Journal of Transportation Systems

Evaluation of Pedestrians' Perceptions of Sidewalk Quality in Chattogram City's Major Areas

Md. Hossain Manik — 2023-12-13

To reduce traffic congestion and road
accidents sidewalks play a vital part.
Developed countries are building automatic
sidewalks for their pedestrians. According to
US data, the current world population is
about 8 billion and the population growth
rate is 0.88%. There are not enough roads for
such a large population. Moreover, with the
increase in world population, traffic jams are
increasing in all countries of the world so
developed countries are encouraging their
pedestrians to use sidewalks. They are
making sidewalks user-friendly. They
maintain the minimum standard size of the
footpath. So, common people are comfortable
using more sidewalks. Hence, Walking is
gradually becoming the best transport tool all
across the world. The purpose of this research
is to analyze the quality of the sidewalks in
major areas of Chattogram Metropolitan City
(CMC). Freeport, Customs (Chattogram
Port), Agrabad, Tigerpass, GEC, 2 No. gate,
Muradpur, and Bahaddarhat are known as
the busiest, most industrial, and most
important places for CMC. A study involving
720 participants found that Tigerpass and
GEC Circle are the most user-friendly
footpaths, with 62-68% of respondents
deeming them usable. Agrabad, Customs, and
Free Port areas have the least usable
sidewalks, with 22%, 27%, and 30% usable
respectively. However, 48.75% of respondents
believe that the presence of hawkers and
shops on footpaths makes people reluctant to
use them. 45% believe that footpaths are not
properly maintained and unclean, and
44.37% find the dimensions of footpaths
narrow. 78% of women refrain from using
sidewalks at night due to safety concerns. The
survey also revealed that GEC, Bahaddarhat,
and Customs are the most-rated footpaths,
while Muradpur, No. 2 Gate, and Free Port
are the lowest-rated. As people become
disinterested in using footpaths, they walk on
the road instead, potentially causing
accidents. To make sidewalks more userfriendly,
51% suggested making sidewalks
free of hawkers, 70% discussed security
improvement, 44% mentioned increasing
lighting, and 36.31% mentioned regular
maintenance and cleaning. Analyzing the
results of this study will give a clear idea
about the current sidewalk quality of
Chittagong City and with it; several negative
ideas will be born. What the rest of the city's
sidewalks will look like can be inferred
from this study.

Accident Analysis and Identification of Black Spots on Road Section from Sanga to Dhulikhel in Araniko Highway

Raju Bhele — 2023-12-02

Road accidents are major causes of injuries and fatalities worldwide and a significant public health concern. This paper includes a comprehensive analysis of road accidents on the road section from Sanga to Dhulikhel of Kavrepalanchwok district to identify trends of accidents, causes contributing to accidents and identifying the accident black spots and ranking accident black spots based on the Weighted Severity Index and Accident Severity Index. The study uses a data-driven approach using accident data obtained from the district police office, statistical analysis and weighted Severity Index and Accident Severity Index to observe road accident patterns. This study focuses on accident analysis to find out the spatial distribution of accidents, highlight accident peak times, accident black spots and their ranking. The various factors contributing to road accidents related to driver behaviour, vehicle condition, pedestrian behaviour, and environmental condition were explored and statistical analysis are done to determine accident likelihood and severity which are very helpful to identify accident-prone areas. There is a noteworthy pattern in the accident records in the past four fiscal years. Overall, fatal accidents have decreased over the years but serious accidents have increased. The number of minor incidents has also shown some variation. Males had more accidents than females. It is clear that the male percentage significantly outnumber the female comprising 81.9%, while females make up only 10.1%. It was observed that the 26 to 56 age group is a more vulnerable. The relatively low percentages of accidents occurred during morning and late evening. The accident frequency significantly rises from the late morning through the early afternoon with peak frequency in the late afternoon. It was observed that light vehicles account for 25%, tipper and other vehicles account for 19%, two wheeler accounts for 20% and vehicle and pedestrian accounts for 36% of the total accidents recorded. This study suggests evidence-based recommendations for accident prevention, infrastructure improvement, public awareness programs and law enforcement strategies to reduce road accidents.

