Characteristics of traffic flows at roundabouts in the city of Banja Luka before and during COVID-19 crisis

COVID-19 pandemic caused many restrictive measures. Most of these measures were in the relationship with the restrictions of mobility which caused some differences in traffic flow demands. In this paper the comparative analysis of traffic flow characteristics at roundabouts in the City of Banja Luka was conducted. The analysis included two different states of traffic condition: the first one, normal condition before COVID-19 crisis, and the second one, during the state of emergency caused by the pandemic. The analysis shows the difference between some of motorized vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow parameters.

Characteristics of traffic flows at roundabouts in the city of Banja Luka before and during COVID-19 crisis

COVID-19 pandemic caused many restrictive measures. Most of these measures were in the relationship with the restrictions of mobility which caused some differences in traffic flow demands. In this paper the comparative analysis of traffic flow characteristics at roundabouts in the City of Banja Luka was conducted. The analysis included two different states of traffic condition: the first one, normal condition before COVID-19 crisis, and the second one, during the state of emergency caused by the pandemic. The analysis shows the difference between some of motorized vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow parameters.

The Impact of Uncertainty on Pedestrians’ Decision to Start Roadway Crossing during the Clearance Phase

Clearance phase at signalized crosswalks is an important parameter of pedestrians’ safety because it helps them to complete the crossing before the green signal for vehicles. However, there is the issue of pedestrian decision as to whether to cross if they arrive at the crosswalk during the clearance phase, which represents a violation in many countries. Due to the proof that pedestrian violations multiply the risk of traffic accidents, in this study, the tendency of pedestrians to commit violations during the clearance time has been researched. With the aim of proposing the design of the pedestrian traffic lights, which could decrease the frequency of pedestrian violations, the comparison of pedestrians behaviour at crosswalks with and without a countdown timer during the clearance time was made, based on the data collected in the video recording. Chi square independency test showed that there is a statistically significant difference in the behaviour of pedestrians during the clearance time, depending on the existence of the timer, as well as the fact that pedestrians behave in a safer manner if there is no clearance time shown on the timer. The total delay rate on the roadway during the red signal, which was the consequence of starting the crossing during the clearance time or subsequent violations, was 1.3 times higher at the crosswalks with the countdown timer. This research was unique because for the first time, two-phase pedestrian crossings on the roadway with the median refuge island in the sense of clearance time were analysed, in spite of the previous proof that pedestrians are more likely to commit violations during the red signal in that kind of roadway. Another novelty in the research was pedestrians following till the end of crossing, due to the possibility of subsequent violations. With the means of binary logistic regression, different factors which affect pedestrians’ behaviour during the clearance time have been determined and they differ depending on the existence of the timer. At the pedestrian crosswalks with the timer, contributing factors have been determined, such as gender, the number of waiting pedestrians, distractions, arrival time, and age. If there is no timer, the contributing factors are the following: the number of crossing pedestrians, distractions, group, position of pedestrians in relation to the vehicle, the number of traffic lanes, and age. Based on the obtained results, a new design of the pedestrian traffic lights was proposed.

Multi-Criteria Analysis of a People-Oriented Urban Pedestrian Road System Using an Integrated Fuzzy AHP and DEA Approach: A Case Study in Harbin, China

Increasingly, cities worldwide are striving for green travel and slow traffic, and vigorously developing people-oriented urban pedestrian traffic with sustainability has become a fixture in recent discourse. This paper comprehensively considers the sidewalk’s facilities environment and the status of pedestrian traffic flow; divides the urban pedestrian road system (UPRS) into five subsystems around the underpass, overpass, crosswalk, sidewalk, and road crosswalk; and introduces the basic structure as well as the function of each system. Then, the indicators are classified into two types of crosswalk facilities and sidewalk facilities, and a comprehensive pedestrian road indicator system with the combination of subjective and objective is established. Consequently, the integration of the fuzzy AHP and DEA-based symmetrical technique for the subjective evaluation indicator combined with pedestrian traffic characteristics is developed. A nine-step semantics scale of relative importance was used so that the symmetry of the response of pedestrian satisfaction was maintained. Fuzzy evaluation based on AHP is further modeled, and the DEA is employed to achieve an overall evaluation of the quality of service (QoS) for UPRS. The applicability of the established evaluation system is finally verified through a real case study in Harbin, China. The serviceability assessment method in this paper provides a new idea for planners to conduct sustainability evaluation for UPRS in future urban renewal development.

Humanitarian engineering approach for re-designing pedestrian traffic inside the lecture building during the new normal COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has brought a massive impact on people’s daily activities, office workers have implemented “Working from Home” (WFH), an elementary school to high school students have implemented “Study from Home” (SFH), as well as Campus academic communities’ activities’ implementing Learning from Home. This circumstance has changed daily human behavior for a year. In 2021, upon the completion of a global vaccination program, the situation is followed by a change in the pattern of daily living activities towards “a new normal”, in which direct human interaction is reinstated while still fulfilling health protocols, one of the actions is social distancing. This study examined the detection of pedestrian traffic for the academic community of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP), Brawijaya University and predicted certain crowds’ spots in the DURP building, using Computer Vision and the integration of Agent-Based Model and Geographical Information Systems Indoor. Furthermore, alternative designs for pedestrians were carried out in the DURP building to prevent the occurrences of crowds in certain spots. The results obtained are that on the 1st Floor of the DURP building, the West and East entrance paths have high traffic, so it is necessary to arrange for the opening of the Southside door as an alternative for pedestrian access. Likewise, for the 2nd Floor, the opening of the south gate contributes to minimizing crowd spots. All in all, the blended learning process through face-to-face learning at students grades 1 and 2, then online learning at students grades 3 and 4 might minimize the potential Covid-19 transmission facing a new normal higher education learning process.

Mobility management

The mobility management concept encompasses various services, organisational and advisory measures that allow users to change their travel choices.The article investigates various aspects and factors of mobility management policy. The transport behavior, the possibilities and expediency of joint trips, cycling and walking, the issues of changing transport behavior and making changes in transport infrastructure were studied. The cost-effective options for improving the road use efficiency, the volume and quality of information given to traffic participants as well as the intensity of its provision, which ensure the success of the mobility management policy, were analysed.The comprehensive policy in the field of bicycle and pedestrian traffic is necessary at the city level or even at the national level linked to the policy of urban development for the successful use of bicycle and pedestrian transport. The mobility management policy directed to encourage the wider use of cycling and pedestrian transport should be aimed to removing barriers obstructing their use. It is also necessary to make changes in existing infrastructure in order to increase the traffic capacity during rush hours.