Academic literature on the topic 'Integrated rapid public transport network'

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is one of the strategies to promote improvements in urban mobility. In this study, BRT scenarios, which integrate exclusive bus lanes and bus priority signal control in mixed traffic scenarios, were modelled using a VISSIM microsimulation. Three scenarios of BRT were modelled to represent 16:84, 38:62 and 54:46 modal splits between public transport and private vehicles. It was found that Scenario 4 (the 54:46 scenario) offers better benefits in terms of delay time saving and economic benefits. In general, it was found that the BRT system enhances the functioning of the transport system and provides people with faster and better mobility facilities, resulting in attractive social and economic benefits, especially on a higher modal split of public transport. It is regarded as one strategy to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce dependency on private vehicles. The finding of this study provides an insight on the effective concept of the BRT system, which may promote the dissemination of an urban mobility solution in the city. The results can help policymakers and local authorities in the management of a transport network in order to ensure reliable and sustainable transport.

Applicability of the cost-effective strategy used in Switzerland that successfully integrates all public transport for the entire country into a multi-hub timed-transfer system (pulsed-hub network) is investigated using the greater San Francisco Bay Area as an illustrative case study. For the existing and proposed Bay Area rail service routes, the study investigates the optimal repeating (clock-face) base headway for the pulsed-hub network, hub spacing, and locations (ideally adjacent to dense and diverse land uses providing destinations within walking distance, preferably a downtown), and hub station design to minimize transfer walk times. A pulsed-hub network schedule, because of the repeating schedule, can be shown as a schedule map that represents typically a 1-h schedule module. The schedule map, showing the routing and travel times between hubs and the pulse timings by means of a clock face at each hub, becomes a tool to develop the multihub system and to communicate with all stakeholders, including policy makers and the public. The illustrative pulsed-hub network uses existing and proposed rail services and express buses on high-occupancy vehicle lanes. These include the two publicly owned regional rail systems, Bay Area Rapid Transit and the Peninsula Commute Service (Caltrain); the intercity Amtrak-operated Capitol Corridor trains between San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento (assuming that reliable passenger service can be maintained by freight railway by providing schedule windows for both passenger and freight trains); the proposed Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit and Dumbarton Rail Bridge routes; and the proposed California high-speed trains, currently in environmental review.

In 2010, Klang Valley has only 17% trips each day were completed using public transport, with the rest of the 83% trips were made through private transport. The inclination towards private car usage will only get worse if the transport policy continues to be inefficient and ineffective. Under the National Key Economic Area, the priority aimed to stimulate the increase of modal share of public transport in the Klang Valley to 50% by 2020. In the 10th Malaysia Plan, the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit was proposed, equipped with 141 km of MRT system, and will integrate with the existing rail networks. Nevertheless, adding kilometers into the rail system will not help, if people do not make the shift from private into public transport. This research would like to assess the possible mode shift of travellers in the Klang Valley towards using public transport, based on the utility function of available transport modes. It intends to identify the criteria that will trigger their willingness to make changes in favour of public transport as targeted by the NKEA.

Along with the acceleration of city-urbanization and industrialization process of the cities, city traffic demand increases rapidly. This provides a good development opportunity for the urban traffic and also brings new challenges for the urban traffic at the same time. In addition, the demands for the public transport service quality are becoming more and more strictly for the growth of residents’ travel and the improvement of life quality, the problems in the public transport system have become the main aspects that restrict the development of the urban public transport system. So the advantages of BRT in the optimization of the network are becoming more and more significant.

To build a comprehensive transportation system is an important measure to promote rapid and healthy development of the field of transportation. How to prepare railway network planning become an urgent problem, under the background of pursuing the integrated transport concept. Previous studies focus on the single transportation modes, to conduct railway planning. This paper first defines the overall transportation system, then studies the impact of integrated transport system to railway planning, and analyzes the Influencing factors, finally, makes railway network planning of Shandong province as an examples. This instance analyzes the problem of the Status quo railway, then introduces the integrated transport planning channels in Shandong Province, and proposes strategies under the influence of the concept of an integrated transport system, at last divides the railway network channels and plans the railway network in Shandong Province .

App-based services and ridesharing in the field of mobility-on-demand (MoD) create a new mode of transport between motorized individual transport and public transportation whose long-term role in the urban mobility landscape and within public transport systems is not fully understood as of today. For the public transport industry, these new services offer new chances but also risks, making planning models and tools for integrated intermodal network planning indispensable. We develop a strategic network planning optimization model for bus lines that allows for intermodal trips with MoD as a first or last leg. Starting from an existing public transport network, we decide simultaneously on the use of existing line segments in the future fixed-route network, on areas of the city where an integrated MoD service should be offered, on how MoD interacts with the fixed-route network via transfer points, and on passenger routes fulfilling given service-level requirements. The main challenges from a modeling point of view are to capture the interplay between MoD services and the fixed public network, as well as the approximation of MoD costs taking into account that vehicle utilization is a key factor influencing these costs. We develop a path-based formulation and a branch-and-price algorithm, as well as an enhanced enumeration-based approach, to solve real-world instances to proven optimality. The solution methods are tested on instances generated with the help of real-world data from a medium-sized German city, Göttingen, that currently operates around 20 bus lines.

