Metodi e modelli di pianificazione e progettazione eliportuale per servizi di trasporto civile

L'accessibilità al trasporto pubblico locale: il caso studio dell'area Roccella in Palermo

A DEA-based transport heliports' efficiencies evaluation

Purpose - The purpose of the study is the evaluation of the efficiencies of a group of small Italian airports and the comparison with a set of transport heliports to show the difference in the productivity of the two types of infrastructures. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology used for the evaluation is the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Findings - The better performance of the heliports compared to the small inefficient airports. Research limitations/implications - This research is limited by the field of application and the weaknesses of the DEA methodology. However, it could be the first step for further works that will include more accurate models. Practical implications - …

GNSS/WEB-GIS heliport planning in a regional area for VTOL transport services

The role of the helicopter in airport planning and air traffic analysis is fundamental with re-gard to both the qualitative and quantitative increasing of the demand and the technical en-hancement of the aircrafts. This leads to infrastructural and organizational issues. Such a need finds a plausible solution in the implementation of a helicopter service and the creation of a heliport network linked to the airport, road and rail systems. Part of the issue of airport planning and design is the study of helicopters’ utilization for purposes other than commer-cial such as aerial work and civil protection. The helicopter is indeed essential in all those uses based on the capabilities that it ha…

Indicators for sustainable pedestrian mobility

Pedestrians walk everyday to satisfy their basic necessities. They need an environment that reflects their requirements and expectations, in other words "liveable" as much as possible. So we should offer tools that could allow a complete and clear evaluation of the existing walking environment, taking into account both pedestrian requirements and urban environment schemes. To measure pedestrian mobility performance we usually use indicators, which measure performances and grant a quick estimation of progress. Indicators are universally acknowledged synthetic and standard parameters that should help policy makers gauge whether things are going in the right direction or not. They should be ou…

A comparative analysis between helicopter and seaplane for passenger transport.

Purpose This study aims to develop a methodology to compare the feasibility of helicopter and seaplane regular transport of passengers towards destinations across a remote regional tourist context, where a lack of road and rail infrastructure make these alternative forms of air transport competitive. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a modal split model identifying the quota of passengers that potentially could utilize these two types of services, determined on the basis of previous studies on air transport demand. A technical analysis regarding transport supply is performed to identify the predominant features that should characterize helicopter/seaplane performances. An optimiza…

MODELLING THE ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC LOCAL TRANSPORT FOR INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SERVICE. THE CASE STUDY OF ROCCELLA AREA IN PALERMO

This paper suggests a methodology to assess, through quantitative indicators, the public transport based accessibility inside an urban area. Such indicators derive from two functions, one called “activity function”, allowing for the presence of generators and attractors of mobility and another termed the “impedance function”, measuring the generalized cost of public transport journeys. The proposed method was tested and applied to a zone on the outskirts of Palermo (capital of the Sicilian Region), to evaluate the effects of a new tram line, which is under construction and will be activated by the end of 2012. The study shows that such a line is not sufficient to enhance significantly the a…

A Data Envelopment Analysis methodology for the efficiency’s evaluation of a group of transport heliports offering scheduled flights

Heliports are relatively small infrastructures able to serve medium volumes of regional traffic in poor accessible areas or in zones just located to the next proximity, or in some cases inside, urban areas. The spaces required for the movement of heli-copters on the airsides of these infrastructures are far smaller than those required for airplanes. This characteristics derives from the great flexibility of the VTOL in mov-ing in tight spaces. On the other hand, the need for land saving especially in those filled areas within the major cities requires infrastructures large no more than a block. The use of the helicopter as a mean of transport to serve the traffic between cities and airports…

Regional passenger transport. A comparison analysis between helicopter and seaplane

Heliports and seaplane bases are relatively small infrastructures able to serve medium or low volumes of regional traffic in poor accessible areas or in zones just located to the next proximity of the urban areas. The spatial extension of the airside is directly connected with the costs of the infrastructure and it is primarily determinate by the type of aircraft that uses the infrastructure and secondarily by the design expected traffic. The helicopter infrastructure is far smaller than that required for airplanes and seaplanes, since the first doesn’t suffers the lateral wind on the approach and landing direction. On the other hand, the rotorcraft suffers operative costs largely high than…

