Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Developing Crash Modification Factors For Operational Parameters On Urban Freeways, Eugene Vida Maina

Dissertations

Studies have shown that, roadway safety has become an intensively investigated topic with the objective of improved understanding of the factors that cause crashes to occur. However, it has been shown that as traffic volumes continue to increase across the United States, 52% of drivers feel less safe on the roads today more than they did five years ago and that the American public feels that traffic safety is a serious problem that needs both the government and media to pay more attention to this issue.

In response to these public and driver grievances, State and National transportation agencies have …

Optimizing Feeder Bus Network Based On Access Mode Shifts, Zhaodong Huang

Dissertations

The methodology introduced in this dissertation is to optimally find a feeder bus network in a suburban area for an existing rail system that connects the suburban area with the Central Business District (CBD). The objective is to minimize the total cost, including user and supplier costs. Three major access modes (walk, feeder bus, and auto) for the rail station are considered and the cost for all modes makes up the user cost. The supplier cost comes from the operating cost of the feeder bus network. The decision variables include the structure of the feeder bus network, service frequencies, and …

Factors That Impact Seat Belt Usage And Injury Severity Of Belted Front Seat Occupants, Siri Konje Lawrencia Nukenine

Dissertations

Factors influencing seat belt usage have been extensively researched in the safety analysis literature. Most of this research has focused on factors that influence seat belt usage for a driver and front seat passenger in a vehicle. Few research studies have investigated factors that impact seat belt usage for back seat occupants. This research investigates the factors associated with seat belt usage for front-seat as well as backseat occupants of vehicles in the state of New Jersey. Using logistic regression, seat belt usage models were developed to examine the contribution of several variables on seat belt usage for five vehicle …

Operating Characteristics Of Passenger Screening Processes And The Development Of A Paced Inspection System, Geraldine Kelly Leone

Dissertations

The airport checkpoint security screening (ACSS) system is an important line of defense against the introduction of dangerous objects into the U.S. aviation system. Recently, there has been much interest in modeling these systems and to derive operating parameters which optimize performance. In general there are two performance measures of interest (i) the waiting time of the arriving entities, and (ii) the allocated screening resources and its utilization. Clearly, the traveling public would like a zero waiting time, while airports are limited both in terms of space and resource capital. The arrival and exit entity in the ACSS system are …

Freeway Speed-Flow Relationships Under Rain And Congested Conditions, Jongho Byun

Dissertations

A procedure to account for the impact of rain and congested conditions on the average speed estimates is provided in this study. Although the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides some discussion on the impact of adverse weather on speed-flow relationships, these impacts are not quantified. Using data collected under rain and congested conditions, a procedure for estimating the average speed under these conditions is provided, which is an improvement over the existing HCM (2000) procedures. Using the speed-flow relationships provided in the HCM (2000) for basic freeway segments as a starting point, new numerical relationships suitable for New Jersey roadways …

Analysis Of Marine Container Terminal Gate Congestion, Truck Waiting Cost, And System Optimization, Chang Qian Guan

Dissertations

As world container volume continues to grow and the introduction of 12,000 TEUs plus containerships into major trade routes, the port industry is under pressure to deal with the ever increasing freight volume. Gate congestion at marine container terminal is considered a major issue facing truckers who come to the terminal for container pickup and delivery. Harbor truckers operate in a very competitive environment; they are paid by trip, not by the hours they drive. Gate congestion is not only detrimental to their economic well-being, but also causes environmental pollution.

This thesis applies a multi-server queuing model to analyze marine …

Optimizing Container Retrieval Operation At A Port Container Terminal, Dejan Besenski

Dissertations

In the presence of major challenges, where ports are striving to improve their operation and stay competitive in the global market, the issue of port efficiency, particularly the intelligent management of straddle carriers is investigated in this study. A new approach is presented that optimizes container handling equipment operation and is beneficial for the terminal operator in terms of improving productivity, providing faster service and reducing operating cost, Also, the solution provides acceptable service for truckers, The operational strategies presented are able to assess the operation from the truckers' and terminal operators' perspective.