The public transport network level is defined and is used to describe the performance and future improvement of the public transport system in Zurich, Switzerland. A public transport level is a specific type of service designed to serve a particular market. “Service” is defined as a combination of vehicles, infrastructure, and operating characteristics. A pure level occurs when the service is targeted specifically at one particular market. A hybrid level occurs when a service is targeted to serve several markets. Urban travel is generally described as three markets: short, inter mediate, and long-distance trips. Consequently many cities have developed three-level public transport networks: surface buses and trams to serve short trips, rapid rail to serve intermediate trips, and regional rail to serve longer-distance trips. Often, by design or for historic reasons, cities have additional levels, fewer levels, levels that are not precisely matched to their markets, or all three. For example, two-level networks are often found in medium-sized cities. Their advantage is lower costs, and their main disadvantage is a mismatch between transport mode and market that manifests itself in capacity limitations. The level concept to help analyze and plan public transport service is useful because it focuses attention on matching service qualities to markets. This approach, used here to analyze the success of the public transport system of Zurich, Switzerland, and to provide a structure for planning improvements that will be needed to meet rapidly increasing public transport demand, could help other cities design or redesign their public transport systems to be more attractive and efficient. More specifically, the approach could show how two-level public transport networks would be a viable option for medium-sized cities and large cities with dispersed settlement patterns.

The objective of this research is to estimate the potential demand and capacity for Jabodetabek Bus Semi rapid Transit (BST). A transport model based on four step modeling is utilized to analyze the demand at network level. The model is developed from previous works and adjusted through a calibration and validation procedure with data from the field. The base year O-D matrix is calibrated by trip length frequency distribution through a matrix balancing process. While the passenger flow is validated through transit assignment procedure with data on the existing bus routes. Based on the assumptions made and different operational characteristics and fare system scenarios, a simulation through the developed model on the proposed BST is conducted. From the analysis, the total boarding, the passenger flow on peak hour for each BST corridor are obtained. Based on the average and maximum passenger flow, the required capacity for each corridor is determined.

The problem of searching the optimal way in the network of public communication is investigated in the article. The modified Minieka algorithm and designed combined search into depth and Dijkstra algorithm method, operating by the basis of graphs are presented. In order to evaluate practically the efficiency and applicability of algorithms experimental calculating of route search in the model of public transport communication network has been made. Public transport network changed in to graph is a real public transport network segment in Kaunas. Having compared their efficiency (memory size and calculating time) it has been proved that both methods might be applied to solve the problem as well as be integrated into the prediction models of communication processes. The combined depth-first search and Dijkstra algorithm method are better.

Robustness studies on integrated urban public transport networks have attracted growing attention in recent years due to the significant influence on the overall performance of urban transport system. In this paper, topological properties and robustness of a bus–subway coupled network in Beijing, composed of both bus and subway networks as well as their interactions, are analyzed. Three new models depicting cascading failure processes on the coupled network are proposed based on an existing binary influence modeling approach. Simulation results show that the proposed models are more accurate than the existing method in reflecting actual passenger flow redistribution in the cascading failure process. Moreover, the traffic load influence between nodes also plays a vital role in the robustness of the network. The proposed models and derived results can be utilized to improve the robustness of integrated urban public transport systems in traffic planning.

Orientador: Antônio Fernando Branco Costa
Resumo: O presente trabalho desenvolveu um modelo matemático que contribui para o projeto de redes cicloviárias conexas e integradas ao sistema de transporte público por ônibus em áreas urbanas, fazendo uso da Otimização Multiobjetivo (OM) por meio da Programação Linear Inteira Mista (MILP ou MIP). A investigação dos critérios de infraestrutura que influenciam a demanda cicloviária e que deveriam compor a modelagem matemática foi realizada por meio da Revisão da Literatura e cinco critérios identificados, referentes ao: Conforto, Segurança, Objetividade, Intermodalidade e Continuidade. Cada critério é composto por uma série de subcritérios, dezesseis no total, classificados como parâmetros de projeto de entrada e/ou de saída para o modelo matemático, segundo funções objetivos e restrições. Uma aplicação do modelo foi realizada em um caso real para cidade de grande porte, em São José dos Campos – SP, e obtidas soluções exatas com redes parcialmente conexas (abordagem 1) e redes totalmente conexas (abordagem 2), integradas aos pontos de parada de ônibus e as linhas de ônibus da região delimitada, por meio da linguagem de modelagem General Algebric Modeling System (GAMS) e o solver CPLEX. Os resultados obtidos foram aderentes a realidade da macrozona de tráfego na região estudada e contribuem para o planejamento urbano como validado pela Secretaria de Mobilidade Urbana de São José dos Campos. A análise de diversos cenários para o modelo matemático, ponderando os objetivos do modelo, pos... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: The present work created a mathematical model that contributes to design bikeway networks integrated to the public transport service by buses in urban areas, using the Network Multiobjective Optimization through Mixed by means of Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP or MIP). The investigation of the infrastructure criteria that influence cycling demand and that should set the mathematical modeling was carried out through the Literature Review and five criteria were identified, referring to: Comfort, Safety, Objectivity, Intermodality and Connectivity. Each criteria is composed of a subcriteria set, sixteen in total, which performed as input and/or output design parameters for the mathematical model, according to fitness functions and constraints. An application of the model was carried out in a real case in São Jose dos Campos city - Sao Paulo state, and exact solutions were obtained with partially connected networks (approach 1) and fully connected networks (approach 2), integrated to the stop points by bus and bus lines in the defined region, using the General Algebric Modeling System (GAMS) modeling language and the CPLEX solver. The results obtained were adherent to the reality of the traffic macrozone in the studied region and contribute to urban planning, as validated by the São José dos Campos Urban Mobility Secretariat. The analysis of several scenarios for the mathematical model, considering the model's objectives, made it possible to verify the behavior of the res... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Doutor

In South Africa, non-motorised transport (NMT) modes such as cycling and walking are generally used by poor people to access centres of employment, public services (for example, library, educational institutions, public transport) and other amenities as well as for recreational activities. Notably, the lack of integration among the different public transport modes (namely, NMT, bus, train and minibus) creates a major obstacle in the provision of an integrated, sustainable and effective public transport system. Likewise, the absence of proper recognition of NMT in government and social strata creates a problem in the supply of a satisfactory public transport service, that is, a public transport service that meets the needs of all users. Motivated by the gap in NMT integration with the overall public transport system, the study was undertaken to explore enabling factors to integrate NMT as a key element of the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN). Social and political factors were explored, specifically, post-modern theory in urban transport planning and policy. In addition, the study explored enabling factors to integrate NMT as a feeder service and key element of an IRPTN from the perspectives of the participants of the study. The results of the study showed that infrastructure, the environment, promotion, and safety and security were identified as enabling factors to integrate NMT as a key element of an IRPTN. According to the results, government needs to promote NMT use. Subsequently, construction and the repair or widening of sidewalks and roads needs to be done. The results also showed that attractive NMT environments are necessary as well as adequate safety and security measures along NMT routes. It is suggested that a seamless, safe, inclusive, affordable, effective and reliable public transport system could be provided once these enabling factors are in place. Further research is advised, within the wider public transport population in eThekwini, as well as other NMT and public transport systems. The emphasis of this research should be on finding out whether the broader public transport population responds in the same way to the idea of integrating NMT and public transport.
Transport Economics, Logistics and Tourism
M. Com. (Transport Economics)

碩士
國立臺灣海洋大學
河海工程學系
101
The development of public transport network can well contribute to a region through the service level; therefore, the method of evaluating the public transport network service is an essential topic. On the basis of network planning with the aspect of supply-side, this study explored the related literatures for public transport network service, most literatures remarked upon individual measurement of single indicator for public transport network service, but few focus on the integration of indicators. In this study, three purposes were determined based on motivation: indicator set, indicator measurement and indicator integration. This study employed three important indicators through literature review: coverage, directness and connectivity; their parameters were modified for the applicability of domestic research. In addition, these three indicators were used to measure the public transport network service for a case study from 12 districts of Taipei City. The measurement of three indicators was defined: coverage was measured by a regional accessibility; directness was measured by a total route length as individually transfers each time; connectivity was measured by the diversity of routes and characteristics of transportation modes. For the consideration of dependent preference among indicators for decision makers, the weights from fuzzy measure were obtained via experts-questionnaire, and fuzzy integral was used to combine weights and performances. Nevertheless, the 12 districts of Taipei City were classified into 5 scales based on their overall performances. The scales are defined as very high (VH), high (H), medium (M), low (L) and very low (VL). The results showed that the Zhongzheng District and the Daan District have a very high level for public transport network service; high level for the Datong District, the Songshan District and the Zhongshan District; medium level for the Xinyi District and the Wanhua District; low level for the Shilin District, the Beitou District and the Neihu District; very low level for the Wenshan District and the Nangang District.

Platformization affects the entire urban transport sector, effectively blurring the division between private and public transport modalities; existing public–private arrangements have started to shift as a result. This chapter analyzes and discusses the emergence of a platform ecology for urban transport, focusing on two central public values: the quality of urban transport and the organization of labor and workers’ rights. Using the prism of platform mechanisms, it analyzes how the sector of urban transport is changing societal organization in various urban areas across the world. Datafication has allowed numerous new actors to offer their bike-, car-, or ride-sharing services online; selection mechanisms help match old and new complementors with passengers. Similarly, new connective platforms are emerging, most prominently transport network companies such as Uber and Lyft that offer public and private transport options, as well as new platforms offering integrated transport services, often referred to as “mobility as a service.”

