Pedestrians walk everyday to satisfy their basic necessities. They need an environment that reflects their requirements and expectations, in other words "liveable" as much as possible. So we should offer tools that could allow a complete and clear evaluation of the existing walking environment, taking into account both pedestrian requirements and urban environment schemes. To measure pedestrian mobility performance we usually use indicators, which measure performances and grant a quick estimation of progress. Indicators are universally acknowledged synthetic and standard parameters that should help policy makers gauge whether things are going in the right direction or not. They should be outcome measures, rather than inputs, and they should capture broad results. The advantage of using indicators is to recognize the quality of urban mobility through economical and social view of an environment. The aim of this paper is to estimate and compare pedestrian mobility indicators, evaluating their value in relation to the quality of walking environment. It is important to analyze all the aspects that make it possible to clarify a definition of "sustainable pedestrian mobility". Their analysis has to be related to the individuation of a set of indicators that simultaneously take into account the users' needs and allow the complete comparison between different urban pedestrian mobility strategies policies. Variables such as visual attractiveness, comfort, system continuity, safety, security, accessibility and infrastructure quality of urban walking pathways are taken into account in our analysis. Finally, we analyze the generalized role that the proposed set of indicators could play in sustainable urban and transport development and planning, even in different economic social and urban contexts.
Purpose - This paper aims to identify the parameters that influence the cost competitiveness of helicopter services for scheduled passenger transport on a regional area. Design/methodology/approach - The approach used is based on an analysis of demand and on a bi-level model (modal split model - service supply optimization model) optimization. Performance optimization in the supply of helicopter transport services is obtained by a sensitivity analysis on the recognized cost factors. Findings - The identification of the variation margins in the cost factors that might make an helicopter competitive for scheduled passenger services. Research limitations/implications - The inability to consider the totality of the helicopters today on the market due to lack of available data on their cost structure. Practical implications - It is represented by the opportunity of the spread of the helicopter through the strengthening of the competitive position in relation to other transport modes for passenger transport services. Social implications - It is represented by the ability to provide air transport services less expensive on the routes that connect the mainland with small islands, especially during the months when the sea conditions do not allow the naval connection causing the insulation phenomenon. Originality/value - Today, there is a lack of papers dealing with the issue of the performance of the helicopters from the point of view of the transport planner, considering what should be the characteristics of the aircraft to ensure performance to consistent designed services
Our research aims to explore the impact of latent variables, mirroring urban travellers' attitudes and perceptions, on the individual decision making process regarding the mode of transport. The paper describes the first results of an ongoing research activity, which derive from a pilot study conducted in Palermo, the capital of the Sicilian Region (in the south of Italy), and demonstrate that policy makers, in designing a socially desirable and environmentally sustainable urban mobility system, should take into account how travellers perceive the qualitative dimensions of transport.
Purpose -The purpose of the study is the evaluation of the efficiencies of a group of small Italian airports and the comparison with a set of transport heliports to show the difference in the productivity of the two types of infrastructures. Design/methodology/approach -The methodology used for the evaluation is the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Findings -The better performance of the heliports compared to the small inefficient airports. Research limitations/implications -This research is limited by the field of application and the weaknesses of the DEA methodology. However, it could be the first step for further works that will include more accurate models. Practical implications -The study suggests the conversion of the small inefficient airports into heliports feeding traffic towards the major hubs. The use of helicopters to reach poor accessible areas represents an alternative mode of transport. Originality/value -This is the first case of application of the DEA methodology to a group of heliports.
This paper suggests a methodology to assess, through quantitative indicators, the public transport based accessibility inside an urban area. Such indicators derive from two functions, one called the "activity function", allowing for the presence of generators and attractors of mobility and another termed the "impedance function", measuring the generalized cost of public transport journeys. The proposed method was tested and applied to a zone on the outskirts of Palermo (capital of the Sicilian Region), to evaluate the effects of a new tram line, which is under construction and will be activated by the end of 2012. The study shows that such a line is not sufficient to enhance significantly the accessibility of this zone except near the tramway. Therefore, to reach a high level of accessibility in the whole study area minimising, at the same time, the public transport operating costs, it could be better to plan an integrated system in which the tram service is supported by new bus lines or novel routes of the existing ones. Today, many European cities face the shortage of public funds, which raises the issue of efficiency for local policy actions. Given the above, we intend to provide the local town authorities with methodological tools to improve public transport performance and consequently accessibility, under severe budget constraints, by the re-organization of the service and a better exploitation of existing facilities.
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