Information on transit ridership and operations is a necessary condition as far as efficient management is considered. Transit managements on the acquisition of such a data base can confirm predictions about scheduling, receive warnings about potential dangers and plan future operations on a much broader and precise base. Data from passenger counts provide essential information to marketing and scheduling personnel by identifying peak load-points and the such. Using manual collection methods for such data is expensive and prone to human errors. Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) systems are viewed as an improved and economical technique for data collection. Such systems monitor the progress of a particular vehicle — its position, number of passengers getting on and off, times and distances between stops — and make this data available for processing. These are state of the art systems, mostly microprocessor based and often embracing a modular structure. The Red Pine system is such a system with different dedicated modules for each bank of tasks. Multitasking software is seen to be an powerful tool for such systems and simplify the architecture of the system hardware. A CHMOS hardware design, suited for multitasking softwares is provided. Interfacing software for the Red Pine system has been developed and is explained. Debugging testing and simulation of the Red Pine hardware is detailed. Modifications have been recorded and improvements suggested. / Master of Science

yes / Literature on truck pushers stereotype these boys as social misfits, criminals and nuisance to society; often regarded as creating streetism. Much consideration has not been given to their contribution to the economy as well as what motivates these boys to go into truck pushing. This chapter outlines research with 30 (20 current and 10 former) truck pushers, 5 customers who patronised the services of the truck pushers were interviewed for their views on the services of the truck pushers. Finally, 5 kayayei (female head porters) at the market were interviewed to find out if the presence of kayayei in the market has affected the business of the truck pushers. The study found that the services provided by truck pushers especially to petty traders and other shoppers were indispensable because they provide cheap, readily available and customised service. Due to poor urban planning and deplorable road networks in Ghana, many areas are not accessible by motorised transport, hand pushed trucks have become the most useful and efficient means of transporting goods from the markets to bus terminals and on some occasions to customers’ homes and shops. The chapter argues that non-motorised transport to the informal sector cannot be overemphasised; therefore truck pushers should be seen as bridging a gap in urban transportation, instead of the social misfit label attached to them.

The thesis presents an opportunity to study relationship between rapid rail transit system and urban development through measuring various changes caused by the rapid rail transit improvement in Washington, D.C., Beijing, China, and Vancouver, Canada. Due to the reason that the three systems are all well-planned systems, they are not only the important parts of urban public transit, but also tools for guiding urban and regional development. Three principal goals are identified for these systems: relieve traffic congestion; provide a transit alternative to the automobile drivers; and support a compact pattern of regional town centers out from an over-developed downtown area to form a polycentric urban pattern. The rapid rail transit is found to serve a majority of riders going to and from work. It attracts not only former auto drivers but also new riders from other modes due to the fact that the system is a time and cost-saving transportation tool for people. Joining other factors, rapid rail transit could shape land-use pattern, reduce decline of old downtown, and induce development. It influences society and economy positively in that region. Although there is no direct relation between the improvement and regional population growth, it influences the population re-distribution because it attracts new employment to its envelope and influence areas from other parts of the metropol is. A good transportation system in a metropolis should satisfy the variety of needs for mobility engendered by a very heterogeneous population. A system which mainly depends on automobiles cannot meet the needs. An rapid rail transit system could compensate for the insufficiency of automobile. As a critical and irreplaceable part of an urban transportation system, rapid rail transit plays an increasingly important role. / Master of Science

Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) systems can be very powerful tools for helping transit managers make important decisions about transit operations. Compared to the traditional method of manual data collection, they are a definite improvement. Not only can they collect data tirelessly for days at a time for far less cost, but they also provide very accurate information about the time and distance at which passenger activities occur. This information can be quickly processed into meaningful reports using specially developed software, reducing data turnaround time from months to minutes. This thesis describes the development and installation of an APC system for Valley Metro of Roanoke, Virginia. The research was carried out by the Departments of Civil and Electrical Engineering at Virginia Tech with funding provided by the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation. The result is an integrated system of equipment, software, and operating techniques which will greatly improve the flow of information at Valley Metro, allowing management the time and resources to do more planning and less paperwork. The work is significant for the following reasons: The software is easy to learn and use and can be run on inexpensive personal computers. The project demonstrates that APC systems are feasible for small transit companies, and that accurate location referencing can be achieved without signposts. The system could be applied at other small transit companies with very little modification required. The following chapters describe the project, including the experiences (both good and bad) and insights gained along the way. / M.S.