Improving access to public transport can be considered an effective way of reducing the negative side-effects of motorised commuting. This chapter used the large dataset of Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity (VISTA) to introduce a new approach measuring public transport accessibility within the Melbourne region, Australia. A public transport accessibility index (PTAI) is a combined measure of public transport service frequency and population density as an important distributional indicator. Although many studies have measured access levels to public transport stops/stations, there has been limited research on accessibility that integrates population density within geographical areas. Employing geographical information system (GIS), a consistent method is introduced for evaluating public transport accessibility for different levels of analysis, from single elements, including public mode stops, to network analysis. The proposed index is compared with two common existing approaches using regression models. Key findings indicate that the PTAI has a stronger association whilst showing more use of public transport in areas with higher values of the PTAI.

Mobility as a service (MaaS) is an emerging concept offering integrated mobility services. Combining different transport modes and services, as well as collaboration of stakeholders, are prerequisites for viable and attractive MaaS services. MaaS is expected to increase the sustainability and efficiency of transport. Public-private-people partnership (PPPP) networks are seen as a potential solution to meet these expectations, especially in rural areas. The purpose here is to present a PPPP network for MaaS, which integrates market-based mobility services and subsidized transportation. The chapter also describes the roles and responsibilities of primary and secondary MaaS stakeholders at different levels, including authority, service provider, MaaS operator, and user levels.

With the rapid increase in data traffic and high data rate demands from cellular users, conventional cellular networks are becoming insufficient to fulfill these requirements. Femto cells are integrated in macro cellular network to increase the capacity, coverage, and to fulfill the increasing demands of the users. Time required for handoff process between the cells became more sensitive and complex with the introduction of femto cells in the network. Public internet which connect the femto base station with the mobile core network induces higher latency if conventional handoff procedures are also employed in macro-femto cell network. So, handoff process will become slower and network operation will become insufficient. Some standards, procedures, and protocols should be defined for macro-femto cell network rather than using existing protocols. This chapter presents a comprehensive survey of handoff process, types of handoff in macro-femto cell network, and proposed methods and schemes for frequent and unnecessary handoff reduction for efficient network operation.

Young people today face a number of unprecedented social, cultural and economic challenges that pose a threat to their mental wellbeing. This includes rapid urbanization, globalisation and migration. It is increasingly recognised that intersectoral and multicomponent action is required to meet these challenges - yet so far the role of urban planning to promote adolescent health and wellbeing has been overlooked. This chapter provides an overview of the evidence showing the potential for the built environment to promote health and wellbeing among young people. This includes promoting an ‘active city’ that enables more walking, cycling, and provides integrated public transport facilities for young people. It requires that urban design is responsive to the integration of new technologies that can help forge mobility in, and engagement with, the city. The ‘playable city’ affords opportunities for adolescents to engage with a city through smart phones, whilst also promoting physical activity and social interaction. It also includes the provision of green space and ‘restorative niches’ that support emotional self-regulation in young people. In order to realise the full potential of urban design to promote adolescent mental health, we must engage young people in the debate on these new approaches.

Abstract Mobility is no longer just a necessity for travelers, but choices among several possible routes and transportation modes. Urban passenger rail transport plays an essential role because it is affordable, convenient, safe, and fast. On the other hand, rail lines are limited to high passenger density corridors. Inevitably, rail has to be placed together with different transport modes, forming a multimodal network. However, to enable this integration with other modes of transport, numerous practical problems remain, such as making a smooth transition from the existing siloed, mode specific operational structure towards an interconnected system of transportation modes and business models for a seamless connected journey. The current isolated operational structure lacks a single truth and accurate visibility, which further discourages participation from augmenting transportation modes and leads to the extended reaction time for new technology integration. This research article introduces a Multimodal Mobility (MMM) solution framework that provides a functional interface to integrate and synchronize the railroad operations with other public transit networks (including train-bus-rapid transits) and micro-mobility services. The known approach to addressing the users’ seamless mobility experience entails a centralized, prearranged, a priori knowledge and mechanism for operating intermodal transport systems. In contrast, the method defined in this paper focuses on a market-driven demand-responsive system that allows for dis-intermediation in a network of peer-level transportation modes operations. The framework facilitates blockchain-based decentralized and multi-organizational engagement. The focus here is the role of railroad in the multimodal ecosystem and its performance advancements in this integrated solutions framework. Leveraging a combination of graph analytics and machine learning algorithms, we provide methods to address challenges in encoding spatial and temporal dependencies of multimodal transit networks and handle complex optimization problems such as mixed time window and volume variation for resource allocation and transit operational analytics. This enables operation of different transit modes with varied resolution and flexibility for operational parameters like time, capacity, ridership, revenue management, etc. The analytics enable solutions for recommendations on synchronizing and integrating operations of transportation systems. Further, the network’s decentralization and modular handling enable market-driven co-optimization of operational resources across various transportation modes to ensure seamless transit experience for users.

