scholarly journals Evolution of the Road and Rail Transport of Goods in European Countries before and after the Financial Crises

Author(s):  
Antonio Danesi ◽  
Davide Ongari ◽  
Cristian Poliziani ◽  
Federico Rupi

The main goal of this paper is to analyse recent trends in freight transport volumes as well as their relation to socio-economic and infrastructural variables, in the case of the following major European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. This analysis refers to the period 2005-2016, so that years affected by the global economic crisis, which shows its peak in 2009, are taken into account. This research demonstrated that not all the countries under study show a strong relation between freight traffic and GDP as it could have been expected based on well consolidated experiences and studies. Moreover, other relations are investigated, with mixed results, between the freight traffic volumes and the extension of the rail and road networks as well as oil price data.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 365-376
Author(s):  
Andrzej Bąkowski ◽  
Leszek Radziszewski

Abstract The study analyzed the parameters of vehicle traffic and noise on the national road in the section in the city from 2011 to 2016. In 2013–2014 this road was reconstructed. It was found that in most cases, the distribution of the tested variable was not normal. The median and selected percentiles of vehicle traffic parameters and noise were examined. The variability and type A uncertainty of the results were described and evaluated. The results obtained for the data recorded on working and non-working days were compared. The vehicle cumulative speed distributions, for two-way four-lane road segments in both directions were analyzed. A mathematical model of normalized traffic flow has been proposed. Fit factor R2 of the proposed equations to the experimental data for passenger vehicles ranges from 0.93 to 0.99. It has been shown that two years after the road reconstruction, the median noise level did not increase even though traffic volumes and vehicle speeds increased. The Cnossos noise model was validated for data recorded over a period of 6 years. A very good agreement of the medians determined according to the Cnossos-EU model and the measured ones was obtained. It should be noted, however, that for the other analyzed percentiles, e.g. 95%, the discrepancies are larger.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 4002
Author(s):  
Alicja Barbara Sołowczuk ◽  
Dominik Kacprzak

In recent years, in which a considerable increase in the road traffic volumes has been witnessed, traffic calming has become one the key issues in the area of road engineering. This concerns, in particular, trunk roads passing through small villages with a population of up to 500 and the road section length within the village limits of ca. 1400–1700 m. A successful traffic calming scheme must involve primarily effective reduction in inbound traffic speed. A review of the data from various countries revealed that chicanes installed in the transition zones may have a determining effect on the success of the traffic calming project. The effectiveness of such chicanes depends mainly on the type of chicane, its location on the carriageway, its shape and the size of the lateral deflection imposed by the chicane on the inbound lane. The purpose of this study was to identify the speed reduction determinants in traffic calming schemes in village transition zones, based on a central island horizontally deflecting one lane of a two-lane two-way road with 50 km/h speed restriction. As part of the study, vehicle speeds were measured just before and after the chicanes under analysis. Furthermore, the inbound lane traffic volumes were measured in field and a number of factors were identified, including the applied traffic management scheme, road parameters, view of the road ahead and of the village skyline, isolated buildings, road infrastructure and adjacent roadside developments. The obtained data were analysed with a method employing tautologies of the selected 32 factors affecting the drivers’ perception. A single aggregate parameter was proposed for assessing the coincidence of the influence of selected factors on speed reduction. The analysis of the existing schemes and the results of statistical analyses carried out in this study confirmed the authors’ hypothesis that the combined selected factors produce a desirable effect and that they should be additionally enhanced by the application of solar powered devices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8964
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Aljamal ◽  
Derek Voight ◽  
Jacob Green ◽  
Jianwei Wang ◽  
Huthaifa I. Ashqar