An impressive population growth and a rapidly expanding motor vehicle fleet have resulted in the "strangulation" of the city of Athens. Smog, traffic congestion, parking shortages, noise and excessive delays are everyday problems for the Athenians. The street network and the public transportation systems are not able to accommodate the existing traffic demands. An effort was made to address the transportation needs, that require an immediate solution, in the central Athens area. Traffic counts and physical characteristics were obtained for the street network of the central city. A traffic simulation model, MASSVAC2, was employed for simulating existing traffic conditions during the noon peak period, assessing the quality of operations, identifying street deficiencies and testing and evaluating different traffic management strategies for the central city of Athens. The need for the establishment of a comprehensive transportation plan, which consists of traffic management policies, traffic restraints, public transport improvements, and construction of a rail rapid transit system and a freeway-expressway system, was particularly stressed. The essential for effective coordination between agencies related to transportation management was also emphasized, for the alleviation of traffic congestion in the central area and the increase in the overall transport efficiency in the city of Athens. / Master of Science

Law So Man Belinda. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2000-01, design report." / Includes bibliographical references. / EXPLORATION-ISSUE AND INTEREST / Primary Elements of Railroad / Introduction--a Deconstmction of the Railroad / 4 Questions / INTERPRETATION-along THE RAILROAD / Time Scale / Spatial Value / Social Value / TRANSFORMATION / Time Table / Unification of Space / Hybrid Composition / Transportation / Penetrative Promotion / Show Time / Participant / Human Relationship / INTEGRATION-MULTIPLE IDENTITY ON THE LAST TRAIN / Three Statuses of Train / the Last Train / Identity / Time-Space / Time People / Time-Event / CONSIDERATIONS-SITE ANALYSIS AND PROGRAMME / Social Significance / The Rail / the Stations / the Train / tho Depot / Time Application / Schedule of Accomodation / CONFIGURATIONS--DESIGN DEVELOPMENT / "Form, Space and Order" / Passengers' Notice / Tenants' Notice / Development in Phases / Components of Matrix / Architectural Matrix / Time Matrix / Senerio Matrix

published_or_final_version / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