In Muscat, the capital of Oman with over one million inhabitants, urban public transport practically does not exist and the use of private cars is dramatically increasing. As a result, accident rates and traffic congestion, two particularly pressing concerns in the urban area of the capital, have both risen. This situation has focused the concern of public administrations and has led to the urgent need of developing a Public Transport System in the city In order to develop this system in an integrated manner, the plan proposes to unify and organize regulation and management of public transport by creating a public transport authority, headed by the Ministry of Transport and with a very strong involvement of Muscat Municipality. By 2015 only two urban bus lines operate in Muscat, covering a small area of the city–Wadi Adei, Wadi Kabir and Ruwi. Therefore, the plan adopts a conservative approach by proposing the implementation of a comprehensive urban bus network –composed by trunk and feeder lines adapted to the low density of the city- before establishing other high capacity solutions, such as BRT or LRT. A key element of the system is the number of 13,400 taxis and microbuses that represent the only alternative to the 317,000 cars of Muscat. The plan suggests the reorganization and further regulation of the sector to achieve the professionalization of the taxi services and the migration of existing users, part of them to the professionalised taxi services and the other part to the implemented public transport services.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2016.3457

Abstract A multi-disciplinary team of West Point cadets developed an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) swarm to provide automated remote sensing of radiation sources and hazards following a nuclear blast. The swarm employs autonomous and adaptive distributed control algorithms to survey (1) a radiation fallout plume to map its contour, and (2) a road network to visually identify obstacles to ground travel. To effectively conduct these missions USMA designed modifications to a fleet of Tarot 650 drones to interface with an existing swarming infrastructure, and to enable rapid tool-free integration of the required sensor suite. In addition, a rapid deployment launcher was designed to safely transport, power, and remotely launch the UAS from the back of a HMMWV. This paper describes considerations and analyses that supported the integrated mechanical and electrical designs, as well as a description of the resulting product. Flight testing was conducted to demonstrate the functionality of most of the designed components. Following the COVID-19 shutdown, the team pivoted to remote subcomponent testing, and computer simulation to demonstrate the remaining functions.

With the rapid development of Beijing's economy and society and the continuous expansion of urban space. In this regard, the government proposes to vigorously develop public transport, especially to increase the construction of rail transit network to solve urban transport problems. Transit-oriented development（TOD ）mode is a land development mode dominated by rail transit. Through the mixed use of land, a good walking environment is established, so as to achieve the coordination of transportation and space. This paper analyses the current situation and problems of Beijing's urban rail transit development, and concludes Beijing's urban traffic problems. Based on the study of TOD mode and in-depth study of the theory of urban rail transit construction and the experience of rail transit construction at home and abroad, This paper summarizes the current situation of the traffic space, residential space, commercial space and recreational space around the west entrance of Qinghua East Road of Beijing Metro, and puts forward the redesign of the traffic space, residential space, commercial space and recreational space. I hope that the analysis of Wudaokou metro station under TOD mode can provide reference for others to do TOD theory for urban rail transit station planning.

There is a growing demand for mobility and accessibility from the Klang Valley (The Greater Kuala Lumpur) into the city of Putrajaya. Putrajaya is the federal administrative Capital of Malaysia, conceived as the first sustainable intelligent city-garden. The public connectivity in Kuala Lumpur is mainly centralized with the RR (Rapid rail) integrated by the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) with connections by bus to the peripheral zones. However the primary mode of transportation is still private vehicles such as cars and motorcycles, with an increased use from 458,294 in 2006 to 628,239 in 2012. In 1990, these numbers increased from 247 vehicles per 1,000 persons to 546 and 994 vehicles per 1,000 persons in 1996 and 2002 respectively, beyond the national level per 1,000 population of 91 vehicles in 1990, 133 in 1996 and 210 vehicles in 2002 incrementing the heavily congested conditions existent in the traffic grid, thus also affecting the connection with Putrajaya (Kuala Lumpur Structured Plan 2020). This paper highlights the necessity for a closer examination to some of the factors that exert influence on the motivation of the preference in the use of private transportation in detriment of the existent public urban network that will affect and endanger the sustainable nature of Putrajaya. The primary methodology used is the consultation of available literature, newspapers, published reports, and interview with experts. A secondary source is the observation in situ to help support the conclusions. The constant growth on the demand for private transportation in the population is hypothesized to be directly positively correlated to a very ingrained tradition, unchangeable weather conditions and the unreliable connectivity. These factors directly affect the lack of incentives to improve existent public transportation from Klang Valley to Putrajaya.

