Luka Novačko

Selection of LRT System Track Gauge Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (City of Zagreb)

Public urban passenger transit in the City of Zagreb consists of trams, buses and rail traffic. Constant growth of the motorization level in the City of Zagreb, and the existing condition of public urban transit which fails more and more in satisfying the traffic demand, impose the need to introduce a new urban transport subsystem. In order to meet the current and future needs, and to improve the level of the quality of service, the introduction of LRT system is proposed, which has also been planned by the urban planning-traffic documentation of the City of Zagreb. One of the problems in the planning of LRT system is the selection of the track gauge regarding the possibility of connection to the existing tram network (1000 mm), i.e. railway network (1435 mm). The paper applies the AHP method (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for the selection of the optimal track gauge, as one of the multi-criteria decision making methods. The hierarchic structure of all relevant criteria and their sub-criteria will be defined.

Application of Microscopic Simulation of Traffic Flows in Developing Evacuation Plans for Inhabitants

The paper presents the possibilities of implementing micro-simulation traffic tools in order to develop the evacuation plans. Well elaborated evacuation plans are the basis for alleviating the consequences resulting from emergencies. The simulation tools allow the design and verification of various evacuation planning scenarios with minimisation of costs and time. The paper provides detailed presentation of the basic characteristics of microscopic simulation of traffic flows, as well as examples of their implementation worldwide. The characteristics of the software tools are described through an overview of the basic settings of PTV VISSIM (Planung Transport Verkehrin Stadten—Simulations model) program as one of the most significant representatives of these tools. The necessity of implementing the traffic tools in evacuation results from the crucial role of traffic in reducing the consequences of emergencies. These tools allow also a detailed analysis of the output data in order to select a suitable solution. The concluding part of the paper presents an example of evacuation of the population through the Jankomir node as part of the European project “preparedness for evacuation in case of a nuclear accident”. The evacuation was performed through three scenarios in circumstances of higher or lower transport demand.

The influence of the European CiViTAS ELAN project on development of a better and sustainable public transport in the City of Zagreb

The CiViTAS Initiative is the EU response to the growing problems caused by traffic in European urban centres such as traffic congestion, noise, exhaust gases and difficult access to the city centre. The CiViTAS Initiative helps cities to test and develop an integrated set of measures for sustainable urban mobility. One of the projects is CiViTAS ELAN where five cities Ljubljana, Gent, Zagreb, Brno and Porto are cooperating. The goal of this project is to improve the quality of life for citizens and to implement better solutions in urban transport by promoting and enhancing sustainable, clean and energy efficient ways of transport. It is funded by the FP7 Programme and total duration of the project is 48 months from 2008 to 2012. As a part of CiViTAS ELAN, the City of Zagreb wants to discourage the use of cars by making public transport and cycling as a more attractive alternative. CiViTAS highlights in Zagreb are: decrease of traffic congestion, improvement of quality, accessibility and attractiveness of public transport, switch to cleaner modes of public transport, lower environmental impact of city fleet, inclusion of the existing railway into the city’s public transport system, improvement of cycling conditions and introduction of alternative modes of transport and mobility i.e. car pooling. The paper will present some measures and their results after three years of project implementation such as decreased congestion in pilot corridor along Savska street, decreased energy consumption and noise, improved public transport quality by purchasing 70 energy efficiency trams and 160 buses on gas or bio-diesel, e-ticketing, inter-modal solutions, etc.

Preliminary Results of Studying Optimal LRT Network in the City of Zagreb

This paper will present the first results regarding the multidisciplinary research study of LRT (Light Rail Transit) system, based on three studies and the adopted General Urban Plan in the period from 1999 to 2008. The priority so-called “ZG cross” has been specially analyzed, with line A in the West-East direction and with line B in the North-South direction, with two versions of the gauge (1000mm and 1435mm) and with several possibilities of connections with relevant tram and suburban railway system through the Park& Ride locations. The problem of the so-called “ZG ring” has been discussed as well, based on the past studies regarding improved connections of the new, bigger urban and suburban agglomerations.

Current Safety Situation at Level Crossings in Croatia and the Future Research

Level crossings (LCs ) represent a direct conflict between rail and road traffic. From the aspect of safety LCs are traffic points of high risk. This is confirmed by the fact that they are often places where traffic incidents and accidents frequently occur, with consequences in human victims and great material damages. Those represent an actual problem of traffic safety which is characteristic of the traffic system of every country and in the Republic of Croatia as well. In Croatia every level crossing is protected in accordance with the stipulated legal regulations, and the protection level primarily depends on the category of the railway line (main, regional, and local) and the road (state, county, local, uncategorized), allowed speed on the line, terrain conditions, and local circumstances at the crossing location. On the Croatian Railways network in the total length of 2756 km, there is a total of 1542 LCs. Out of the total number of LCs 68.4% are protected only by road traffic signs and visibility triangle (signs informing about the approach to the crossing, STOP sign and Andrew’ s cross), and 31.6% of LCs are protected by devices (light-audio signals, half-barriers, barriers). The safety condition at level crossings in the Republic of Croatia is best reflected in the data on the number of traffic incidents and accidents (fatalities and material damage), as well as on the number of victims (killed, injured). This paper will introduce the current status of level crossings in Croatia, included types of LCs, statistical data of accidents, comparison with other countries, national safety programme for the protection of LCs and research perspectives with aim of defining priority measures of improving safety at level crossings.

Role of Railway Traffic in Public Urban and Suburban Passenger Transport (Example of The City of Zagreb)

One of the basic problems of all the mid-size and bigger European cities is permanent increase in the demand for passenger transport services, but also increase in individual automobile traffic. Apart from environmental pollution such urban mobility results in constant road congestions in urban areas, endangering also the safety of traffic participants. All the European cities face the mentioned problems, which directly affects the quality of living there, attractiveness and economic development. In order to increase mobility at the same time, and to reduce the congestion, traffic accidents and environmental pollution, it is necessary to reduce and limit the individual traffic in urban and suburban traffic systems, and increase the share of railway, which has a series of direct and indirect comparative advantages over other traffic modes (very low harmful emissions, lower energy consumption, higher speed which allows significant savings in travel time, stimulation of suburban zones development, etc.). Therefore, the railway should have a dominant role in urban and suburban passenger transport, i.e. it should be the fundamental part of the system, which is upgraded by other subsystems. The paper studies the role and significance of the railways in public urban and suburban passenger transport in the City of Zagreb. Apart from the analysis of the existing situation in public urban transport in the City of Zagreb and the current role of railway in the public urban transport (PUT) system, which has not been sufficiently used yet, special emphasis is given on the projection of the future role of railways in PUT flow, including the new routes which would along with the existing infrastructure allow its greater share and a more significant role in the PUT system.

Regulating of Passages in the Motorway Central Reserve

Passages in the central resetVes of mot01ways are intendedfor redirection of traffic during planned special maintenance ofmotorways and in accident situations, as well as for the requirementsof emergency vehicles (ambulance, fire-brigade, police).The observed problems in deficient legal regulations of thedesign and length of the passages are reflected on the existingcondition of the passages in the central resetVe on the Croatianmotorways. Our practice shows diverse solutions, especially regardingthe lengths of the passages.Considering the issue of the passages in the motorway centralresetVes in a certain number of the European Union countriesone can notice various design solutions contained in thenational standards. Having in mind the purpose of the passagesunder the condition of safe flow of traffic, the required passagedimensions have been studied regarding their position on themotorway. The study resulted in two design type solutions.As result of the perfonned study and the obsetVation of thenational and foreign practice, recommendations are given forthe design solution of the passage in the central rese1ve on theCroatian motorways.