Citizens’ Perceptions in Relation to Transport Systems and Infrastructures: A Nationwide Study in the Dominican Republic

Public transportation means as seen by citizens: Approaching the case of the Dominican Republic

and middle-income countries, key constraints such as dense traffic flows, jams, and pollution constitute frequent issues that potentially explain many negative consequences in terms of (e.g.) efficiency, sustainability, and mobility safety. In this regard, recent evidence supports the idea that fostering public transportation is crucial to offering solutions for this difficult panorama. However, transport mode-related choices and shifts have been proven to depend highly on key perceptions and needs of potential users. The aim of this study was to analyze a set of key users' perceptions, usage, and perceived quality of public transportation in the Dominican Republic, as well as to explore the most relevant features for Dominicans from the "desired quality" paradigm. For this research at a national level, data retrieved from a nationwide sample of 1254 inhabitants of the Dominican Republic was used, proportional to the ONE census in terms of sex, age, habitat, and region. Overall, the results show that the general quality of transportation is 6.70 points out of 10. The use of public transportation in the Dominican Republic has a medium-low rating and is very focused on urban buses (41 %) and public cars (27.1 %). Nonetheless, the metro remains the most highly rated means of transport (M = 8.75). Concerning the quality variables analyzed, the highest scores are for accessibility (M = 7.08) and frequency of service (M = 6.99). Further, Dominicans focus on improving comfort, vehicle conditions, and safety. This study constitutes a first approximation to the desired quality of public transportation for Dominican Citizens, which may help policymakers scope user-based needs in public transportation systems and encourage a more frequent (and friendlier) public transport use in the country.

Factors affecting citizen safety of urban transportation service in Bangladesh: The case of Pabna municipality

Background

With the rapid growth of cities, the extent of road accidents has increased, posing a threat to the safety of citizens. In Bangladesh, like many other countries, urban areas face a high incidence of road accidents, leading to loss of life, injuries, and economic costs. This research aims to investigate the factors affecting citizen safety of urban transportation service in Bangladesh.

Methods

This study utilized verbal interviews maintained by questionnaires to gather data on citizen perception regarding factors impacting transportation safety. The questionnaire consisted of two sections, collecting non-parametric data on travel behavior and socioeconomic factors, and parametric data on factors related to transportation safety. The dataset was subsequently analyzed using statistical devices such as descriptive statistics, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Pearson's Correlation Matrix (PCM), and Cluster Analysis (CA).

Results and conclusion

The findings of the study indicate strong significant correlations among several pairs of variables. Notably, traffic rules and enforcement, and driver travel behavior demonstrate a strong positive correlation of 0.784. Similarly, vehicle condition and safety features, and traffic rules and enforcement display a robust positive association of 0.764. PCA demonstrate 23% of the total variance, with a significant positive loading affecting citizen safety, which is influenced by traffic rules enforcement and drivers' travel behavior. The research findings emphasize the implication of traffic rule enforcement and responsible driver behavior in ensuring citizen safety. In Bangladesh, inadequate transportation regulation enforcement has led to high rates of reckless driving and traffic accidents, especially among pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Gender differences in spending on information and communication technology and transport fuel intensity: Evidence from Ghana

This study estimated the effects of spending on information and communication technology (ICT) on transport fuel intensity and examined how the effects of gender on transport fuel intensity depend on spending on ICT in expanding economies. It applied restricted dependent binary logistic regression to the Ghana Living Standards Survey of 14,009 households disaggregated into 4366 women's and 9643 men's households, respectively. The main findings were that ICT expenditures complement fuel intensity in transportation and that spending on ICT has a greater impact on the fuel intensity of transportation in urban households headed by women than in those headed by men. Additionally, the study revealed that households headed by men or women consume less fuel as their income increases, age has an effect on the fuel intensity of the male and full households but not the female households, and the fuel efficiency of female-headed households improved as family size increased. Finally, only female-headed households exhibit a significant correlation between transportation fuel intensity and job status. The original value of this paper is to show that reducing spending on ICT is much more desirable for reducing the intensity of transport fuel in a gender context in expanding urban economies.