Rapid solutions are needed throughout the world to meet electrical demands for disaster relief, stabilizing development, industrial or research centers, exploratory drilling and mining, military stationing, and other off-grid or weak-grid applications. This need for on-demand power requires a mobile, modular, and self-sufficient power system designed for rapid deployment and seamless integration. This paper describes a mobile power solution specifically designed for disaster response situations like the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the primary motivating case for this work. A public-private partnership between Arizona State University and NRG Energy was formed to complete the use-inspired design. The mobile system was scoped to meet electricity requirements for a command center, clinic, cellular communications, kitchen, short-term lodging and public lighting, and other critical loads needed to stabilize development in the wake of natural or anthropogenic disaster that destroys the local electrical infrastructure. Deploying modular and self-contained micro-grids has the potential to reduce human harm following disaster by providing a decentralized network of electrical generation assets designed to meet critical loads for human survival and well being. In addition, since no two emergency situations are alike, the proposed solution provides flexibility and scalability to meet constraints for local renewable resources, fuel availability, and physical deployment space. The final system includes a 20 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) array, 10 kWh of lithium-ion battery storage, a 10 kW inverter system, a control computer, and a 20 kW diesel generator for supplemental power. The solar array is packed within a 20’ steel shipping container for ease and safe transport, thereby making the solution “containerized.” Components must be firmly mounted or secured to the walls and floors of the container for transport via a cargo freighter or helicopter. A second room was created inside the container to separate the generator from the batteries for safety purposes. The prototype can be fully deployed and functional in less than one hour’s time, and was tested against a load bank during various times of the day to illustrate how the power system controls shift operation between batteries, solar PV, and the generator. Sustainability, ethics, health, and safety features were considered in relation to the design specifications, manufacturability, and design scalability. These considerations included the lifecycle of the container, maintenance, modularity, intuitive operation, accessibility, and component temperature regulation, among others. Integration of other technologies such as wind power generation and water purification have the potential to bring further benefit through the plug-and-play containerized micro-grid solution.