A Review Study of Traffic Microsimulation Car Following Models and Driver Behaviour’s Parameters

Mr. Ronak N. Modi — 2023-09-14

Examining driver conduct within a road
network becomes viable through the
utilization of a compact traffic simulation
system. The driving behaviours of vehicles,
particularly in comparison to typical humanoperated
cars, are investigated in detail. This
research offers an extensive review of the carfollowing
models employed in popular
microsimulation software, catering to vehicles
with both human and autonomous drivers.
The study delves into the incorporation of
vehicle diversity into car-following models,
also known as homogeneous traffic models,
while thoroughly scrutinizing their limitations
and areas lacking research. Furthermore, we
provide an overview of commercially
accessible microscopic traffic simulation
frameworks designed to replicate real-world
traffic scenarios. High-level capacity
measurement is influenced by numerous userdefined
parameters at lower levels. VISSIM,
for instance, employs psychophysical carfollowing
models reliant on ten user-defined
variables to simulate motorway driving
behaviour. Our research has illustrated that
specific driver behaviour attributes in
VISSIM significantly impact road capacity.
This review identifies the various vehicle
parameters integrated into current Car
Following (CF) models and evaluates their
effectiveness in representing vehicle
behaviour within mixed traffic conditions.
Among the array of simulation tools
available, VISSIM stands out as a popular
choice, leveraging a psychophysical carfollowing
model.

Analysis of Pedestrian Crossing Speed at Signalized and Non-Signalized Crosswalk: A Case Study of Central Station to Str. Tzar Osvobotiel Road of Ruse City

Sudeep Thapa — 2023-12-06

Pedestrian safety is a paramount concern on
our roadways, as pedestrians are inherently
vulnerable when navigating traffic. In
Bulgaria, this research underscores the
necessity of prioritizing pedestrian safety in
roadway design and traffic control measures.
The study's core objective was to analyze
pedestrian crossing behaviour and identify
optimal locations for pedestrian crossings to
enhance overall road safety. A notable finding
of the study was the significant influence of
crosswalk type on pedestrian crossing speeds.
Pedestrians were observed to cross streets
more rapidly at signalized crosswalks,
highlighting the efficacy of traffic control
devices in regulating pedestrian movements.
Moreover, the study delved into the influence
of age and gender on pedestrian crossing
speeds. It revealed that children and adult
pedestrians were the fastest groups in terms
of crossing speeds, while elderly pedestrians
exhibited notably slower speeds. Notably, at
non-signalized crosswalks, adult females were
the slowest demographic, both in comparison
to adult males and in comparison, to both
male and female children. In a broader
context, the study unveiled that male
pedestrians, on the whole, demonstrated
significantly faster crossing speeds than their
female counterparts. These findings provide
valuable insights for road planners and
policymakers in Bulgaria, aiming to create
safer and more efficient road systems that
cater to the unique needs of pedestrians while
considering the various factors that influence
their crossing behaviours.

The Effects of Traffic Congestion and a Way Out on Circular Intersections: at 2 No. Gate (Soloh Sohor) Area of Chattogram Metropolitan City

Md. Hossain Manik — 2023-11-16

Traffic jam is one of the most vulnerable
problems in developing country like
Bangladesh. Every day it kills a lot of
working time. Developing countries are more
conscious of it. They use digital devices on the
road to reduce traffic jams. In this study, we
aim to determine the impacts of traffic
congestion and a way out on circular
junctions at the 2 No. gate areas of
Chattogram Metropolitan City. This survey
has 313 respondents in total. The results of
this analysis show that the route between S
and K (Soloh Sohor–Katgar) and S and B
(Soloh Sohor–Bahaddarhat) has the highest
traffic density. Only 12% of everyday
travelers spend more than two hours on this
route, while 58% travel it in less time. 25%
of the population believes that the
development is causing more traffic
congestion, and 28% believe that any uplift in
the region is to blame for the increase in
traffic jams. Private automobiles and twowheelers
contribute 22% and 20%,
respectively, to traffic congestion, while
public buses contribute 18% while stuck in
traffic for hours, 42% of respondents
experience mental tension and 51%
experience mild mental pain. Finally, the
report presents specific recommendations for
municipal planners based on the findings.