The research is structured into four different …

Optimizing Fare Structure And Service Frequency For An Intercity Transit System, Feng-Ming Tsai

Dissertations

This study presents an approach to jointly optimize service headway and differentiated fare for an intercity transit system with an objective of total profit maximization and with consideration given to the economic and social sustainability of the system. Service capacity and fleet size constraints are considered. The optimization problem is structured into four scenarios which are comprised of the combinations of whether the Ranges of Travel Distance (RTD) is fixed or variable and if the time period is for a single period or for multiple periods. A successive substitution method (specifically, a modified Gauss Southwell method) is applied to solve …

Optimal Allocation Of Blood Products, Godson A. Tetteh

Dissertations

The high cost of collection and the short shelf life of apheresis platelets demand efficient inventory management to reduce outdates and shortages. Apheresis platelets are licensed for seven days, and blood centers are keen on knowing the consequences of various product collection and distribution strategies. To reduce outdates, inventory managers typically distribute the older units first, thereby following first-in first-out (FIFO) policy; however, hospital blood banks would prefer that the blood center issues out the freshest units first, equivalent to a last-in first-out (LIFO) policy. This study addresses the optimal distribution policy to achieve a desired outdate, shortage and average …

Optimized Scheduling Of Highway Work Zones, Yimin Tang

Dissertations

Highway maintenance activities usually require lane closures and disrupt traffic operations. Because of budget constraints, project deadlines, and the resulting traffic impact, the objective of this dissertation is to improve the efficiencies of traffic operation and maintenance work, and minimize the total project cost (i.e., agency cost and road user cost) by optimizing work zone schedules.

This dissertation focuses on the maintenance projects on multiple-lane highways. The objective total cost function is formulated while considering a discrete maintenance time-cost function and time-dependent traffic diversions. However, the work zone scheduling problem is a combinatorial optimization problem and difficult to solve analytically. …

Analysis Of Truck Delays At Container Terminal Security Inspection Stations, Dae-Gwun Yoon

Dissertations

After September 11, 2001, special attention has been given to the vulnerability at container transportation to terrorist activities. United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has set up inspection stations for containers at seaport terminals to screen containers, but this practice affects the truck turnaround time in the seaport by generating additional processing delays.

This dissertation analyses the additional truck turnaround time incurred at the inspection stations under various levels of security. Queuing models were used to estimate truck delay as containers are inspected at two successive security inspection stages. Each stage may utilize one or more inspection equipment. The …

Analytical Model For Staging Emergency Evacuations, Vivek V. Korikanthimath

Dissertations

Disaster response in areas of high population density is centered on the efficient evacuation of people and possibly goods. Developing evacuation plans suitable for different levels of urgency based on the intensity of threat is a challenging task. In case of densely populated cities (e.g., New York, Los Angeles), the level of threat is enhanced by the congestion of their transportation systems, and the decision to evacuate a region simultaneously or by dividing it into multiple stages (or zones) affects the required evacuation time and associated delays.

The evolution of the traffic conditions on the evacuation route can vary significantly …

Optimal Speed Limit For Shared-Use Roadways, Yongqiang Yang

Dissertations

Motor vehicle crashes are a serious social problem in the United States. Each year a large number of motor vehicle crashes occur and many people are killed or injured, resulting in substantial economic costs. To minimize economic costs, it is necessary to determine optimal speed limits on roadways because of the strong relationship among posted speed limit, crash frequency, and crash injury severity.

A comprehensive literature review about the relationship among posted speed limit, crash frequency, and crash injury severity level was conducted. Crash frequency prediction models and crash injury severity models are developed to obtain crash frequency and injury …

Virtual Transshipments And Revenue-Sharing Contracts In Supply Chain Management, Zhaoqiong Qin

Dissertations

This dissertation presents the use of virtual transshipments and revenue-sharing contracts for inventory control in a small scale supply chain. The main objective is to maximize the total profit in a centralized supply chain or maximize the supply chain's profit while keeping the individual components' incentives in a decentralized supply chain.

First, a centralized supply chain with two capacitated manufacturing plants situated in two distinct geographical regions is considered. Normally, demand in each region is mostly satisfied by the local plant. However, if the local plant is understocked while the remote one is overstocked, some of the newly generated demand …

Bus Arrival Time Prediction Using Stochastic Time Series And Markov Chains, Rajat Rajbhandari

Dissertations

Public transit agencies rely on disseminating accurate and reliable information to transit users to achieve higher service quality and attract more users. With the development of new technologies, the concept of providing users with reliable information about bus arrival times at bus stops has become increasingly attractive. Due to the fact that bus operation parameters and variables are highly stochastic, modeling prediction of bus travel and arrival times has become one of the many challenging tasks.

Stochastic time series and delay propagation models to predict bus arrival times using historical information were developed. Markov models were developed to predict propagation …

Development Of Dynamic Recursive Models For Freeway Travel Time Predictions, Xiaobo Liu

Dissertations

Traffic congestion has been a major problem in metropolitan areas, which is caused by either insufficient roadway capacity or unforesceable incidents. In order to promote the efficiency of the existing roadway networks and mitigate the impact of traffic congestion, the development of a sound prediction model for travel times is desirable.