A traditional road diet design converts a four-lane two-way road to a three-lane road consisting of two through lanes and a center two-way left turn lane. This paper introduces a new application of the road diet design in an urban corridor. Specifically, the new application converts a four-lane two-way road into a two-lane two-way road with full-time parking lanes in both directions. The paper analyzed the traffic impacts of the road diet application on the corridor of New Jersey Avenue, northwest, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia. The corridor included five signalized and one unsignalized intersections. Before-and-after analyses using Synchro 11 simulation and Site-Specific Empirical Bayes analysis were used to evaluate and compare existing and proposed scenarios. The proposed scenario provided various benefits including offering accessibility to the businesses in the area and acting as a traffic calming strategy. For signalized intersections, the overall performance remained the same for most intersections except for one intersection (on P Street), as it is significantly impacted by the road diet design due to the dramatic increase of traffic volumes in its minor streets as a result of diverting traffic volumes from the unsignalized intersection for left and through movements. Results showed that the use of a road diet design enhanced the unsignalized intersection performance due to the traffic volume divergence from its minor streets and enhanced the safety of the study area by decreasing the annual number of predicted crashes. To achieve better operational benefits and reflect traffic demands, the paper recommends to re-optimize signal timings when a road diet design is adopted.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Fitri Wulandari ◽  
Nirwana Puspasari ◽  
Noviyanthy Handayani

Jalan Temanggung Tilung is a 2/2 UD type road (two undirected two-way lanes) with a road width of 5.5 meters, which is a connecting road between two major roads, namely the RTA road. Milono and the path of G. Obos. Over time, the volume of traffic through these roads increases every year, plus roadside activities that also increase cause congestion at several points of the way. To overcome this problem, the local government carried out road widening to increase the capacity and level of road services. The study was conducted to determine the amount of traffic volume, performance, service level of the Temanggung Tilung road section at peak traffic hours before and after road widening. Data retrieval is done by the direct survey to the field to obtain primary data in the form of geometric road data, two-way traffic volume data, and side obstacle data. Performance analysis refers to the 1997 Indonesian Road Capacity Manual (MKJI) for urban roads. From the results of data processing, before increasing the road (Type 2/2 UD), the traffic volume that passes through the path is 842 pcs/hour and after road widening (Type 4/2 UD) the traffic volume for two directions is 973 pcs/hour, with route A equaling 528 pcs/hour and direction B equaling 445 pcs/hour. Based on the analysis of road performance before road enhancement, the capacity = 2551 pcs/hour, saturation degree = 0.331, and the service level of the two-way road are level B. Based on the analysis of the performance of the way after increasing the way, the direction capacity A = 2686 pcs/hour and direction B = 2674 pcs /hour, saturation degree for direction A = 0.196 and direction B = 0.166, service level for road direction A and direction B increase to level A


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Jeky El Boru

Abstract: This research aims to analyze the impact of Janti Flyover Construction toward the growth of layout at Janti Urban Area, including structured space, open space, and linkage. Method used for data collecting are observation, air photograph monitoring, and interview, whereas the analysis method is qualitative description, which is the superimposed method of two layers, that are the layout condition before and after flyover construction. The result shows that the impact of Janti Flyover construction can be seen on building mass (solid), the increasing number of open spaces, including the road network, parking place, and park, whereas the relation between spaces, visually and structurally, can be seen on the growth of buildings which have new shapes and styles, therefore the performance of the overall building does not have a proportional shape. Considering Janti Street at the collective relation, its role is getting stronger as the main frame road network.Keywords: Flyover construction, layout changing, Janti AreaAbstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh pembangunan Jalan Layang Janti terhadap perkembangan tata ruang Kawasan Janti, meliputi ruang terbangun, ruang terbuka, serta hubungan antar ruang (“linkage”). Metode pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi, pengamatan foto udara, dan wawancara; sedangkan metode analisis melalui deskripsi secara kualitatif yang berupa “superimposed method” dari dua lapisan kondisi lahan, yakni kondisi tata ruang sebelum dan sesudah pembangunan jalan layang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengaruh pembangunan Jalan Layang Janti terdapat pada massa bangunan (“solid”), pertambahan ruang terbuka yang berupa jaringan jalan, parkir, dan taman; sedangkan pada hubungan antar ruang ̶ secara visual dan struktural ̶ yakni tumbuhnya bangunan dengan bentuk dan gaya baru, sehingga bentuk tampilan bangunan secara keseluruhan tidak proporsional. Pada hubungan kolektif, Jalan Janti semakin kuat perannya sebagai kerangka utama jaringan jalan.Kata kunci : Pembangunan jalan layang, tata ruang, Kawasan Janti


Author(s):  
Sylwia Małażewska ◽  
Edyta Gajos

The aim of the article was to present the changes in the profitability of milk production in farms associated in EDF and situated in Poland and selected European countries in 2006–2012. It was found that after the Polish accession to the EU, the situation has improved for milk producers – economic and production results have risen. In 2008–2009, there was a significant deterioration in the profitability of milk production due to, among others, significant declines in milk prices. Since 2010, gradual improvement of the situation is observed. Similar changes occur in dairy farms in other European countries, such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom. This shows how big the interconnectedness between countries is and that the situation of agricultural producers in Poland does not depend only on the local and national market fluctuations, but primarily on fluctuations in the European and global markets.