Validation of the metacognitive skills questionnaire for drivers of vehicles (CHMC)

Introduction

Knowing what strategies users use in the difficult task of driving has always been a priority objective in road safety, given that road accidents are one of the main causes of death in the world, as confirmed by the WHO. In this sense, the metacognitive skills questionnaire for drivers was validated.

Methods

The questionnaire measures the metacongitive skills used by vehicle drivers at three times before, during and after driving.

Results

The results of both the exploratory factor analysis (0.92 alpha by Cronbach) and the confirmatory factor analysis show the existence of three factors, a planning factor, a self-realization factor, and a third evaluation factor.

Discussion

Finding these results together with a psychoeducational intervention design, will improve the behavior of drivers and in turn will serve to improve the training programs of the same to the different institutions and centers responsible for such training.

Ride-hailing services: Competition or complement to public transport to reduce accident rates. The case of Madrid

Introduction

The transport and mobility sector is experiencing profound transformations. These changes are mainly due to: environmental awareness, the increase in the population of large urban areas and the size of cities, the aging of the population and the emergence of relevant technological innovations that have changed consumption habits, such as electronic commerce or the sharing economy. The introduction of new services such as Uber or Cabify is transforming urban and metropolitan mobility, which has to adapt to this new scenario and the very concept of mobility.

Objective

Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether ride-hailing platforms substitute or complement public transport to reduce accident rates, considering the two basic transport zones of Madrid: “The Central Almond” and the periphery.

Methods

The data were collected from the 21 districts of Madrid for the period 2013–2019, and they were analyzed by a Random Effects Negative Binominal model.

Results

The results obtained in this study suggest that since the arrival of Uber and Cabify to the municipality of Madrid the number of fatalities and serious injuries in traffic accidents has been reduced. Traffic accidents on weekends and holidays, with at least one serious injury or death, have also been reduced. However, the number of minor injuries has increased in the central districts of Madrid.

Conclusion

Overall, what was found in this study supports the hypothesis that these services replace the urban buses. However, these services improve the supply to users with greater difficulties to access taxis or public transport, constituting an alternative mode of transport for high-risk drivers. Therefore, such findings may be quite useful for policy makers to better define regulatory policies for these services.

Could Technology and Intelligent Transport Systems Help Improve Mobility in an Emerging Country? Challenges, Opportunities, Gaps and Other Evidence from the Caribbean

Apart from constituting a topic of high relevance for transport planners and policymakers, support technologies for traffic have the potential to bring significant benefits to mobility. In addition, there are groups of “high potential” users, such as young adults, who constitute an essential part of the current market. Notwithstanding, and especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), their knowledge and acceptance remain understudied. This study aimed to assess the appraisal of intelligent transport systems (ITS) and other technological developments applicable to mobility among Dominican young adults. Methods: In this study, we used the data gathered from 1414 Dominicans aged between 18 and 40, responding to the National Survey on Mobility in 2018 and 2019. Results: Overall, and although there is a relatively high acceptance, attributed value, and attitudinal predisposition towards both intelligent transportation systems and various support technologies applicable to mobility, the actual usage rates remain considerably low, and this is probably exacerbated by the low and middle-income status of the country. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest the need to strengthen information and communication flows over emerging mobility-related technologies and develop further awareness of the potential benefits of technological developments for everyday transport dynamics.

Nonparametric Regression Analysis of Cyclist Waiting Times across Three Behavioral Typologies

This paper seeks to predict the average waiting time, defined as the time spent moving at 1 ms−1 or less, of urban bicyclists during rush hours while performing different maneuvers at intersections. Individual predictive models are built for the three cyclist typologies previously identified on a large database of GPS traces recorded in the city of Bologna, Italy. Individual models are built for the three cyclist typologies and bootstrapping has confirmed the validity and robustness of the results. The results allow the integration of waiting times in route choice models for cyclists, thus improving the rational bases by which cyclists makes their decisions. Moreover, the modeling allows transportation engineers to understand how different cyclist typologies perceive different variables that affect their waiting times. Future work should focus on testing the model transferability to other case studies.