Attention to safety and health are of ever-increasing priority to industrial organizations. Good Safety is demanded by stockholders, employees, and the community while increasing injury costs provide additional motivation for safety and health excellence. Safety has always been a strong corporate value of DuPont and a vital part of its culture. As a result, DuPont has become a benchmark in safety and health performance. Since 1990, DuPont has re-engineered itself to meet global competition and address future vision. In the new re-engineered organizational structures, DuPont has also had to re-engineer its safety management systems. A special Discovery Team was chartered by DuPont senior management to determine the “best practices’ for safety and health being used in DuPont best-performing sites. A summary of the findings is presented, and five of the practices are discussed. Excellence in safety and health management is more important today than ever. Public awareness, federal and state regulations, and enlightened management have resulted in a widespread conviction that all employees have the right to work in an environment that will not adversely affect their safety and health. In DuPont, we believe that excellence in safety and health is necessary to achieve global competitiveness, maintain employee loyalty, and be an accepted member of the communities in which we make, handle, use, and transport products. Safety can also be the “catalyst” to achieving excellence in other important business parameters. The organizational and communication skills developed by management, individuals, and teams in safety can be directly applied to other company initiatives. As we look into the 21st Century, we must also recognize that new organizational structures (flatter with empowered teams) will require new safety management techniques and systems in order to maintain continuous improvement in safety performance. Injury costs, which have risen dramatically in the past twenty years, provide another incentive for safety and health excellence. Shown in the Figure 1, injury costs have increased even after correcting for inflation. Many companies have found these costs to be an “invisible drain” on earnings and profitability. In some organizations, significant initiatives have been launched to better manage the workers’ compensation systems. We have found that the ultimate solution is to prevent injuries and incidents before they occur. A globally-respected company, DuPont is regarded as a well-managed, extremely ethical firm that is the benchmark in industrial safety performance. Like many other companies, DuPont has re-engineered itself and downsized its operations since 1985. Through these changes, we have maintained dedication to our principles and developed new techniques to manage in these organizational environments. As a diversified company, our operations involve chemical process facilities, production line operations, field activities, and sales and distribution of materials. Our customer base is almost entirely industrial and yet we still maintain a high level of consumer awareness and positive perception. The DuPont concern for safety dates back to the early 1800s and the first days of the company. In 1802 E.I. DuPont, a Frenchman, began manufacturing quality grade explosives to fill America’s growing need to build roads, clear fields, increase mining output, and protect its recently won independence. Because explosives production is such a hazardous industry, DuPont recognized and accepted the need for an effective safety effort. The building walls of the first powder mill near Wilmington, Delaware, were built three stones thick on three sides. The back remained open to the Brandywine River to direct any explosive forces away from other buildings and employees. To set the safety example, DuPont also built his home and the homes of his managers next to the powder yard. An effective safety program was a necessity. It represented the first defense against instant corporate liquidation. Safety needs more than a well-designed plant, however. In 1811, work rules were posted in the mill to guide employee work habits. Though not nearly as sophisticated as the safety standards of today, they did introduce an important basic concept — that safety must be a line management responsibility. Later, DuPont introduced an employee health program and hired a company doctor. An early step taken in 1912 was the keeping of safety statistics, approximately 60 years before the federal requirement to do so. We had a visible measure of our safety performance and were determined that we were going to improve it. When the nation entered World War I, the DuPont Company supplied 40 percent of the explosives used by the Allied Forces, more than 1.5 billion pounds. To accomplish this task, over 30,000 new employees were hired and trained to build and operate many plants. Among these facilities was the largest smokeless powder plant the world had ever seen. The new plant was producing granulated powder in a record 116 days after ground breaking. The trends on the safety performance chart reflect the problems that a large new work force can pose until the employees fully accept the company’s safety philosophy. The first arrow reflects the World War I scale-up, and the second arrow represents rapid diversification into new businesses during the 1920s. These instances of significant deterioration in safety performance reinforced DuPont’s commitment to reduce the unsafe acts that were causing 96 percent of our injuries. Only 4 percent of injuries result from unsafe conditions or equipment — the remainder result from the unsafe acts of people. This is an important concept if we are to focus our attention on reducing injuries and incidents within the work environment. World War II brought on a similar set of demands. The story was similar to World War I but the numbers were even more astonishing: one billion dollars in capital expenditures, 54 new plants, 75,000 additional employees, and 4.5 billion pounds of explosives produced — 20 percent of the volume used by the Allied Forces. Yet, the performance during the war years showed no significant deviation from the pre-war years. In 1941, the DuPont Company was 10 times safer than all industry and 9 times safer than the Chemical Industry. Management and the line organization were finally working as they should to control the real causes of injuries. Today, DuPont is about 50 times safer than US industrial safety performance averages. Comparing performance to other industries, it is interesting to note that seemingly “hazard-free” industries seem to have extraordinarily high injury rates. This is because, as DuPont has found out, performance is a function of injury prevention and safety management systems, not hazard exposure. Our success in safety results from a sound safety management philosophy. Each of the 125 DuPont facilities is responsible for its own safety program, progress, and performance. However, management at each of these facilities approaches safety from the same fundamental and sound philosophy. This philosophy can be expressed in eleven straightforward principles. The first principle is that all injuries can be prevented. That statement may seem a bit optimistic. In fact, we believe that this is a realistic goal and not just a theoretical objective. Our safety performance proves that the objective is achievable. We have plants with over 2,000 employees that have operated for over 10 years without a lost time injury. As injuries and incidents are investigated, we can always identify actions that could have prevented that incident. If we manage safety in a proactive — rather than reactive — manner, we will eliminate injuries by reducing the acts and conditions that cause them. The second principle is that management, which includes all levels through first-line supervisors, is responsible and accountable for preventing injuries. Only when senior management exerts sustained and consistent leadership in establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance and providing the necessary resources, can a safety program be effective in an industrial environment. The third principle states that, while recognizing management responsibility, it takes the combined energy of the entire organization to reach sustained, continuous improvement in safety and health performance. Creating an environment in which employees feel ownership for the safety effort and make significant contributions is an essential task for management, and one that needs deliberate and ongoing attention. The fourth principle is a corollary to the first principle that all injuries are preventable. It holds that all operating exposures that may result in injuries or illnesses can be controlled. No matter what the exposure, an effective safeguard can be provided. It is preferable, of course, to eliminate sources of danger, but when this is not reasonable or practical, supervision must specify measures such as special training, safety devices, and protective clothing. Our fifth safety principle states that safety is a condition of employment. Conscientious assumption of safety responsibility is required from all employees from their first day on the job. Each employee must be convinced that he or she has a responsibility for working safely. The sixth safety principle: Employees must be trained to work safely. We have found that an awareness for safety does not come naturally and that people have to be trained to work safely. With effective training programs to teach, motivate, and sustain safety knowledge, all injuries and illnesses can be eliminated. Our seventh principle holds that management must audit performance on the workplace to assess safety program success. Comprehensive inspections of both facilities and programs not only confirm their effectiveness in achieving the desired performance, but also detect specific problems and help to identify weaknesses in the safety effort. The Company’s eighth principle states that all deficiencies must be corrected promptly. Without prompt action, risk of injuries will increase and, even more important, the credibility of management’s safety efforts will suffer. Our ninth principle is a statement that off-the-job safety is an important part of the overall safety effort. We do not expect nor want employees to “turn safety on” as they come to work and “turn it off” when they go home. The company safety culture truly becomes of the individual employee’s way of thinking. The tenth principle recognizes that it’s good business to prevent injuries. Injuries cost money. However, hidden or indirect costs usually exceed the direct cost. Our last principle is the most important. Safety must be integrated as core business and personal value. There are two reasons for this. First, we’ve learned from almost 200 years of experience that 96 percent of safety incidents are directly caused by the action of people, not by faulty equipment or inadequate safety standards. But conversely, it is our people who provide the solutions to our safety problems. They are the one essential ingredient in the recipe for a safe workplace. Intelligent, trained, and motivated employees are any company’s greatest resource. Our success in safety depends upon the men and women in our plants following procedures, participating actively in training, and identifying and alerting each other and management to potential hazards. By demonstrating a real concern for each employee, management helps establish a mutual respect, and the foundation is laid for a solid safety program. This, of course, is also the foundation for good employee relations. An important lesson learned in DuPont is that the majority of injuries are caused by unsafe acts and at-risk behaviors rather than unsafe equipment or conditions. In fact, in several DuPont studies it was estimated that 96 percent of injuries are caused by unsafe acts. This was particularly revealing when considering safety audits — if audits were only focused on conditions, at best we could only prevent four percent of our injuries. By establishing management systems for safety auditing that focus on people, including audit training, techniques, and plans, all incidents are preventable. Of course, employee contribution and involvement in auditing leads to sustainability through stakeholdership in the system. Management safety audits help to make manage the “behavioral balance.” Every job and task performed at a site can do be done at-risk or safely. The essence of a good safety system ensures that safe behavior is the accepted norm amongst employees, and that it is the expected and respected way of doing things. Shifting employees norms contributes mightily to changing culture. The management safety audit provides a way to quantify these norms. DuPont safety performance has continued to improve since we began keeping records in 1911 until about 1990. In the 1990–1994 time frame, performance deteriorated as shown in the chart that follows: This increase in injuries caused great concern to senior DuPont management as well as employees. It occurred while the corporation was undergoing changes in organization. In order to sustain our technological, competitive, and business leadership positions, DuPont began re-engineering itself beginning in about 1990. New streamlined organizational structures and collaborative work processes eliminated many positions and levels of management and supervision. The total employment of the company was reduced about 25 percent during these four years. In our traditional hierarchical organization structures, every level of supervision and management knew exactly what they were expected to do with safety, and all had important roles. As many of these levels were eliminated, new systems needed to be identified for these new organizations. In early 1995, Edgar S. Woolard, DuPont Chairman, chartered a Corporate Discovery Team to look for processes that will put DuPont on a consistent path toward a goal of zero injuries and occupational illnesses. The cross-functional team used a mode of “discovery through learning” from as many DuPont employees and sites around the world. The Discovery Team fostered the rapid sharing and leveraging of “best practices” and innovative approaches being pursued at DuPont’s plants, field sites, laboratories, and office locations. In short, the team examined the company’s current state, described the future state, identified barriers between the two, and recommended key ways to overcome these barriers. After reporting back to executive management in April, 1995, the Discovery Team was realigned to help organizations implement their recommendations. The Discovery Team reconfirmed key values in DuPont — in short, that all injuries, incidents, and occupational illnesses are preventable and that safety is a source of competitive advantage. As such, the steps taken to improve safety performance also improve overall competitiveness. Senior management made this belief clear: “We will strengthen our business by making safety excellence an integral part of all business activities.” One of the key findings of the Discovery Team was the identification of the best practices used within the company, which are listed below: ▪ Felt Leadership – Management Commitment ▪ Business Integration ▪ Responsibility and Accountability ▪ Individual/Team Involvement and Influence ▪ Contractor Safety ▪ Metrics and Measurements ▪ Communications ▪ Rewards and Recognition ▪ Caring Interdependent Culture; Team-Based Work Process and Systems ▪ Performance Standards and Operating Discipline ▪ Training/Capability ▪ Technology ▪ Safety and Health Resources ▪ Management and Team Audits ▪ Deviation Investigation ▪ Risk Management and Emergency Response ▪ Process Safety ▪ Off-the-Job Safety and Health Education Attention to each of these best practices is essential to achieve sustained improvements in safety and health. The Discovery Implementation in conjunction with DuPont Safety and Environmental Management Services has developed a Safety Self-Assessment around these systems. In this presentation, we will discuss a few of these practices and learn what they mean. Paper published with permission.

