Search results for "Pedestrian"
showing 10 items of 71 documents
Reducing the noise pollution level along main roads in Sibiu, Romania by optimizing the traffic flow
2017
Noise pollution is one of the most important negative effects of road traffic, especially in cities. The current paper presents an attempt to reduce the noise level created by the road traffic along some main roads in the city of Sibiu, Romania by suggesting ways to optimize the traffic flow. The number of cars and the resulting noise levels were recorded in a key area of Sibiu. The noise levels were compared to standards and to measurements taken in areas with less traffic. Then, they were fed, together with road geometry data, into a specialized simulation software that allowed the computer-aided reproduction of the traffic flow, but also the modifying of conditions such as the road geome…
Calculation of Turbo-Roundabouts with Slip Lanes
2013
A turbo roundabout is a particular type of roundabout where all lanes are bounded by traffic signs and by non-mountable curbs installed at entering and circulating lanes. Turbo roundabouts also have a very particular shape to accomplish the splitting of traffic streams and to prevent cars weaving through. These aspects make turbo-roundabouts more appropriate than roundabouts when a higher level of safety has to be guaranteed, particularly in presence of relevant pedestrian and two-wheels traffic volumes. Only in some traffic conditions, turbo roundabouts can offer higher capacities than conventional double-lanes roundabouts, so if more capacity must be guarantee a bypass lane can be added t…
Emergent behaviors and scalability for multi-agent reinforcement learning-based pedestrian models
2017
This paper analyzes the emergent behaviors of pedestrian groups that learn through the multiagent reinforcement learning model developed in our group. Five scenarios studied in the pedestrian model literature, and with different levels of complexity, were simulated in order to analyze the robustness and the scalability of the model. Firstly, a reduced group of agents must learn by interaction with the environment in each scenario. In this phase, each agent learns its own kinematic controller, that will drive it at a simulation time. Secondly, the number of simulated agents is increased, in each scenario where agents have previously learnt, to test the appearance of emergent macroscopic beha…
An overview of safety effects on pedestrians at modern roundabouts
2011
Pedestrians are important users of the transportation system, but most guidelines have given them little importance in the geometric design of roads and intersections. In these cases it can be difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to share the road safely, particularly at intersections where vehicle-pedestrian conflicts (and the risk of vehicle–pedestrian crashes) can be a frequently recurring situation even with low pedestrian volume. In a sustainable safety vision road system planning and design must include engineering choices that help to improve the sharing of road space between vehicles and pedestrians, as well as for other vulnerable users. It is known that modern roundabouts are sa…
A GIS-Based Method for Analysing the Association Between School-Built Environment and Home-School Route Measures with Active Commuting to School in U…
2020
In the current call for a greater human health and well-being as a sustainable development goal, to encourage active commuting to and from school (ACS) seems to be a key factor. Research focusing on the analysis of the association between environmental factors and ACS in children and adolescents has reported limited and inconclusive evidence, so more knowledge is needed about it. The main aim of this study is to examine the association between different built environmental factors of both school neighbourhood and home-school route with ACS of children and adolescents belonging to urban areas. The ACS level was evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. Built environment variables (i.e.,…
Assessing risky and protective behaviors among pedestrians in the Dominican Republic: New evidence about pedestrian safety in the Caribbean
2021
Abstract Introduction Research on pedestrians’ behavior and safety in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is scarce, compared to high-income economies. This study aimed to present the validation of the Walking Behavior Questionnaire (WBQ), which has not been tested before in the Dominican Republic, and to evaluate age differences in walking-related self-reported behaviors. Methods For this study, a nationwide sample of 1026 pedestrians answered a questionnaire on risky and safe walking behaviors. Psychometric properties of the WBQ, variable correlations and age-based differences in walking were tested. Results Overall, the WBQ presented an adequate structure, goodness-of-fit indexes, an…
Why Did the ‘Flying Finns’ Walk? A Footnote to the History of Athletics Training
2012
In the twenty-first century, distance runners invariably train by running. A few generations ago, however, virtually all elite runners were dedicated walkers; they sought to improve their running prowess by vigorous walking exercises. As idiosyncratic as their training philosophy retrospectively sounds, it needs to be assessed in its original context. Of all modern sports, distance running seemed a particularly suspicious activity to contemporary observers, as suggested by evidence from Finland and other leading sporting nations. A grown-up person dashing about in skimpy clothes easily ended up being classified as a mental case. Serious athletes therefore chose walking work-outs over unabas…
How to Get a Model in Pedestrian Dynamics to Produce Stop and Go Waves
2016
Stop and go waves in granular flow can often be described mathematically by a dynamical system with a Hopf bifurcation. We show that a certain class of microscopic, ordinary differential equation-based models in crowd dynamics fulfil certain conditions of Hopf bifurcations. The class is based on the Gradient Navigation Model. An interesting phenomenon arises: the number of pedestrians in the system must be greater than nine for a bifurcation—and hence for stop and go waves to be possible at all, independent of the density. Below this number, no parameter setting will cause the system to exhibit stable stop and go behaviour. The result is also interesting for car traffic, where similar model…
Connected and Autonomous Vehicles cooperate with the pedestrian in industrial sites based on trajectory optimization and vehicle signalization system
2020
Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) is the development trend in the field of transportation systems. Recent studies show that the resources sharing between pedestrians and CAV is a big challenge. Considering traffic safety and efficiency at that sharing point not only requires a collision avoidance system but also more communicative behaviors of the CAV. More precisely, pedestrian needs to understand the intention of the incoming CAV whether it will cross first or not according to its speed profile. This paper uses the optimal trajectory control to provide CAV with a communicative behavior. A scenario where CAV and pedestrian cooperate together to cross a conflict zone is studied. A com…
Development and reliability of a streetscape observation instrument for international use: MAPS-global
2018
Background: Relationships between several built environment factors and physical activity and walking behavior are well established, but internationally-comparable built environment measures are lacking. The Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS)-Global is an observational measure of detailed streetscape features relevant to physical activity that was developed for international use. This study examined the inter-observer reliability of the instrument in five countries. Methods: MAPS-Global was developed by compiling concepts and items from eight environmental measures relevant to walking and bicycling. Inter-rater reliability data were collected in neighborhoods selected to var…