Monash University, Institute of Transport Studies: World Transit Research (WTR)
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Shared use of dedicated lanes by connected and automated buses and private vehicles: A multi-green-wave signal control scheme
No full textIn the initial phase of implementing connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology, the coexistence of human-driven vehicles (HVs) and CAVs is anticipated for the foreseeable future. While dedicated CAV lane is recognized as an effective solution to enhance traffic safety and efficiency in mixed traffic scenarios, it faces the challenges of road resource wastage, especially at low CAV penetration rates. Therefore, this study proposes a novel concept of a shared CAV lane for both connected and automated buses (CABs) and private CAVs, and develops a multi-green-wave control method for arterials to achieve space–time coordination in heterogeneous traffic. The two-dimensional traffic coordination aims to concurrently improve the service level of CABs and enhance overall traffic efficiency. A three-scale framework is established to integrate the control problems at the lane, intersection, and arterial levels. With the deployment of CAV lanes, lane-specified flow distribution control problem is investigated at the lane level, and a dedicated phase is designed to provide exclusive right-of-ways for CAVs, and jointed with an online conflict-free control strategy at the intersection level. Building upon this, a multiple green-wave design is developed for heterogeneous traffic at arterials, to take full exploit of the space–time resources of both CAV lanes and regular lanes and further improve traffic efficiency. To address the challenges of large-scale and complicated-structure optimization and enable real-time implementation, a hierarchical solution method is proposed. The original problem is decomposed into sub-problems, which can be efficiently solved with an approximation approach to relax the bounding constraints among them. Simulation experiments conducted on an arterial in Singapore validate the performance of the proposed methods. The results demonstrate that the proposed two-dimensional coordination strategy significantly improves traffic efficiency compared to other classic counterpart strategies, reducing the average travel delay for CABs, private CAVs, and HVs by at least 20.4%, 37.4%, and 21.4%, respectively
Ridership-Boosting Strategies for Transit Agencies with Different Characteristics: Insights from a Nationwide Survey
No full textWith COVID-19 no longer classified as a public health emergency, transit agencies are seeking strategies to boost their ridership. Although previous studies have compiled many viable strategies, there is limited knowledge about their effectiveness for agencies with differing characteristics and how their implementation may have evolved post-pandemic. This paper bridges this research gap by identifying effective strategies for agencies of different sizes, regions, and service types. We based this study on a nationwide online survey of 244 transit agencies recruited via email and employed logistic regression analyses to test associations of the perceived effectiveness of strategies with agency characteristics. The findings reveal that marketing and promotion strategy implementation rates increased during the pandemic; however, such increases were short-term and not incorporated into the agencies’ future implementation plans. Moreover, increasing the service frequency emerged as the most effective strategy, whereas fleet electrification, despite being a lower priority for ridership recovery, proved significantly more effective for agencies with firsthand experience. Policymakers and transit agency managers can use the findings of this study to identify strategies that their peer agencies of similar sizes, regions, and service types consider effective for boosting ridership and promote transit use for everyone, especially for those lacking alternative means for transportation
An Inclusive Public Transport System for Riders Wearing Religious Attire
No full textEnsuring an inclusive and equitable public transport system remains a major challenge for many cities. Spaces in crowded terminals and vehicles can compel riders to interact close to each other. Some evidence shows that public transport users from racial- or ethnic-minority groups, especially individuals who wear religious attire, often encounter higher rates of discrimination and harassment. The present study contributes to the limited knowledge on their travel experiences by providing insights into perceived personal security and ridership frequency, specifically focusing on riders who wear religious attire. This study uses data involving 524 participants from an online survey administered in Auckland, New Zealand. Results showed that racial and ethnic groups are dependent on public transport in their daily lives, and those who wear religious attire are often frequent riders. Findings show statistically significant differences in perceived personal security between those who wear religious attire and others. Individuals with a religious appearance express greater concern about their personal security while riding public transport and are found to avoid using it during off-peak hours. These findings provide evidence that such groups are marginalized because of their appearance. Othering behaviors do not go unnoticed and can create a hostile environment for public transport users who wear religious attire. Findings from this study add to the growing evidence that an inclusive environment is necessary for all riders to feel safe, particularly those who are dependent on public transport. Service providers have an ethical responsibility to ensure a no-tolerance culture for discrimination toward riders that explicitly protects those of marginalized identities, including those who wear religious attire
