subject: Transportation
0-5 of 5
The Application of Traffic Calming and Related Strategies in an Urban Environment
description- – This thesis presents a collection of network optimization strategies aimed at aiding the local practitioner in selecting, implementing, and evaluating appropriate strategies to achieve community goals and objectives in the urban environment. The urban environment is often challenging due to the plethora of activity and variety in mode choice. Growing interest in sustainable transportation practices along with encouragement at the Federal, State, and Local levels to is leading to the growing use of non-motorized modes of transportation such as walking and bicycling. The combination of high population density and mixed land use in the urban environment creates unique safety and operational challenges.This research presents a synthesis of strategies designed to improve local transportation safety and efficiency by targeting speeding and cut-through volumes as improving pedestrian and bicycle facilities in urban areas such as those found in Western Massachusetts. Additionally, this research evaluates two local network optimization strategies; speed cushions and reverse angle parking. The effectiveness of the speed cushions in achieving the community's goal of reducing speeds was evaluated and determined to be a recommended strategy for future implementation, especially when couple with enforcement. Reverse angle parking, however, was not determined to be an effective strategy due to the high occurrence of events as well as lower parking volume exhibited during implementation.
- – 2008-01-01
- – application/pdf
The Development of a Dynamic-Interactive-Vehicle Model for Modeling Traffic Beyond the Microscopic Level
description- – The state-of-the-art traffic simulation packages model traffic on a microscopic level. This includes the use of several sets of models that dictate how traffic moves within a transportation network. These models include car-following, gap acceptance, lane-changing and route choice models. The aim of this thesis is to improve the treatment of vehicle dynamics in traffic simulation and, as a result, special attention was paid to car-following models. These models were highlighted because they are largely responsiblefor capturing a vehicle's motion and its relevant dynamics in traffic simulation. In order to improve the treatment of vehicle dynamics in traffic simulation, a Dynamic-Interactive-Vehicle (DIV) model was developed. This vehicle model is calibrated with the use of essential vehicle performance specifications that are responsible for the movement of a vehicle in a transportation network. After the calibration process the model is able to accept three inputs from a driver - gas pedal, brake pedal and steering wheel positions. The model then outputs the corresponding longitudinal and latitudinal values which represent the movement of a vehicle along a roadway. The vehicle model will also account for most of the dominant external forces that affect an automobile's performance along a roadway. This thesis will validate the proposed model by comparing its output from a few performance tests with the performance test results of three passenger cars. The DIV model was validated by comparing the acceleration, braking and steering performance test results of three passenger cars with the output from the DIV model upon performing similar tests. It was found that the DIV model was successful at replicating the two-dimensional vehicle motion.
- – 2007-01-01
- – application/pdf
French Children watching the 101st ammunition train, April 10, 1918
description- – A photograph of French Children on a bluff watching the 101st ammunition train, 26th Division, passing through the village of Soulosse, France, on the way to the front on April 10, 1918. The photograph was published in the Boston Herald for a retrospective article on World War I on February 11, 1934.
- – Soulosse (France)
- – Massachusetts.National Guard--Infantry Regiment, 101st
- – World War, 1914-1918
- – United States.Army--Transportation
- – 1918-04-10
- – Is part of the World War I Collection, 1917-1918. Massachusetts National Guard Museum&Archives, Worcester, Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/guard/museum/index.htm
- – image/jpg
- – English
Army Transport Wagon
description- – Two Massachusetts soldiers driving an army transport wagon, on June 20, 1916 . One of the soldiers holds the reigns of the horses as they pass a Coca Cola sign in the background. The participation of the Massachusetts National Guard in the Mexican Border Service in the summer of 1916 was part of a larger campaign by the US Army to help quell raids and disturbances along the US Mexican Border by outlaws and bandits, including Poncho Villa. The Mexican Border Service proved to be important experience for the Massachusetts National Guard. The mobilization and training the Mexican Border Service helped to prepare the Massachusetts National Guard for combat during World War I.
- – United States.Army--History--Punitive expedition into Mexico, 1916
- – Mexican-American Border Region--History--Military
- – Soldiers
- – Mexican Border Service
- – Massachusetts National Guard--Transportation
- – 1916-06-20
- – Is part of the Mexican Border Service Collection. Massachusetts National Guard Museum&Archives, Worcester, Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/guard/museum/index.htm
- – image/jpg
- – English
AN ANALYSIS OF THE SAFTEY EFFECTS OF CROSSWALKS WITH IN-PAVEMENT WARNING LIGHTS
description- – Pedestrian safety is among one of the largest concerns in the transportation profession. Many treatments have been developed and implemented to improve pedestrian safety. This current research focuses on the efficiency of in-pavement warning lights systems and involves multiple objectives. The primary objective is to evaluate the yielding rates and crosswalk usage of existing and proposed in-pavement lights systems with comparisons including before and after data through a case study approach. A secondary objective is to evaluate where drivers are looking when they approach in-pavement lights systems and develop a model to evaluate their behavior. The research described herein formulated these objectives into two research hypotheses and used statistical evaluation methodologies to provide quantitative and/or qualitative responses to the developed hypotheses. Data on pedestrian and driver behavior in the field, and the interaction between, them was collected using video camera technology in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. Data regarding drivers scan patterns during the approach to a crosswalk with in-pavement warning light system was collected using a driving simulator and an eye tracker. In total, 1,949 non-staged pedestrians and 606 staged pedestrians were observed crossing at the seven crosswalk locations in the field experiment and a total of 32 drivers participated in 576 crosswalk scenarios in the driving simulator evaluation.The field evaluation resulted in increased yielding rates and crosswalk usage after installation of in-pavement warning lights, while driving simulator evaluation resulted in drivers not becoming accustomed to scanning for lights instead of a pedestrian. Recommendations include installation of in-pavement warning lights at traditional, midblock crosswalks and continued exploration of all crosswalks in the driving simulator evaluation.
- – 2007-01-01
- – application/pdf
0-5 of 5