicles move out from the road shoulder to the travelled way. In Thailand, road accident situation is top 10 of the world. Research objectives consist of the determination of influencing factors that affect the road accident within upstream and downstream 16 km of rest areas in Thailand and built the accident prediction models. It was found out that main variables such as serviceability of rest areas and the number of the truck users in rest areas are significantly impacted into the accident prediction model. In summary, rest area could help to reduce the number of road accidents.
item: Conference-Full-text
Applicability of ridesharing using paratransits: a case study from a university community in Sri Lanka
Jayasinghe, RMTTB; Sivakumar, T
Recent increase in number of singly hired para-transit usage in Sri Lanka favors ride shared paratransit modes. Applicability of ridesharing is studied in a selected corridor by examining the attitude of the passengers and drivers. The undergraduates of University of Moratuwa (passengers) were selected as the population and one of the access road (between Katubedda junction and university) was selected as the study area with Three-Wheel (3W) mode as common para-transit mode in Sri Lanka. Structured questionnaire was used to gather users (3W passengers) preference and drivers willingness along with road side survey on 3W movements to study the existing situation in the study area. The study focused on effects of ridesharing on three aspects while identifying barriers for ridesharing implementation; (1) demand for 3W, (2) monetary benefit for 3W operators and (3) Environment. It is found that implementing ridesharing with pool of three passengers and with fare of LKR (Sri Lankan currency- Rupees) 20 (less than ⅓ of the current fare, LKR 70) per head; (1) increases 3W ridership by 42%, (2) increases daily profit of the drivers by 13.3% compared to the existing (average vehicle occupancy=1.4) operating cost and (3) Reduces emission cost per user by 50% per passenger. Barriers to ridesharing from users are reluctant to share rides with unknown passengers (stranger-danger) and also with opposite gender while that of from operators is the fear from peer operators like other 3W drivers and bus operators. Implementing ridesharing is certainly a win-win case for both users and operators.
item: Conference-Full-text
Audiometric assessment of urban road traffic noise affected persons: a case study of Surat, India
Tandel, BN; Macwan, JEM
Among all of the sources responsible for noise pollution, traffic related sources are of great environmental concern and increasing level of discomfort in urban areas with increasing traffic concentration. It will be a larger and serious problem in the future, if effective precautions are not taken addressed and attended to. Hence, a study was undertaken to measure the levels of road traffic noise at major intersections of Surat city, located in Western India and assess the hearing impairment among the exposed group of population. Manual noise measurements and vehicle counts were performed at three of the busiest traffic intersections in the city for a period of 12 hours. Audiometric screening was done on 46 urban road traffic noise affected persons, working or staying at these intersections to determine the occurrence of hearing impairment. At all the three intersections, Leq measured was well above the permissible levels of 65 dBA for daytime. The Lmax recorded for three intersections were 84.6 dBA (07:36 PM), 87.3 dBA (06:32 PM) and 85.6 dBA (11:41 AM). Audiometric screening showed that only 10 persons (22%) had normal hearing. slight, moderate and severe hearing impairment was recorded among 13 (28%), 18 (39%) and 5 (11%) persons respectively. Of the total 46 participants, none had profound impairment (deafness, hearing loss > 81 dB). Of the remaining 36 having hearing impairment, 27 had bilateral impairment.
item: Conference-Full-text
Development of a finite element model for concrete block paving
Gunatilake, MMDV; Mampearachchi, WK
Concrete Block Paving (CBP), which is a predominant construction method used nowadays, is based on the ancient road construction technology “Stone Paving”. The use of CBP is a common sight in most of the developing countries due to its economic adaptability. Although it has emerged as a costeffective paving material, it is yet being developed as a full-fledged construction technique. The aim of this research was to develop a finite element model for CBP and evaluate the deflections in pavement with the application of loads. A three-dimensional finite element model was built to measure the elastic deflection basin with ANSYS finite element modelling software. The reason for developing a finite element model is, as the construction of concrete block pavements for experimenting is costly and challenging, a finite element model simulating the field conditions could be used to overcome these issues and perform further research. Previously developed finite element models and laboratory models were studied. The results obtained from the developed finite element model were verified with the deflection values obtained in a laboratory scaled model. Similar deflection basins could be observed for different load cases. Further studies on the finite element model could be carried out to observe the effect on the deflection of a concrete block pavement with respect to the variation of the block shape.
item: Conference-Full-text
Development of a model to predict pavement temperature for Alkufrah region in Libya
Salem, Hassan Awadat; Uzelac, Djordje; Crvenkovic, Zagorka Lozanov
Asphalt pavements form an integral part of any transportation system. The structural capacity of the hot mix asphalt concrete layers depends on many factors including its temperature. Moreover, temperature can be a major contributor to several types of distress. Therefore, temperature is a significant factor that affects the performance and life span of a pavement. The Libyan road network expanded at a phenomenal pace from approximately 10,000 km of paved roads in 1980 to more 34,000 km in 2010, Al kufrah region is located on the southern east of Libya at latitude (24°17'N) in the desert of Libya. With the recent SHRP and LTTP research findings, it was necessary to investigate the applicability of the models developed from these research studies to Al kufrah region’s environmental conditions and more generally to the rest Libya desert reigns. This paper presents the research undertaken to develop models to predict high and low asphalt pavement temperatures in Al koufa region. A pavement monitoring station was set-up at the Al kufrah airport to monitor air, pavement temperatures in different depth, wind speed and solar radiation. Data were collected for 365 days. Daily minimum and maximum temperatures were recorded. A regression analysis was used to develop the minimum and maximum pavement temperature models, using air temperature, wind speed and solar radiation. This paper presents a new model for predicting maximum and minimum surface pavement temperature based on data collected by installed pavement monitoring station set-up at the Al kufrah airport
item: Conference-Full-text
Development of walking trip rates for different land uses
Hewawasam, Chamali; Bandara, Saman; Wirasinghe, SC
This paper aims to develop walking trip rates for different land uses in an urban area. Walking trip rates are developed for six identified land use categories, namely residential, commercial, institutional, recreational, transportation and religious. In conventional modeling processes, the number of trips made by a household is modeled in terms of household size, income, and other socio demographic variables; any effect of location, land use, or transportation service level is discounted. However, trip rates must vary with accessibility and some empirical studies have found that they do. In light of conflicting empirical results, and the obvious need for more truthful and policy-sensitive travel forecasts, this issue is revisited. It was found out from the literature that while methods for finding trip rates for motor vehicles are well established, there are not many established procedures for measuring and predicting trip rates for non-motorized trips, though some researchers have found trip rates for selected land uses, for households in particular. The independent effects of land use and accessibility variables on household trip rates are tested using data from house hold travel surveys and trip diaries. To collect data on travel behavior of the dwellers, household travel surveys and trip diaries were used. After developing the household travel survey form and trip diary form, a pilot study was carried out to finalize the survey forms. By analyzing these data along with road side surveys, trip rates were identified for the selected land uses. This is a unique attempt to develop walking trip rates for different types of land uses.
item: Conference-Full-text
Driving behavior: traffic risk perception and intentions to commit driving violations in Iran
Tabibi, Zahra; Chahnoeei, Hoda Hashemi
Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death and injuries. Violation of traffic rules is one of the reasons for accident involvement. The aim of the current study was to predict aberrant driving behavior by traffic risk perception and intentions based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs. A total of 100 students participated in the study. Three questionnaires were administrated including Traffic Risk Perception Questionnaire, a TPB based Questionnaire and Driving Behavior Questionnaire. The results indicated that intention and behavioral attitude predicted aberrant driving behavior. Age, gender and traffic risk perception were non-significant. In conclusion, behavioural attitudes towards rule compliance were more important than traffic risk perception for performing aberrant driving behaviour. The implication is to increase positive attitudes towards compliance with traffic rules through educational programmes.
