Transactions on Transport Sciences, 2021 (vol. 12), issue 3
Editorial: Special issue related to the 33rd ICTCT Conference, held on-line on 28-29 October 2021
Stijn Daniels
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3) 
ICTCT (International Co-operation on Theories and Concepts in Traffic Safety) held its 33rd annual conference on the 28th and 29th of October 2021. The conference was held on-line due to the COVID19 pandemic. The practical organisation was in the hands of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). This special issue presents a selection of papers that were presented at the conference and that were subsequently accepted for publication in Transactions on Transport Sciences following the journal’s reviewing procedure. The aim of the conference was to discuss a broad range of road safety topics with a special focus on research questions and challenges...
Why so serious? - Comparing two traffic conflict techniques for assessing encounters in shared space
Carla Jakobowsky, Felix W. Siebert, Caroline Schießl, Marek Junghans, Mandy Dotzauer
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):4-12 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.009
In Germany, approximately 2.7 million crashes occurred in 2019. Especially vulnerable road users (VRU) have a high risk of being seriously injured or killed in traffic. Within the safe system approach, changes to the traffic infrastructure have been implemented to increase VRU safety. The creation of so-called shared spaces, in which all road users are encouraged to negotiate priority, is part of these efforts. Even though the concept has been known and applied for more than 40 years, comparatively little is known about interactions between different road users and methods to quantify interactions in shared spaces. The aim of this study is to investigate...
Three-Step Performance Assessment of a Pedestrian Crossing Time Prediction Model
Chiara Gruden, Irena Ištoka Otković, Matjaž Šraml
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):13-21 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2022.001
Pedestrian behavior and safety are emerging issues in current transportation. One way to safely study pedestrian dynamics, especially at potential conflict points such as crosswalks, is through micro-simulation. This tool provides the opportunity to repeatedly study pedestrian behavior and safety under different scenarios of interest. However, to obtain reliable results, micro-simulation models need to be calibrated and their parameters fine-tuned. One way to methodically calibrate these models is to identify the outcomes of interest, develop a predictive model for those specific outcomes, and use it as a tool to fine-tune the input parameters of the...
A trial to allow motorcycles on bus lanes in Tel-Aviv: an assessment of mobility and safety impacts
Victoria Gitelman, Roby Carmel, Anna Korchatov
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):22-33 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.011
While motorcycles or powered two-wheelers (PTWs) provide mobility benefits in dense urban areas, their riders are exposed to a high risk of injury. Bus lane use by PTWs is suggested in international practice as a measure for improving PTW safety and mobility although examinations of its impacts are rare, with results reported mostly in the United Kingdom. Based on the literature, it was anticipated that the measure would increase the use of bus lanes by PTWs and keeping to their travel lanes, thus improving PTW mobility and reducing conflicts with other vehicles. However, concerns were raised regarding possible disturbances to bus traffic while the...
A region-wide survey on emotional and psychological impacts of COVID-19 on public transport choices in Sicily, Italy
Tiziana Campisi, Socrates Basbas, Muhammad Ahmad Al-Rashid, Giovanni Tesoriere, Georgios Georgiadis
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):34-43 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.010
Public transport generally addresses the evident mobility needs and offers an often-irreplaceable service, especially for captive users and other disadvantaged population groups. Public transport design and services are closely related to the physical size of modern cities, the number of people living or working in them, and the distribution and organization of work and social activities. However, public transport has been restricted with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, since March 2020. Public transport demand collapsed, especially during the lockdown period (March-May 2020), and adverse effects were reported even in the subsequent periods....
Exploring the safety level of a signalized roundabout with crossing BRT: an observational pilot, in Israel
Victoria Gitelman, Anna Korchatov
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):44-54 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.023
Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems promote public transport use in big cities, but their implementation requires substantial changes in urban infrastructure, with impacts on road user behaviours and safety. In Israel, recently, a BRT system called "Matronit" was introduced in the Haifa metropolitan area. The extension of the BRT network included a new setting - a signalized multi-lane roundabout with a bi-directional BRT running through its center and traffic lights for the circular traffic when crossing the BRT route. Such a setting was not familiar to Israeli drivers and thus the initial operation of the roundabout was accompanied by an observational...
Comparison of safety and kinematic patterns of automated vehicles turning left in interaction with oncoming manually driven vehicles
Marek Junghans, Florian Krauns, Adrian Sonka, Michael Böhm, Mandy Dotzauer
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):55-66 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.003
Highly and fully automated driving has been under development for the past two decades in order to increase comfort, efficiency, and traffic safety. Particularly in the latter domain, experts agree on automated driving, especially in case of automated vehicles (AV) with SAE level 4 or higher, having the most promising effects. Automated driving is expected to decrease the number of seriously injured or even killed road users to zero (Vision Zero). However, automated driving is still in an early stage of development and many AV tend to drive very carefully to avoid crashes. So, the goal is to make driving more efficient while maintaining the highest...
Correlates of Pedestrian and Cyclist Falls in Snowy and Icy Conditions
Martin Bärwolff, Angelika Reinartz, Regine Gerike
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):67-77 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.007
Existing international studies consistently report increased numbers of pedestrian and cyclist falls in the winter months, particularly in icy/snowy conditions. Until now, reliable information on the factors contributing to these falls has been rare. This study investigates possible correlates of pedestrian and cyclist falls in icy/snowy conditions in Germany and takes into consideration factors such as behavior and surface conditions with the aim to develop recommendations for improving safety for vulnerable road users. As part of this study, 3,300 people in online surveys and 2,100 in field surveys were asked about their experiences and opinions...
Young Pedestrians' Mobile Phone Use While Crossing the Road
Juliane Stark, Katja Ruzsicska, Thomas Wiesmann
Transactions on Transport Sciences 2021, 12(3):78-84 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2021.015
In Austria, distraction and carelessness are the number one cause of accidents. This affects all types of travel modes. The use of smartphones makes a significant contribution to distraction in road traffic. While the issue of car drivers and adult pedestrians has already been investigated in numerous publications, the extent of the problem and its impact on children and adolescents walking on foot is hardly known. Within the framework of an explorative study, almost 2,800 crossing events of school children in front of an educational center in the city of Vienna (Austria) were observed and analyzed. The results show that 44% of the pupils observed...