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Introduction to Sustainable Transportation

Abstract

This book chapter provides an overview of the traffic and transport problems that arise in urban cities, and the role of mass transportation systems in addressing them in detail for different use cases. The chapter discusses the different modes of transportation and their characteristics, including the public and private transport systems. The advantages and disadvantages of public transport systems are also explored for real-time scenarios. The role of transportation infrastructure in mass transportation systems, including green bays, control stations, mitigation buildings, separator lanes, and safety islands, is also discussed for different use cases. The chapter then introduces sustainable transportation as a solution to various transport issues and explores its benefits. Overall, this chapter provides a comprehensive understanding of the transportation issues faced by urban cities and the potential solutions offered by sustainable transportation characteristics.

Keywords: Sustainable transportation, mass transportation system, public transport system

1.1 Introduction

Transportation has been one of the cornerstones of human development, it includes categories like road transportation, air transportation, water transportation, and deep-sea transportation. While road transportation accumulates to nearly 70% of all transportation media, and thereby is considered as one of the most useful modes of transportation, other modes of transportation are also popular when context-sensitive transport is needed. Each of these modes has their own characteristics, including,

• Movement options, which indicates the number and scale of vehicles which the mode of transport can be used for carrying.
• Speed and accessibility, which represents the delay needed, and the number of people to which the medium is capable of reaching.

Table 1.1 Transportation modes and their characteristics.

• Cost and capacity, which represents the cost of moving single units, and the number of units which can be moved.
• Intermodal capability, which indicates the capability of the system for interacting with other modes of transportation.

A brief survey of these modes is tabulated in Table 1.1, wherein each of the modes and their characteristics are segregated and compared.

Based on this comparison, various transportation modes and their usage can be estimated for smart cities. In this chapter, a wide variety of transportation problems, their characteristics, advantages, drawbacks, and infrastructure details are discussed in detail.

1.2 Traffic and Transport Problems of an Urban City

As the population of any city grows, the number of vehicles also grow exponentially. An example of number of vehicles with regards to number of people in an urban area can be observed from Figure 1.1, which indicates that for each new individual, there is at least one vehicle on the road. In fact, it can be observed that the number of vehicles on road follow Equation 1.1 for any urban area,

Where, Vnum and Pnum represent number of vehicles, and number of persons in the area, while k is the area constant, which depends upon geographical size of the area.

Figure 1.1 Population v/s number of vehicles.

Due to increase in population size, the following issues arise during transportation:

• Traffic movement and congestion
• Off-peak inadequacy of public transport
• Public transport crowding
• Parking difficulties
• Difficulties for pedestrians
• Traffic noise
• Environmental impact
• Atmospheric pollution

Each of these issues result in increased congestion, and have a multiplicative effect on others. For instance, due to increased traffic movement and congestion, there is an increase in atmospheric pollution, which causes environmental impacts like global warming. Furthermore, due to larger traffic movements, there are parking issues, which further lead to congestion and overcrowding of public transports, which results into difficulties for pedestrians, and causes deficiencies in public transportation systems. Thus, these issues must be tackled during town planning, and mass transportation systems must be designed as discussed in the next sub-section.

1.3 Mass Transport System

Due to increase in overall traffic, governmental agencies have deployed mass transportation systems. These systems assist in transporting large number of people from one place to another, thereby reducing the need of multiple vehicle types. Examples of mass transportation systems are:

• City buses, which have moderate level of capacity, and move at moderate speed. These are the second most preferred way of transport, and usually follow a schedule.
• Trolley buses, require dedicated power lines, and thus are used in legacy mode.
• Trams (or light rail) are similar to trolley buses, but have larger capacities. Smart cities have replaced trams with underground and overground metro railways.
• Passenger trains are the most preferred way of communication in metropolitan cities, and are responsible for reducing traffic via maintaining fixed departure and arrival schedules.
• Rapid transit (metros, subways, underground railways, etc.) is one of the most upcoming modern day transportation systems, which are used for high efficiency, low cost and largescale transportations.
• Ferries and other water taxis are also used in geographies with water bodies. They are useful for low speed, but high-capacity transportation.

All these modes of transportation are categorized under public transportation system, which can be observed from Figure 1.2, and are discussed in the next sub-section of this text. This will assist in analysis of different transportation models, and thereby improving their feasibility for real time deployment.

1.4 Modes of Transportation and Characteristics

The transportation industry has a significant impact on how our culture and economy are shaped. However, the traditional forms of transportation, which are mostly dependent on fossil fuels, have had detrimental effects on the environment, people’s health, and sustainability in general. It is crucial to investigate alternate forms of transportation that lower greenhouse gas emissions, advance energy efficiency, and improve livability as the work toward a more sustainable future. This chapter seeks to provide a general overview of several sustainable transportation options and their features.

Figure 1.2 Mass transportation system for smart city.

1. Cycling and Walking

The most basic and sustainable forms of transportation are cycling and walking. These modes have a number of benefits, including the promotion of physical activity, a decrease in air pollution and traffic, and a need for less infrastructure. They are best suited for quick travels inside cities or getting to transportation hubs. In order to promote these forms of transportation, walkability, and the availability of bicycle infrastructure, such as designated lanes and bike-sharing programs, are essential.

Characteristics: following characteristics of cycling and walking are given below:

1. i. High sustainability and zero emissions.
2. ii. Improve public health by encouraging physical exercise.
3. iii. Suitable for short journeys.
4. iv. Demand bicycle facilities and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
5. v. Encourage engagement with the environment and a feeling of community.

2. Public Transportation

For a huge number of people, shared mobility alternatives are provided via public transportation systems, which include buses, trams, light rail, subways, and trains. By lowering energy use, emissions per passenger kilometer, and traffic congestion, public transportation has a substantial positive impact on sustainability. By influencing the patterns of land use, effective public transportation systems may improve accessibility, promote social fairness, and aid in urban growth.

Characteristics: the characteristics of public transportation are given as follow:

1. i. Efficient and cooperative resource usage.
2. ii. Reduce emissions and traffic congestion.
3. iii. Accessibility to a variety of locations is provided.
4. iv. Encourage dense construction and communities that are close to transportation.
5. v. Need well thought-out infrastructure and encouraging...