Future trends for the civil rotorcraft

In response to public needs about the use of air transport to connect high congested or remote areas where airports are not present, rotorcraft (or seaplanes), represents the only available alternative. Today the helicopter industry focuses its tasks in the maximization of profit, building multirole aircrafts that can be adapted to all types of use: from the military to the civilian one, from HEMS and SAR to the Off Shore one. On the other hand the rotorcraft enterprises are small companies, often characterized by a limited budget and weak demand services. Often, analyzing rotorcraft civil transportation, companies are forced to perform on-demand services, as the operating costs of the airc…

Cost analysis for a future helicopter for passenger transport

Purpose - This paper aims to identify the parameters that influence the cost competitiveness of helicopter services for scheduled passenger transport on a regional area. Design/methodology/approach - The approach used is based on an analysis of demand and on a bi-level model (modal split model - service supply optimization model) optimization. Performance optimization in the supply of helicopter transport services is obtained by a sensitivity analysis on the recognized cost factors. Findings - The identification of the variation margins in the cost factors that might make an helicopter competitive for scheduled passenger services. Research limitations/implications - The inability to conside…

Strategie d'intervento per favorire l'accessibilità degli utenti deboli al sistema di TPL: il caso della città di Palermo.

The quality of life in urban areas: mobility and social exclusion.

The social exclusion is described as the process that progressively marginalizes individuals, groups and communities from the labor market and from the access to basic services for health, education and transport. The ability to access to (in a spatial sense of the term) the job, the education, the health services and other services is a key factor of social inclusion. Accessibility is important, not only because facilitates the achievement of a regular job, stable and profitable, but also because it is part of the social capital, the latter ensures the social relationships that form a safety margin of the poor people. Accessibility is increasingly recognized as a key element of a sustainab…

Helicopter operations: the environmental impact and ground facilities. Procedures and operational standards for the system’s acceptance.

The link between the heliports, environmental quality and safety is an important challenge in the field of helicopter transport. This challenge is especially crucial when the helicopter operations are carried out on densely urbanized areas. Often these areas have significant constraints and obstacles, particularly in terms of noise pollution. These constraints make the approach/takeoff maneuvers very complicated. The theme of the environmental sustainability of the rotorcraft is strongly felt in many countries. The production of noise is subjected to numerous rules and procedures, which tend to improve the acceptability of the helicopter by residents in neighboring areas to verti/heliports.…

Mobilità ciclistica nella città di Palermo: analisi delle criticità e dei fattori che influenzano la sicurezza dei ciclisti sui principali assi urbani

The analysis of urban travellers’ latent preferences to explain their mode choice behaviour

Our research aims to explore the impact of latent variables, mirroring urban travellers’ attitudes and perceptions, on the individual decision making process regarding the mode of transport. The paper describes the first results of an ongoing research activity, which derive from a pilot study conducted in Palermo, the capital of the Sicilian Region (in the south of Italy), and demonstrate that policy makers, in designing a socially desirable and environmentally sustainable urban mobility system, should take into account how travellers perceive the qualitative dimensions of transport.

Localizzazione ottimale degli stalli per il parcheggio delle biciclette: il caso studio della città di Palermo - Optimal location for bike parking lots: the case study of the old town in Palermo

The lack of parking spaces for bicycles is one of the main issues that many cities face. A proper planning of a bike station network is necessary in order to optimize the whole urban system and the transport supply. In this work a step-by-step analysis is proposed to find the best location for the bicycle lots in the old town of Palermo. The optimization method includes the use of both a Set Covering Model and a Maximum Coverage Location Problem. The dataset for the simulations was collected by direct and indirect surveys on the population and implemented into Open source GIS software. In particular, data on the destinations, times and distances covered by the bicycles’ users were included.…