item: Conference-Full-text
Durability of road pavement agains t tidal inundation
Setiadji, Bagus Hario; Wardani, Sri Prabandiyani Retno; Perdana, Surya
Semarang, as one of cities located on the North Coast of Java Island, experienced tidal inundation for years. The presence of inundation has adverse effect on road infrastructure, especially on coastal arterial roads, which most of them made of mixture with conventional asphalt. To overcome this problem, it was proposed to use polymer modified asphalt (PMA) for the mixture. This study was carried out to evaluate the durability of the mixture with PMA that continuously immersed in the tidal water, to simulate the occurrence of some road infrastructure in Semarang which was inundated after tidal events. For this purpose, five immersion periods and three kinds of tidal inundation were selected. To evaluate the durability of the mixtures after immersion, two durability indices were used. The results showed that the water pressure (during immersion) could be one of the main causes of strength loss of the mixtures; however, if the water consists of certain chemical compound at sufficient amount, it could also contribute in reducing greatly the durability of the mixture.
item: Conference-Full-text
The effect of distractors on starting-delay, missed opportunities and unsafe crossings of children and adults in a simulated pedestrian crossing task
Tabibi, Zahra; Pfeffer, Karen
The aims of the research were to investigate the effect of distractors on the pedestrian skills of children and adults. The pedestrian skill of deciding when it is safe to cross a road (decision-making skill) was assessed by a computer-presented simulated pedestrian task. It was predicted that distractors would reduce the performance of all age groups, with the reduction being greater for younger children. The pedestrian skills of Grade 2, Grade 4 and Grade 6 children and adults were assessed in three conditions, without distractors, with on-screen distractors and with off-screen distractors. The results showed that off-road distractors, whether visual or auditory, increased the starting-delay of all age groups. There was no significant difference between off-road-visual and off-road-auditory distractors for any age group except for Grade 6 children. Off-road-auditory distractors increased starting-delay more than off-road-visual distractors for Grade 6 children. Furthermore, off-road and on-road distractors increased the number of missed opportunities for Grade 2 children. On-road distractors increased the number of missed opportunities of Grade 4 and Grade 6 children. The increase was greater for Grade 6 children. The number of unsafe crossings was higher in the condition without distractors. Overall, decision-making skills were vulnerable to distractors. The degree of vulnerability differed depending on age and the specific measures of pedestrian skill.
item: Conference-Full-text
Environmental benefits of warm mix asphalt technologies: experience of the city of Calgary
Wasage, Lakshan; Reyes, Mauricio; Jinadasa, KSBN; Statsna, J
Development of Sustainable pavement infrastructure development with environmentally friendly alternatives is preferred to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is identified as one of the alternative to the typical hot mix asphalt (HMA) used on pavement construction to reduce these emissions. WMA technology allows an asphalt mix to be prepared and placed at lower temperatures than conventional hot mix. This study is focused on a comparative study of three WMA mixes and a HMA control mix used in the construction of an environmentally focused subdivision in the City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The scope of the study covers aspects related to asphalt plant production, asphalt plant emissions, construction, laboratory performance, and initial road performance with different WMA technologies in comparison to HMA. Paper reports on the findings related to the asphalt plant production, asphalt plant emissions, and construction stage of the study. The advantages of using WMA technology were evidenced during the mix manufacturing and road construction stages. The WMA mixes showed reduced emissions, lower fuel consumption, reduced smoke and odors, improved safety and working environment, improved mix workability, extended compaction time, more uniform compaction, and reduced thermal segregation. The laboratory evaluation showed that the WMA mixes behaved similar or superior to the HMA mixes. WMA mixes had similar rutting and fatigue resistance, better low temperature behavior, higher laboratory workability, and similar stripping susceptibility, than the conventional HMA mixes. However WMA mixes showed slightly lower mix stiffness at high temperature compared to HMA mixes.
item: Conference-Full-text
Evaluation of environmental sustainability of pavement preservation strategies using analytic hierarchy process
Farhan, Javed; Fwa, Tien. F
Pavement management involves satisfying goals that are often multiple and conflicting such as minimizing environmental, societal, economic impacts, and maximizing safety, level of service, condition etc., and cannot be achieved simultaneously. Decision makers are required to select a single maintenance strategy which closely meets their objectives and selection criteria. The set of criteria may involve economic as well as environmental aspects, some of which may not be easily quantifiable, thus requiring the use of qualitative judgments. Ranking approaches assign priorities to either distresses or maintenance treatments, and arrive at a maintenance program based on a selected set of criteria or preferences. A commonly used technique, in operations research, for prioritization of alternatives is known as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Its ability to embrace both quantitative and qualitative data through assignment of numerical values to qualitative data, and the significance of its role as a decision making tool for building a targeted model makes this the preferred method for prioritization. Therefore, this study explores the use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for prioritization of pavement rehabilitation treatments involving multiple criteria such as treatment cost, serviceability, and environmental implications. A Hypothetical numerical example is presented to illustrate the proposed framework for prioritizing 5 pavement rehabilitation techniques, namely, cold in-place (CIR), hot in-place (HIR) surfacing, hot in-place repaving, hot in-place remixing, and hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay.
item: Conference-Full-text
The evolution of criteria for identifying black spots and recommendations for developing countries
Nguyen, Huy Huu; Taneerananon, Pichai; Koren, Csaba; Luathep, Paramet
The general purpose of black spot identification is to identify high accident frequency locations on a road network to improve road safety. The next task is to sift through these locations to select the particular locations based on whose analysis the safety treatment is established. Thus, black spot treatment is a two-stage process: identification and safety analysis, with the former producing the enriched data for the detailed analysis done in the latter. Such analysis is to determine the true black spots, the safety aspects to improve, the cost of treatment, and the extent of the efficiency. Accordingly, the object of identification stage is to select sites that have a good chance of being in need of remedial action and also capable of being cost-effectively improved. This paper reviews the evolution of criteria for black spot identification in terms of scope and aspects. On the basis of this review, a number of suggestions are made for the cases of developing countries in terms of black spot identification aspects.
item: Conference-Full-text
Factors affecting road accidents in urban areas: a case study of Nakhon Si Thammarat municipality
Yaifa, Trakulsanti; Piti, Chantruthai; Orawan, Raya; Pichai, Taneerananon
This paper describes a method for identity hazardous road location in Nakhon Si Thammarat municipality and the findings regarding the causes of the traffic accidents. The ranking of study locations were selected by using the criteria of number of critical accidents and severity index. The 3 study locations comprise Black Spot no.1 (BS-1): Robinson department store, Black spot no.2 (BS-2): Nakhon Si Thammarat Technical College and Black spot no.3 (BS-3): Thama-market intersection. Results of analysis using the Binary Logistic Regression model show that for BS-1, independent factors that are expected to influence the traffic accidents include gender, number of household motorcycles and driving with excessive speed. For BS-2, the independent variables that are expected to influence the incidence of traffic accidents include age, number of cars in a household and lack of traffic control devices. For BS-3, the independent variables are male and the age of the respondents. Recommendations are suggested to deal with the factors that influence the occurrence of the traffic accidents.
item: Conference-Full-text
Factors associated with rural run-off-road and urban run-off road crashes: a study in the United States
Amarasingha, Niranga; Dissanayake, Sunanda
Run-Off-Road (ROR) crash occurs when a vehicle leave the lane resulting in a collision. ROR crashes in recent years have become a major cause of serious injuries and fatalities. Data from Kansas Crash and Analysis Reporting System (KCARS) database during the period 2007 to 2011 were used in this study to examine the ROR crashes. Identification of various characteristics such as environment, roadway, driver, and vehicle as well as factors contributing to rural ROR and urban ROR crashes is important because potential countermeasures can be developed to improve roadside safety. It was found that avoidance/evasive or slow; ill, falling asleep or fatigued; or animal at the road is more common on rural roadways than urban roadways.
item: Conference-Full-text
Failure analysis of a semi structural pavement using a mechanistic tool – case study for a provincial road
Jayarathna, KARN; Mampearachchi, WK
Pavement design is a vital part in new road construction and in rehabilitation projects. Conventional flexible pavements are layered systems with high stress intensity on top and low intensity at the bottom. AASHTO method is widely used by most of the road agencies to design pavements while the Transport Research Laboratory (U.K) Road Note 31 (TRL RN-31) specifies for the tropical countries. Both these design guidelines are based on empirical formula or experimental studies conducted in extreme weather condition. Road Note 31 specifies the layer thicknesses of specific materials. It does not specify a method to adopt the materials that does not fit the specifications, which is the commonly encountered problem due to the varying site condition and availability of materials. Empirical design methods do not have any provision for analysing road failures and propose most suitable rehabilitation method. Therefore this research focused on evaluating the suitability of a mechanistic empirical pavement design tool to investigate a pavement failure. In this study, failure of a Sri Lankan rural road which is failed immediately after completing the construction was selected for the analysis. This road was designed according to the Overseas Road Note 31(ORN 31) as a Double Bitumen Surface Treatment (DBST) road and it has shown longitudinal cracking on the surface followed by the depression and the settlement, approximately after six months from the completion. Heavy axle load applied on the pavement due to transporting of construction materials to a new project has increased the propagation of cracks and potholes. Soil samples collected from the critically damaged locations were tested and the results showed that the inadequate strength of the pavement structure as the cause to the failure. Failure investigations were done using a mechanistic tool called CIRCLY and reliable reclamation method was proposed.
item: Conference-Full-text
Field implementation of warm mix asphalt using different binders
Chong, Yoong Chin; Nyunt, Than Than; Hwee, Low Boon Hwee; Vincent, Guwe
The objective of this paper is to present the results and observations obtained from the laboratory tests and field implementations of warm mix asphalt (WMA) formulated using different binders. Laboratory tests were performed using the WMA mixes and the conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA) as a reference prior to implementation at the sites. The WMA mixes were laid at 2 different locations (i.e. along a major road and in a road tunnel) in Singapore. The performance of the WMA mixes was assessed by conducting temperature measurements during laying operations and monitored through visual inspections and by measuring riding quality of the road in terms of International Roughness Index. From the laboratory results, it was observed that the WMA mixes provided similar results as compared with the conventional HMA. From the field implementations, it was noted that the WMA mixes produced similar workability as compared to HMA. In addition, it was observed that WMA can be compacted at the lower temperature of approximately 110 ˚C.
item: Conference-Full-text
Gender and households’ vehicle ownership and usage behavior in a developing city
Weningtyas, Widyarini; Wibowo, Sony Sulaksono
In Indonesia, motorcycle ownership has grown significantly compared to private car ownership. Nowadays, using motorcycles is no longer a special privilege for men. Progressively women have started owning/riding motorcycles because of their involvement in the labor market, causing a certain level of travel needs. Although motorcycle is a promising mobility tool to fulfill their needs for travel, it is also known that women are more likely to face with driving difficulties that potentially cause accidents, while public transport and paratransit may be less safe. Accordingly, there is a possibility that women just use motorcycle because there are no alternatives that meet their needs for safety travel. However, little has been done with respect to women issues in transportation in developing countries. To fill in this gap, this study attempts to first clarify the influence of gender on households’ decisions about vehicle ownership and usage, and then to examine the gender differences in the usage of motorcycle for their daily lives. In this study, a questionnaire survey data collected in JABODETABEK area of Indonesia in January 2010 is used. In the survey, respondents were asked to answer their household vehicle ownership and usage, satisfaction level towards paratransit, household income, residential attributes, and individual attributes. We first apply an aggregate analysis to explore the gender differences in motorcycle ownership and usage. Then, we develop an ordered probit model to capture the impa cts of satisfaction level towards paratransit on motorcycle usage with taking into account gender differences as well as trip purpose differences. We hypothesize that women who don’t satisfy with the safety of paratransit tend to use motorcycle. The empirical results partly support our hypothesis: the lower satisfaction for Ojek security has a negative impact on their motorcycle usage, when participating in shopping activities. Such information could be useful for supporting women’s mobility in developing cities by properly controlling the ever-increasing motorcycle ownership.
item: Conference-Full-text
Guidelines for road diet conversions
Stamatiadis, Nikiforos; Kirk, Adam
Road diets, which convert four-lane highways to three-lane cross sections, are an innovative solution to address mobility and safety concerns under budgetary constraints. These improvements can assist in the development of multimodal corridors with minimal impact on automobile mobility, while retaining the original right of way. Past research has focused on evaluating road diet safety, but minimal guidance exists on determining when such conversions are appropriate from an operational perspective. The proposed guidelines focused on evaluating and comparing the operation of three- and four-lane roads at signalized intersections to provide basic guidance as to when the road diet conversion is appropriate. One of the important findings of this research is the expansion of the usable range for road diets. Prior experience has limited road diet application to roadways with ADTs less than 17,000 vehicles per day. This research identifies the importance of side street volumes and supports the utilization of road diets on roadways with volumes up to 23,000 vehicles per day. This paper provides comprehensive guidance for road diet evaluation including operational performance, correctable safety problems and identifies a list of evaluation elements that should be examined when in-depth analysis of alternatives is required.
item: Conference-Full-text
Guidelines for the implementation of bicycle lanes on Sri Lankan highways
Salawavidana, SAST; Liyanaarchchi, LATU; Senarathna, RMSK; Mampearachchi, WK; Bandara, JMSJ
Bicycle lanes have become an integral part of the highway networks of many countries including Sri Lanka. They are encouraged as a pollution free, economic and healthy mode of transport throughout the world. So it is high time that a proper guideline for the same is introduced taking into account the local conditions of this country. Bicycle lanes are so far introduced to the road projects of Sri Lanka on ad hoc basis without consideration of the proper guidelines such as continuation of bicycle lanes on the road network, intersection treatment, avoidance of abrupt termination etc. Sri Lanka being a developing country with more or less a feudal framework of thinking, there is a social stigma towards the bicycling as a poor man’s vehicle. In such a context, how should a design engineer in cooperate this green technology into our local highway projects so the common man can be immensely benefitted and our cities will be left with some fresh air to breath in the coming days of the future? This research was aimed at addressing these issues and finally coming up with a proper guideline to implement bicycle lanes in the future road projects carried out by Road Development Authority.
item: Conference-Full-text
An improved mixture of gaussian model fo r real time vehicle detection
Wong, Boon Kit; Ng, Oon Ee; Khoo, Hooi Ling
This paper proposes a novel method to segment video sequences which undergoes gradual changes into foreground and background layers. The background layer contains all objects which have been stationary since the beginning of the video sequence. The foreground layer contains objects which have entered into or move within the video scene and these objects can be moving or stationary. An improved and adaptive Mixture of Gaussian (MoG) model with a feedback mechanism algorithm has been formulated. The MoG model will classify every pixel in the image as belonging either the foreground or the background layer. Every object in the foreground layer will be tracked and updated in the MoG via the feedback mechanism. This feedback avoids stationary foreground objects being updated into the MoG and thus affecting the approximation done by the MoG. This algorithm has been implemented into an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to detect vehicles on the road in an outdoor environment. A promising result is obtained in extracting vehicles on the road.

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