Role of Bystanders on Women’s Perception of Personal Security When Using Public Transport
No full textWomen frequently face gender-based harassment when using public transport and adjust their travel behavior as a result. The present study focuses on how the presence of bystanders influences women’s sense of security and self-efficacy while using public transport. The study assesses the impact community support and social norms, perceived responsibilities of authority, and environmental factors have on women’s perception of security in the context of harassment. We conducted an online survey in Auckland, New Zealand (n = 524). We analyzed results for differences in responses by gender and intersectional identities such as ethnicity and LGBTQ+. We used common factor analysis to uncover hypothesized latent variables that affect women’s perceptions of security and expectations of bystanders. The analysis produced a four-factor model for women+. The strongest factor in the women+ model was Community, followed by Authority, Confidence, then Vigilance. The women+ model suggests bystander and community support is an important expectation for women using public transport, affecting their perception of security and self-efficacy. For comparison and to gain insight into the role men may have as bystanders, we performed factor analysis on responses from men. The resulting three-factor model included factors for Confidence, Authority, and Vigilance. The strength of the Confidence factor for men suggests there is space for calling men in as bystanders who are informed and willing to act. Overall, study findings indicate that anti-harassment strategies can be strengthened by building an active bystander community, bolstering support for vulnerable riders, and helping establish harassment as an unacceptable form of passenger behavior
Promoting Sustainable Transportation Modes: A Systematic Review of Behavior-Change Strategies
No full textIn previous studies, many travel-behavior-change strategies often relied on single behavior determinants or psychological theories, overlooking the incorporation of sociopsychological theories for guidance in their design. Integrating these theories could offer consistent guidance for program developers and enhance intervention effectiveness. This paper systematically reviews interventions targeting travel-behavior change, with a focus on self-determination theory and its principles of satisfying individuals’ competence, autonomy, and relatedness needs for enacting change. Additionally, experiment design methods, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, are reviewed and discussed. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of personalized interventions and integrating feedback with goal-setting strategies. Given the limited direct references to sociopsychological theories in existing studies, we explore relevant sociopsychological theories applicable to travel-behavior-change programs to provide examples of how strategies could be designed based on them. This review contributes valuable insights into the development of strategies for changing travel behavior, offering a theoretical framework for researchers and practitioners to guide intervention design, experimentation, and evaluation. Leveraging these theories not only facilitates reproducibility but also provides a standardized approach for transportation demand management program developers
Unveiling overall satisfaction of metro: Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches
No full textThis study aims to employ a novel hybrid approach based on partial least squares structural equation models (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to assess how satisfaction with different combinations of attributes is associated with high metro satisfaction by analyzing survey data from Nanjing. For daily commuting by metro, three stages are considered: the access stage, on-metro, and egress stage. Corresponding attributes related to these three stages are selected. The quantitative results demonstrate that all the selected attributes positively affect satisfaction. Qualitative analysis shows that satisfaction with egressing trips is a necessary condition for high overall satisfaction. Four configurations of satisfaction with attributes at different stages are sufficient to result in high overall satisfaction. Low satisfaction with certain attributes is offset by high satisfaction with others. Besides, to experience high overall satisfaction, commuters don’t need to experience high satisfaction with all attributes
No time for stopping: A Stop-Less Autonomous Modular (SLAM) bus service
No full textWe leverage the in-motion transfer capability of autonomous modular buses to propose SLAM bus, a novel bus service paradigm that gives passengers a nearly stop-less travel experience from their origin to their destination bus stop. It does this by using supplementary modular units that detach and attach from the main bus at bus stops to serve boarding and alighting passengers, while the main bus traverses the route without stopping. The result is a stop-less operation that eliminates the need for passengers to stop at bus stops where they do not wish to alight. For busier bus stops that cannot be effectively served by the stop-less operation, the whole bus makes a stop instead. The service makes both pre-determined and real-time choices between these operating modes based on the expected and actual demand of alighting and non-alighting passengers. The SLAM bus service thus significantly reduces travel times since passengers experience fewer stops between their desired origin and destination bus stops, making its travel time more competitive with private vehicles while still providing the economies of scale of public transport. Our proof-of-concept simulation results show that, compared to an equivalent conventional bus service, the proposed service can reduce passengers’ average travel cost by about 15 - 20% for a realistic bus route