As regiões metropolitanas são o local onde se pode observar com mais clareza as grandes dicotomias presentes na sociedade brasileira. Riqueza e pobreza, qualidade de vida e falta de oportunidades. Nesse sentido, alguns dos maus resultados em matéria de políticas públicas podem ser associados a problemas em sua implementação. Diante deste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a forma com a qual a legislação relativa à implementação de políticas públicas de transporte coletivo na Região Metropolitana de Curitiba lida com os dilemas de ação coletiva. Essa análise perpassa as relações intergovernamentais entre os municípios componentes da Região Metropolitana de Curitiba e o Estado do Paraná, responsáveis pela implementação de políticas de transporte público coletivo. A dificuldade em lidar com os dilemas de ação coletiva, intrínseca à implementação de políticas, ao federalismo, à conformação das regiões metropolitanas e até mesmo ao fornecimento de sistemas de transporte público coletivo é o pressuposto que fundamenta a presente pesquisa. Para proceder àquela análise, a abordagem utilizada foi a qualitativa, de objetivos exploratórios e descritivos. Os meios pelos quais se busca respostas a tais objetivos foram as pesquisas de tipo bibliográfico e documental. Neste último aspecto, procedeu-se à análise de conteúdo dos documentos coletados, consubstanciados na legislação que normatiza a implementação de políticas públicas de transporte coletivo na Região Metropolitana de Curitiba. Essa análise buscou identificar a presença ou ausência de determinados conceitos relativos à coordenação e cooperação para a implementação de políticas públicas em contextos interativos. Como resultados, tem-se que: a) apesar de o legislador reconhecer a necessidade de que haja cooperação em matéria de políticas públicas, inexiste modelo para tanto; b) houve três distintas fases em matéria de cooperação: imposição de normas por parte da União, extrema descentralização e, a atual, com o aparecimento de modelos para a ação coletiva; c) os modelos atuais passam pela possibilidade de estabelecimento de consórcios públicos e pela governança interfederativa nas áreas metropolitanas. Enfim, concluiu-se que as normas que regem o cenário da implementação de políticas públicas de transporte na RMC são, ao mesmo tempo, problemas e obstáculos às esperadas condutas cooperativas, pois, por um lado, estimulam a competição entre os entes e a superioridade hierárquica de uns sobre outros, e, por outro, reconhecem a necessidade da ação coletiva. Ainda assim, por mais de 20 anos a RMC logrou manter uma rede integrada de transportes ativa, o que sugere a participação ativa dos atores sociais responsáveis por essa política pública. / Metropolitan areas present clearly the greatest dichotomies in Brazilian society. Wealth and poverty, quality of life and lack of opportunities. In this sense, some of the bad results in terms of public policies can be associated with problems in its implementation. In this study, the analysis relies in the intergovernmental relations between the municipalities that composes the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba (RMC) and the state of Paraná, all of them responsible for the implementation of public transportation policies. The difficulty in dealing with the dilemmas of collective action, intrinsic to the implementation of policies, federalism, the conformation of metropolitan region itself and even the provision of public transportation systems is the assumption underlying this research. To carry out the analysis, it was used a qualitative approach, with exploratory and descriptive objectives. This research used bibliographic and documentary approach to accomplish its objectives. Regarding to the later approach, the procedure was to analyze the collected documents that included the whole legislation that regulates the implementation of public transport policies in the metropolitan region of Curitiba. The document analysis sought to identify the presence or absence of certain concepts related to coordination and cooperation for the implementation of public policies in interactive contexts. The results led to the following conclusions: a) although the legislators recognize the necessity for cooperation in public policy there are no pattern to follow; b) there have been three distinct phases for cooperation, starting with the imposition of norms by the Union, going through a phase of extreme decentralization and the current one, where seem to appear the first patterns for collective action; c) current pattern seems to be the establishment of public consortia and interfederative governance in metropolitan areas. Conclusions lead to the understanding that the rules governing the implementation of public transport policies in the RMC are at the same time, problems and obstacles to the expected cooperative behavior, because on the one hand, they stimulate competition between the entities and the hierarchical superiority of some over others. On the other hand it recognizes the need for collective action. Even so, for more than 20 years the RMC managed to maintain an integrated network of active transport, which suggests the active participation of the individuals responsible for this policy.

Submitted in fulfillment for the degree of Magister Technologiae: Civil Engineering: Civil Engineering and Surveying, Durban University of Technology. Durban. South Africa, 2015. / Invariably, a high percentage of the population of South Africa depends on public transport. In order to continue to satisfy commuters in terms of comfort, travel time, reliability of service and traffic congestion, there is a need to improve the efficiency of moving passengers to reduce travel time, delay time and number of stops. In the quest for advancement and improvement in public transport, many countries now embark on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems based on the successful implementation of the system by cities like Curitiba (Brazil) and Bogota (Columbia). Government departments/transport authorities are often faced with the challenge of selecting the most suitable BRT system relative to the unique features of its transport demands and urban layout. Hence, this study proposes the determination of the most appropriate BRT system for the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA). An in-depth literature review was conducted in order to determine the most adoptable BRT system amongst median, kerb side and segregated BRT systems, taking into consideration cost implications, safety of the passengers, pedestrian crossing, physically challenged commuters, vehicle option and manoeuvres. Physical assessment and critical review of the current operating BRT systems in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in South Africa was employed in this study as well as a critical comparison among these systems. The pros and cons of the three functional BRT systems in South Africa were stated and a way forward for EMA was recommended. Lastly, an assessment of the proposed BRT system in EMA was conducted on the existing Phase 1 and the remaining three phases. The review conducted was based on route inspection, access to property, factors considered in the selection of a BRT system, demand analyses of the routes and the evaluation of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth BRT systems. Guidelines were also provided for the remaining proposed BRT routes which could be adopted by the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) in order to enhance a better performance in EMA over the three functional BRT systems in South Africa using the aforementioned criteria.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning