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Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety...
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Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety Levels of the Transportation System

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 8395

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ariane Cuenen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), School of Transportation Sciences, UHasselt—Hasselt University, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Interests: simulator; traffic safety; road user behaviour; evaluation; intervention
Dr. Wael Alhajyaseen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Qatar Trasnportation and Traffic Safety Center, & Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, PoBox 2713 Doha, Qatar
Interests: traffic safety; road user behaviour; road traffic control and operation; intelligenet transportation systems; road traffic simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Simulators are often used as an instrument to measure the behavior of road users for different applications. There are several types of simulators. For example, simulators for vulnerable road users (i.e., pedestrians, cyclists), for users of motorized vehicles (e.g., cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles) on the road network, and for users of other transport modes such as the railway, water, or sky (e.g., trains, boats, airplanes). These simulator tools are usually used to measure the impact of the road environment, operational strategies and control, facility infrastructure, and the interaction among different users on the user behavior within the transportation system. Furthermore, they can be used for both professional and non-professional drivers, people without or with a certain diagnosis (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, sleep apnea, Alzheimer), and for each age group, allowing the investigation of traffic behavior from children to seniors (e.g., fitness to drive). The behavior of road users can be tested in normal circumstances, but also in risky circumstances (e.g., fatigue, distraction, alcohol). Additionally, the effect of infrastructure on driving behavior can be investigated (e.g., road works, signalization, perceptual countermeasures). Eye tracking systems and electroencephalograms (EEGs) are examples of additional hardware that can be used to collect more detailed data. Moreover, simulators are used as an instrument to not only measure behavior but also train behavior by means of ‘simulator training’ to improve the behavior of road users (e.g., hazard perception), such as in the driver licensing process. Simulators have several advantages such as experimental control and allowing proactive assessment of operational/control strategies or infrastructural elements, but, inevitably, also some disadvantages such as the risk of simulator sickness.

This Special Issue focuses on scientific studies that used a simulator to contribute to the state of the art within the domain of traffic safety and mobility. Researchers from several disciplines are invited to contribute to this Special Issue (e.g., transportation engineers, urban planners, psychologists, educators, geriatrists, and pediatricians). Studies based on both fundamental and applied research will be considered. Review papers are also welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Ariane Cuenen
Dr. Wael Alhajyaseen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • simulator
  • traffic safety
  • mobility
  • transportation
  • road user behavior
  • infrastructure
  • training
  • assessment

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 2560 KiB  
Article
Method for Selecting the Vehicles That Can Enter a Street Network to Maintain the Speed on Links above a Speed Threshold
by José Gerardo Carrillo-González, Guillermo López-Maldonado, Juan Lopez-Sauceda and Francisco Perez-Martinez
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10272; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310272 - 28 Jun 2023
Viewed by 785
Abstract
The introduced method is a proposal for detecting spaces (links) and times (90 s periods) where the average speed is below the desirable, and for selecting vehicles in those spaces and times so that vehicles are systematically and gradually reduced from one simulation [...] Read more.
The introduced method is a proposal for detecting spaces (links) and times (90 s periods) where the average speed is below the desirable, and for selecting vehicles in those spaces and times so that vehicles are systematically and gradually reduced from one simulation to another until we get a simulation presenting the desirable average speed in all space and time. With our method can be detected the specific vehicles that can enter a street network so that the average speed on the network’ links be always greater than a speed threshold. The speed on a segment is calculated from two perspectives: (1) the general speed (vg), calculated with measurements and estimates, used to estimate the links’ travel times for selecting the vehicles routes, (2) the particular speed (vp), calculated without estimates and for segments with traffic light only with measurements performed during an interval of the green time, used to identify links and periods of unacceptable (low) speed. We test our method with different origin-destination (OD) tables, for each OD table we obtain the number of vehicles that can enter the network in 1 h so all links and periods present acceptable speed. Another result was, for each link, the change of the average (and of the standard deviation) of VG (the vector containing the vg of each period) between the final (after our method) and initial (the traffic conditions without our method) simulations, therefore the percentages of the links presenting a convenient change were evidenced. We did the same with VP (the vp of each period). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety Levels of the Transportation System)
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27 pages, 3531 KiB  
Article
The Action Point Angle of Sight: A Traffic Generation Method for Driving Simulation, as a Small Step to Safe, Sustainable and Smart Cities
by Minh Sang Pham Do, Ketoma Vix Kemanji, Man Dinh Vinh Nguyen, Tuan Anh Vu and Gerrit Meixner
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9642; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129642 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1687
Abstract
Computer simulations of traffic and driving provide essential solutions to reduce risk and cost in traffic-related studies and research. Through nearly 90 years of simulation development, many research projects have attempted to improve the various aspects of realism through the use of traffic [...] Read more.
Computer simulations of traffic and driving provide essential solutions to reduce risk and cost in traffic-related studies and research. Through nearly 90 years of simulation development, many research projects have attempted to improve the various aspects of realism through the use of traffic theory, cameras, eye-tracking devices, sensors, etc. However, the previous studies still present limitations, such as not being able to simulate mixed and chaotic traffic flows, as well as limited integration/interoperability with 3D driving simulators. Thus, instead of reusing previous traffic simulators, in this paper, we define relevant concepts and describe the development and testing of a novel traffic generator. First, we introduce realistic aspects to improve traffic generation, including interactive physics (i.e., interactions based on physics among the vehicles, infrastructure, and weather) and natural traffic behaviors (e.g., road user behaviors and traffic rules), allowing the self-driving vehicle behaviors to mimic human behaviors under stochastic factors such as random vehicles and speed. Second, we gain experiences from the technical deficiencies of existing systems. Third, we propose methods for traffic generation based on the action point angle of sight (APAS) formula, which adheres to these constraints and is interoperable with modern driving simulators. We also conducted quantitative evaluations in two experiments (comprising 250 trials), in order to prove that the proposed solution can effectively simulate mixed traffic flows. Moreover, the approaches presented in this study can help self-driving cars to find their way at an intersection/T-junction, as well as allowing them to steer automatically after an accident occurs. The results indicate that traffic generation algorithms based on these new traffic theories can be effectively implemented and used in modern driving simulators and multi-driving simulators, outperforming previous traffic generators based on repurposed technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety Levels of the Transportation System)
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15 pages, 3466 KiB  
Article
The Effectiveness of an Intelligent Speed Assistance System with Real-Time Speeding Interventions for Truck Drivers: A Belgian Simulator Study
by Bart De Vos, Ariane Cuenen, Veerle Ross, Hélène Dirix, Kris Brijs and Tom Brijs
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5226; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065226 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2344
Abstract
Speeding is one of the leading risk factors in road safety. Not only is it one of the leading causes of accidents, but it also has an extensive effect on the impact and consequences of accidents. This is especially the case for trucks, [...] Read more.
Speeding is one of the leading risk factors in road safety. Not only is it one of the leading causes of accidents, but it also has an extensive effect on the impact and consequences of accidents. This is especially the case for trucks, where the enforced speed limit is often dependent on local legislation and context rather than speed limit traffic signs. This study is part of the greater i-DREAMS project and aims to explore the effectiveness of an intelligent speed assistance system for truck drivers on different road types. To achieve this, a simulator experiment was performed with 34 professional truck drivers in Belgium. Participants first made a baseline drive, followed by two more drives, where they received visual information about the enforced speed limit but also visual and auditory warnings when exceeding the speed limit. The drives included different road environments with different speed limits. The results reveal a significant reduction in relevant parameters (i.e., average speed, minimum speed, maximum speed, and percentage of distance above the speed limit) when drivers received information and warnings about speeding while driving on a rural 1 × 1 road with a speed limit of 70 km/h (60 km/h for trucks). Further research is needed to validate this effect on other road types and under more-challenging conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety Levels of the Transportation System)
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16 pages, 4297 KiB  
Article
Effects of Object-Oriented Advance Guidance Signage on Lane-Changing Behaviors at the Mainline Toll Stations of Expressways
by Chaolun Wang, Wang Xiang, Guiqiu Xu and Xiaomeng Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15020982 - 5 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1060
Abstract
China has actively promoted electronic toll collection (ETC), increasing the proportion of ETC vehicles, and the number of ETC lanes at mainline toll stations has exceeded that of manual toll collection (MTC) lanes. To investigate the effects of ETC and MTC vehicles as [...] Read more.
China has actively promoted electronic toll collection (ETC), increasing the proportion of ETC vehicles, and the number of ETC lanes at mainline toll stations has exceeded that of manual toll collection (MTC) lanes. To investigate the effects of ETC and MTC vehicles as guidance objects on the lane-changing behaviors of drivers, we designed three guidance signal plans, including the original sign plan (OR), a complete MTC sign plan (CMS), and a complete MTC sign plan with voice warnings (VW&CMS), for expressway mainline toll lanes. A driving simulator experiment with 40 participants was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the plans. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the characteristics of lane-changing behaviors in different guidance plans, and an entropy weight model using the technique of ranking the order of preference by its similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) was constructed to evaluate the guidance effects of different plans. The results showed that the CMS and VW&CMS plans significantly improved lane-changing behaviors. This improvement is demonstrated by a higher lane-changing ratio, shorter response time, earlier initiation of lane-changing location, higher speed, lower deceleration rate, and longer lane-changing duration distance. These findings can help expressway designers to optimize the guidance-sign system for mainline toll stations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety Levels of the Transportation System)
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13 pages, 2106 KiB  
Article
Application of Unsupervised Machine Learning Classification for the Analysis of Driver Behavior in Work Zones in the State of Qatar
by Nour O. Khanfar, Huthaifa I. Ashqar, Mohammed Elhenawy, Qinaat Hussain, Ahmad Hasasneh and Wael K. M. Alhajyaseen
Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15184; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215184 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1688
Abstract
Work zone areas are commonly known as crash-prone areas. Thus, they usually receive high priority by road operators as drivers and workers have higher chances of being involved in road crashes. The paper aims to investigate driving behavior in work zones using unsupervised [...] Read more.
Work zone areas are commonly known as crash-prone areas. Thus, they usually receive high priority by road operators as drivers and workers have higher chances of being involved in road crashes. The paper aims to investigate driving behavior in work zones using unsupervised machine learning and vehicle kinematic data. A dataset of 67 participants was gathered through an experiment using a driving simulator located at the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC). The study considered two different work zone scenarios where the leftmost lane was closed for maintenance. In the first scenario, drivers drove on the leftmost lane (Drive 1), while in the second, they drove on the second leftmost lane (Drive 2). The results show that the number of aggressive and conservative drivers was surprisingly more than normal drivers, as most participants either cautiously drove through or failed to drive without being aggressive. The results also show that drivers acted more aggressively in the leftmost lane rather than in the second leftmost lane. We also found that female drivers and drivers with relatively little driving experience were more likely to be aggressive as they drove through a work zone. The framework was found to be promising and can help policymakers take optimal safety countermeasures in work zones during construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Advanced Simulators for Enhancing the Mobility and Safety Levels of the Transportation System)
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