A comprehensive literature review about existing prediction models was conducted by investigating the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of each model. Based on the features and properties of previous models, the base models including exponential smoothing model (ESM), moving average model (MAM), and Kalman filtering model (KFM) are developed to …

Intercity Travel Demand : A Utility-Consistent Simultaneous Trip Generation And Mode Choice Model, Guilin Li

Dissertations

An intercity travel decision includes a complex set of subdecisions, such as when to travel, where to travel, which mode to choose, and others. The main focus of this dissertation is to examine trip frequency and mode choice of intercity non-business travel.

The objective of this study is to understand intercity travel behavior using disaggregate models. The proposed conceptual framework for intercity travel behavior leads to a nested logit/continuous choice model that is rigorously linked to the utility maximization theory. Compared to a traditional intercity travel demand model, the proposed model is utility consistent in that trip generation and mode …

A Conceptual Framework For Using Feedback Control Within Adaptive Traffic Control Systems, Renu Chhonkar

Dissertations

Existing adaptive traffic control strategies lack an effective evaluation procedure to check the performance of the control plan after implementation. In the absence of an effective evaluation procedure, errors introduced in the system such as inaccurate estimates of arrival flows, are carried forward in time and reduce the efficiency of the traffic flow algorithms as they assess prevalent traffic conditions. It is evident that the feed-forward nature of these systems cannot accurately update the estimated quantities, especially during oversaturated conditions.

This research is an attempt to develop a conceptual framework for the application of feedback control within the basic operation …

Dynamic Multi-Ramp Metering Control With Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (Spsa), Jiangtao Luo

Dissertations

Ramp metering was proven to be a viable form of freeway traffic control strategy, which could eliminate, or at least reduce, freeway congestion. In this study, the development of ramp metering control strategies, models, and constraints (e.g., meter locations, ramp storage capacities, lower and upper bounds of ramp metering rates) are discussed in detail. The pre-timed and demand/capacity metering control strategies were first evaluated, while the potential metered ramps were determined. A Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) algorithm is proposed to dynamically optimize multiple-ramp metering control by maximizing the total throughput subject to a number of constraints. The ramp metering …

Development Of A Multivariate Logistic Model To Predict Bicycle Route Safety In Urban Areas, Cheryl Allen-Munley

Dissertations

In response to the renewed appreciation of the benefits of bicycling to the environment and public health, public officials across the nation are working to establish new bicycle routes. During the past two decades, a number of methods have been endorsed for the selection of "suitable" bicycle routes. These methods are limited in that they do not explicitly address bicycle safety nor do they reflect urban conditions.

The purpose of this research is to develop an objective bicycle route safety rating model based on injury severity. The model development was conducted using a logistic transformation of Jersey City's bicycle crash …

A Bi-Level Programming Approach For The Shipper-Carrier Network Problem, Ya Wang

Dissertations

The Stackelberg game betweenshippers and carriers in an intermodal network is formulated as a bi-levelprogram. In this network, shippers make production, consumption, androuting decisions while carriers make pricing and routing decisions.The oligopolistic carrier pricing and routing problem, which comprisesthe upper level of the bi-level program, is formulated either as a nonlinearconstrained optimization problem or as a variational inequality problem,depending on whether the oligopolistic carriers choose to collude orcompete with each other in their pricing decision. The shippers' decisionbehavior is defined by the spatial price equilibrium principle. Forthe spatial price equilibrium problem, which is the lower level of thebi-level program, a …

Transit Productivity Analysis In Heterogeneous Conditions Using Data Envelopment Analysis With An Application To Rail Transit, Manuel J. Martinez

Dissertations

This dissertation extends transit productivity analysis by developing a new method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the linear programming approach to productivity analysis. The new model analyzes productivity of transit working under heterogeneous operating conditions. It is named Two-Farrell DEA for it applies DEA in two stages, DEA (1), that calculates the productivity frontiers at given operating conditions and DEA (2), that uses inputs adjusted by multipliers calculated in DEA (l). The model Two Farrell DEA calculated productivity benchmarks for each rail transit agency and estimated its potential for higher revenue or lower expense improvement. Additionally, the results identify two …

Intermodal Transit System Coordination With Dynamic Vehicle Dispatching, Md. Shoaib Chowdhury