Understanding bus delay patterns under different temporal and weather conditions: A Bayesian Gaussian mixture model
No full textIn public transit systems, bus delays significantly impact service reliability and passenger satisfaction. Causal delays, consisting of link running and stop dwell delays, are critical factors contributing to overall bus delay patterns. This paper develops a Bayesian probabilistic model to analyze bus delay patterns with a focus on causal delays under varying weather and temporal conditions, which can help to understand how the underlying causal delay patterns contribute to arrival delay patterns. Employing a Gaussian mixture model integrated with a topic model approach, the study analyzes causal delays as multivariate random variables, capturing the influence of temporal and weather conditions on bus service reliability. For model inference, we propose a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling method to estimate the model parameters. The analysis is conducted using real-world data from a bus route in Calgary, Canada. We categorize the identified delay patterns into four on-time categories: extreme earliness, moderate earliness, extreme lateness, and moderate lateness. Results indicate that adverse weather significantly influences extreme delay patterns in particular, suggesting the necessity for transit agencies to consider these factors in schedule optimization. Beyond pattern identification, the proposed model offers probabilistic delay estimation, enabling accurate forecasting of future delays based on current conditions and observations. Validation results demonstrate that our probabilistic estimates align closely with observed data, proving the model’s practical applicability in real-time operations and offering actionable insights to enhance the punctuality and efficiency of urban bus services
Evaluation of transit-oriented development based on 9D’s approach in developing countries context
No full textTransit-Oriented Development (TOD) involves meticulously planned urban development, typically around metro stations, to initiate sustainable outcomes. However, this integrated urban and transportation planning requires a thorough evaluation of the station areas, which is currently lacking in the case of developing world. This work seeks to construct a TOD index using the proposed 9-D criteria which includes density, diversity, design, distance to transit, destination accessibility, demand management, desirability of transit, dissonance, and deference to the environment for evaluating and classifying ten station areas of Hyderabad (India) into different TOD types. The indicators were selected via a Delphi survey, which, with the input of experts\u27 opinions, ranked the indicators according to 9 parameters and narrowed the field down to 27 key indicators. A Best-Worst Method (BWM) has been adopted to carry out the evaluation, while k-means clustering technique is used to classify the station areas. The station areas are assessed in terms of transit status, orientation status, and development status. Using this, certain policy suggestions can be devised for each TOD type to ensure more sustainable outcomes. An increase in TOD-ness through a ground-level manipulation of the TOD criteria is more likely to be a greater success in fulfilling the TOD policy goals
Governing mobility hubs in the sustainable urban mobility transition: Dynamics of stability and change
No full textMultimodality describes the combination of several transport modes and plays an essential role in the transition to sustainable urban mobility. Mobility hubs are physical locations where people change modes of transport and, therefore, bring forth multi-actor and multi-level governance arrangements. Mobility hubs are also a means to tackle the (re-)distribution of urban space and prioritization of environmentally friendly modes of transport. Nevertheless, research on sustainable mobility has identified an implementation gap in the sector. To date, academic literature on mobility hubs and multimodality has predominantly focused on design and user needs, integration into urban space, and environmental impact. In contrast, this article asks how the governance framework affects the implementation of mobility hub networks. The theoretical approach combines an analysis of governance arrangements with literature on smart mobility governance. This multifaceted analytical framework facilitates the examination of various dimensions and dynamics of the governance arrangements behind mobility hubs. Based on a qualitative content analysis of local policy documents and 12 semi-structured expert interviews with local and regional stakeholders, this study analyzes two case studies, in Munich and Vienna. The analysis reveals fragmented multi-level and multi-actor governance arrangements that require complex coordination processes and experimental governance. Parking management and shared mobility regulation are powerful municipal instruments for shaping mobility policies and installing mobility hubs. However, the dominant normative ideas of automobility and neoliberal logic of scarcity and behavioral change are hindering the pursuit of more ambitious changes in urban infrastructure. Mobility hubs can only fulfill their potential to add and connect mobility services if they simultaneously tackle the predominance of automobility