The urban population of Africa, the fastest urbanizing continent, has increased from 19% to 39% in the past 50 years, and the number of urban dwellers is projected to reach 770 million by 2030. However, while rapid urbanization has increased mobility and created a subsequent growth in demand for public transport in cities, this has not been met by the provision of adequate and sustainable infrastructure and services. The majority of low-income residents and the urban poor still lack access to adequate transport services and rely on non-motorized and public transport, which is often informal and characterized by poor service delivery. Lack of access to transport services limits access to opportunities that aren’t in the proximity of residential areas, such as education, healthcare, and employment. The urban public transport sector not only faces the challenge of poor service provision, but also of gender inequality. Research shows that, in the existing urban transport systems, there are significant differences in the travel patterns of and modes of transport used by women and men, and that these differences are associated with their roles and responsibilities in society. Moreover, the differences in travel patterns are characterized by unequal access to transport facilities and services. Women are generally underrepresented in the sector, in both its operation and decision-making. Women’s mobility needs and patterns are rarely integrated into transport infrastructure design and services and female users are often victims of harassment and assault. As cities rapidly expand, meeting the transport needs of their growing populations while paying attention to gender-differentiated mobility patterns is a prerequisite to achieving sustainability, livability and inclusivity. Gender mainstreaming in urban public transport is therefore a critical issue, but one which is under-researched in East Africa. This research explores gender issues in public transport in East Africa, focusing in particular on women’s inclusion in both public transport systems and transport policy decision-making processes and using case studies from three cities: Nairobi, Kampala and Dar es Salaam.