Transportation System Issues and Challenges PDF

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ISSUES AND CHALLENGES HIGHWAY AND RAILROAD ENGINEERING Transportation System Issues and Challenges Traffic congestion exists wherever demand exceeds the capacity of the transportation system. Traffic congestion is a condition on transport networks that occurs as use...

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ISSUES AND CHALLENGES HIGHWAY AND RAILROAD ENGINEERING Transportation System Issues and Challenges Traffic congestion exists wherever demand exceeds the capacity of the transportation system. Traffic congestion is a condition on transport networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queuing. Challenges Performance of the transportation system Managing congestion Improving safety Providing equal access Protecting the environment Performance of the transportation engineering profession, economic and political system Incorporating new technology Securing financial resources Developing adequate institutional arrangements Managing Congestion The usual response to congestion was to build more capacity. This approach was always limited by the availability of funding. Political support for major expansions of the urban highway system is now lacking due to the potential environmental impacts. Managing Congestion Recently, it has been popular to seek solutions involving more sophisticated traffic control. Since 1960s, there have been repeated calls to shift from private automobiles to urban passenger transportation because of the environmental consequences and the cost of expanding the system. Managing Congestion In addition, there have been suggestions that traffic congestion can be reduced through better urban land-use planning, or through congestion pricing. Congestion pricing | is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand such as higher peak charges for use of bus services, metros, railways, and road pricing to reduce traffic congestion. Traffic Safety A second major challenge is the continued improvement of traffic safety. Traffic accidents are of concern for all modes of transportation, but are perhaps most visible in highways and commercial air. Traffic safety is continuing challenge for the transportation engineering profession because of public expectations that safety will continue to improve. Traffic Safety The focus of agencies involved with transportation safety are improvement of safety of vehicles, traffic safety, safety research and development, and collection of accident data. These agencies investigates selected accidents involving all transportation modes, identifies safety problems, an serves as an advocate for transportation safety concerns. Highway Traffic Safety The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals was created on November 8, 1968 during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO) Conference on Road Traffic at Vienna, Austria. A total of 52 contracting countries including the Philippines agreed to accept the system as described in the convention. Informative sign | is a very legibly printed and very noticeable placard that informs people of the purpose of an object, or gives them instruction on the use of something. Examples of Informative Signs Highway Traffic Safety Regulatory signs | are traffic signs intended to instruct road users on what they must or should do (or not do) under a given set of circumstances. Other types may be signs located on streets and in parking lots having to do with parking, signs in public parks and on beaches or on or in architectural facilities prohibiting specific types of activities. Examples of Regulatory Signs Highway Traffic Safety Warning sign | is a type of traffic sign that indicates a hazard ahead on the road that may not be readily apparent to a driver. In most countries, they usually take the shape of an equilateral triangle with a white background and a thick red border. Examples of Warning Signs Some Traffic Safety Ads.. Some Traffic Safety Ads.. Equality of Access Another continuing challenge has been to provide adequate access to the transportation system for all sorts of people. Three groups in particular that are seen as generally undeserved. Physically handicapped Elderly Poor Environmental Protection One of the most important challenges to the transportation system is that of dealing with its environmental impacts. These include impacts on air quality, energy consumption, and land use. Environmental Protection Site-specific impacts include those related to the: Displacement of resident and businesses Noise Impacts on wildlife Impacts on water quality Visual impacts Temporary impacts during construction (noise, dust, reduced water quality due to erosion of unprotected slopes) Impacts in environmentally sensitive areas Environmental Protection Examples of such areas are: Habitats of threatened or endangered species Flood plains Wetlands Coastal zones Prime agricultural lands Historical or archaeological sites Wild or scenic rivers Environmental Protection Air pollution is commonly perceived as being the most serious environmental problem resulting from the transportation. Most transportation-related air pollution is the result of the use of highway vehicles in densely populated metropolitan areas. New Technology The major technological development of the past 20 years has been a concerted effort to take advantage of rapid advances in electronic technology. These technologies include information processing, communications, and control systems and are collectively known as intelligent transportation system (ITS). These ITS technologies are the subject of a major technological initiative involving government, business, academic, and research organizations. New Technology The goals of the ITS program are to: Improve safety Reduce congestion Improve mobility and accessibility Reduce the environmental impact and increase energy efficiency Improve economic productivity Create a domestic ITS industry New Technology These goals are to be achieved through: Improved traffic control systems Improvements in the provision of information about the transportation system to its users Automation of administrative and regulatory functions New or improved systems for warning users of hazards New vehicle control systems And other applications of electronic technology Funding Securing adequate financial resources is another perennial challenge, both for public agencies, providing transportation facilities private-sector firms, providing transportation services. The most common forms of user charges: Fuel taxes, which have been applied as fixed charger per gallon/liter of fuel sold. Direct fares or tolls Institutional Arrangements New arrangements have come about as a response to perceived deficiencies in the existing system. Often they have been imposed by outside agencies and in many cases they have been resisted by established institutions. In the recent past, the most conspicuous and enduring areas of institutional change have been (1) adjustments to the relationship between the public and private sectors and (2) attempts to overcome modal and jurisdictional fragmentation. Bibliography Highway Safety Design Standards. (2012). Department of Public Works and Highways. Hoel, L. A., Garber, N. J., & Sadek, A. W. (2008). Transportation Infrastructure Engineering: A Multi-Modal Integration.