Author(s):  
Thierry Brenac

This paper deals with safety at horizontal curves on two-lane roads outside urban areas and the way the road design standards of different European countries account for this safety aspect. After a review of some research results, the main aspects of curve geometry and the curve's place in the horizontal alignment are analyzed. The main conclusions are that the traditional design speed approach is insufficient and that formal complementary rules in road design standards, especially to improve compatibility between successive elements of the alignment, must be introduced. If such complementary rules already exist in some national standards, they are neither frequent nor homogeneous throughout the different countries, and it seems that they are not based on sufficiently developed knowledge.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Majsiak ◽  
Magdalena Choina ◽  
Dominik Golicki ◽  
Alastair M. Gray ◽  
Bożena Cukrowska

Abstract Background Coeliac disease (CD) is characterised by diverse clinical symptoms, which may cause diagnostic problems and reduce the patients’ quality of life. A study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that the mean time between the onset of coeliac symptoms and being diagnosed was above 13 years. This study aimed to analyse the diagnostic process of CD in Poland and evaluate the quality of life of patients before and after CD diagnosis. In addition, results were compared to the results of the original study conducted in the UK. Methods The study included 2500 members of the Polish Coeliac Society. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire containing questions on socio-demographic factors, clinical aspects and quality of life, using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Questionnaires received from 796 respondents were included in the final analysis. Results The most common symptoms reported by respondents were bloating (75%), abdominal pain (72%), chronic fatigue (63%) and anaemia (58%). Anaemia was the most persistent symptom, with mean duration prior to CD diagnosis of 9.2 years, whereas diarrhoea was observed for the shortest period (4.7 years). The mean duration of any symptom before CD diagnosis was 7.3 years, compared to 13.2 years in the UK. CD diagnosis and the introduction of a gluten-free diet substantially improved the quality of life in each of the five EQ-5D-5L health dimensions: pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, usual activities, self-care and mobility (p < 0.001), the EQ-Index by 0.149 (SD 0.23) and the EQ-VAS by 30.4 (SD 28.3) points. Conclusions Duration of symptoms prior to the diagnosis of CD in Poland, although shorter than in the UK, was long with an average of 7.3 years from first CD symptoms. Faster CD diagnosis after the onset of symptoms in Polish respondents may be related to a higher percentage of children in the Polish sample. Introduction of a gluten-free diet improves coeliac patients’ quality of life. These results suggest that doctors should be made more aware of CD and its symptoms across all age groups.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nubia Muñoz

It is too early to know which will be the final death toll from the Covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2 virus epidemy in Latin America since the epidemy is still active and we will not know when it will end. The curve for new infections and deaths has not reached yet a peak (Figure 1). In addition, we know little about the epidemiology of this new virus. The daily litany of the number of people infected with the number of admissions to hospitals and intensive care units and the number of deaths guides health authorities to plan health services and politicians to gauge the degree of confinement necessary to control the transmission of the virus, but it says little about the magnitude of the problem if we do not relate it to the population at risk. At the end of the pandemic, we will be able to estimate age-standardized death rates for the different countries, but until then the crude death rates will provide a first glance or snapshot of the death toll and impact of the pandemic from March to May 2020. These rates are well below those estimated in other countries in Europe and North America: Belgium (82.6), Spain (58.0), the United Kingdom (57.5), Italy (55.0), France (42.9), Sweden (41.4), and the US (30.7). (Johns Hopkins CSSE, May 30, 2020). However, in the European countries and the US the number of deaths has reached a peak, while this is not the case in Latin American countries. (Figure 1). It should be taken into account that the above rates are crude and therefore, some of the differences could be due to the fact that European countries have a larger proportion of the population over 70 years of age in whom higher mortality rates have been reported.


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