Dissertations

In most urban areas where transit demand is spread widely, passengers may be served by an intermodal transit system, consisting of a rail transit line (or a bus rapid transit route) and a numbers of feeder routes connecting at different transfer stations. In such a system, passengers may need one or more transfers to complete their journey. Therefore, scheduling vehicles operating in the system with special attention to reduce transfer time can contribute significantly service quality improvements. In this study two models, one for coordination of a general intermodal. transit system and another for dynamic dispatching of vehicles on coordinated …

Development And Application Of Dynamic Models For Predicting Transit Arrival Times, Yuqing Ding

Dissertations

Stochastic variations in traffic conditions and ridership often have a negative impact in transit operations resulting in the deterioration of schedule/headway adherence and lengthening of passenger wait times. Providing accurate information on transit vehicle arrival times is critical to reduce the negative impacts on transit users. In this study, models for dynamically predicting transit arrival times in urban settings are developed, including a basic model, a Kalman filtering model, link-based and stop-based artificial neural networks (ANNs) and Neural/Dynamic (ND) models. The reliability of these models is assessed by enhancing the microscopic simulation program CORSIM which can calculate bus dwell and …

A Methodology For Solving The Network Toll Design Problem, Mei Chen

Dissertations

Congestion pricing has been regarded as an efficient method to reduce network-wide travel cost. In this dissertation, a methodology for toll design is developed to provide policy-makers with suggestions on both where to charge tolls and how much the tolls should be. As opposed to the traditional approach of marginal social cost pricing, this methodology is capable of dealing with the more realistic case, in which only a small number of links can be tolled. Furthermore, this methodology is expanded to accommodate multiple user groups.

The toll design problem can be formulated using both deterministic and stochastic route choice models. …

Optimization Of Urban Traffic Control Strategies By A Network Design Model, Wu Sun

Dissertations

The efficiency of congested urban transportation networks can be improved by implementing appropriate traffic control strategies, such as signal control timing, turning movement control; implementation of one-way traffic policies, lane distribution controls etc.. In this dissertation, the following strategies are addressed: 1) Intersection left turn addition/deletion, 2) Lane designation,. and 3) Signal optimization.

The analogy between the network design problem (NDP) and the optimization of traffic control strategies motivated the formulation of an urban transportation network design problem (UTNDP) to optimize traffic control strategies. An UTNDP is a typical bi-level programming program, where the lower level problem is a User …

A Combined Simulated Annealing And Tabu Search Strategy To Solve Network Design Problem With Two Classes Of Users, Qifeng Zeng

Dissertations

A methodology to solve a transportation network design problem (TCNDP) with two classes of users (passenger cars and trucks) is developed. Given an existing highway system, with a capital investment budget constraint, the methodology selects the best links to be expanded by an extra lane by considering one of three types of traffic operations: exclusive for passenger cars, exclusive for trucks, and for both passenger cars and trucks such that the network total user equilibrium (UE) travel time is minimized.

The problem is formulated as an NP-hard combinatorial nonlinear integer programming problem. The classical branch and bound methodology for the …

A Model For Travel Mode Switching, Lei Cao

Dissertations

Transportation policy research assesses the effect of policy changes such as the imposition of a parking charge or the augmentation of passenger rail service, on individual travel behavior. Over the last few decades, Conditional Lo it Model has been strongly advocated among discrete choice models for transportation policy study due to its ease of estimation and realistic outcomes.

This dissertation analyzes the necessity of the entry of constraints in the indirect utility function. These functions are used in discrete choice models and form the basis for travel demand modeling. This dissertation proposes a hypothesis that the explicit entry of constraints …

Development Of A Traffic Safety Index For Urban Intersections, Jae-Hong Kang

Dissertations

Conventional safety analysis focuses on the accident environment at specific locations or a limited segment of highways or arterials, and attempts to identify the effects of accident contributing factors. The development of a safety index in the past was based on a statistical summary for county or statewide areas, using general indicators such as population, number of registered vehicles, vehicle miles traveled and so on. This research effort presents a state-of-the-art procedural analytical approach for the safety analysis of Manhattan intersections that are exposed to a unique urban environment. The computed index provides safety ratings that can identify potential safety …

Intermodal Commuter Network Planning, Maria P. Boile

Dissertations

An intermodal commuter network is an integration of passenger transportation systems, or modes, to a single comprehensive system that provides connections among the various modes, and improved travel choices to users. In the system examined in this dissertation, commuters access their final destination via auto, rail, and intermodal auto-to-rail modes. There are numerous highway paths by which a commuter can reach the final destination. Once on the highway, the commuter can switch to rail at stations along the rail route. The commuter may also choose to walk to the rail station closest to the trip's origin.

The main focus of …