Shintaro Terabe

Application of hierarchical Bayesian estimation to calibrating a car-following model with time-varying parameters

The problem of congestion caused by capacity bottleneck phenomena in access-controlled road sections should be addressed. A description of the relation between car-following behavior and vertical gradient is expected to contribute to the development of effective measures, including accurate parameter tuning of adaptive cruise control systems. This paper develops a methodology for revealing this relation. First, a model with time-varying parameters allows the characteristics of the car-following behavior to be expressed depending on the vertical gradient. Second, to account for the gradual change in vertical gradient in considering car-following behavior, a hierarchical Bayesian model is applied to the description of gradual change. Third, Markov chain Monte Carlo method is implemented as a technique for finding a solution. An example of estimation is presented to demonstrate the procedure. Conclusions suggest future directions for extending this study to devising measures for mitigating congestion on expressways.

An experimental study on learning effects on mode choice behavior in dynamic park and ride

This study examines the learning process of users in mode choice behavior through an experiment on iterative trips simulating Dynamic Park and Ride (DP&R) as a new Travel Demand Management (TDM) scheme. The learning process is reviewed by three different analyses: 1) a cross-sectional analysis, 2) a longitudinal analysis using pooled data on experiences in the most recent trial, and 3) a longitudinal analysis that takes into account the cumulative effects of all preceding trials. Findings are summarized as follows: travel times expected by participants have an effect on mode choice, and past experiences as well as the most recent experience also have an effect. The paper concludes with a discussion of the importance of considering learning effects for widespread adoption of a new conceptual TDM scheme.

Measuring Public Outreach: Estimation of Information Audience Rate

In the infrastructure planning process, the effective communication of information through media strategies is important in ensuring that the public is aware of and understands various infrastructure projects. To assess what media strategy is effective in involving the public, the information audience rate (IAR) was developed. This index shows the number of citizens who receive information released from government or planning authorities. Although the concept is the same as measuring the audience rate of television programs, IAR is a new and useful way to simultaneously evaluate several mass media sources. It is also applicable in planning a media strategy for different population groups. This case study, estimating the IAR of the Tokyo metropolitan area, illustrates how one group of suburban residents differs from another group–in this case, central business district (CBD) commuters and noncommuters. These groups represent two lifestyles: the CBD commuters tend to spend only nights and weekends in the suburbs. Of the 10 media considered, television and national newspaper columns had the highest IAR. The local newspaper column was effective for noncommuters, while the Internet and advertising posters in trains were effective for CBD commuters. Circulars and city bulletins were effective for both groups.

WiFi Scanner Technologies for Obtaining Travel Data about Circulator Bus Passengers: Case Study in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Recently, a variety of technologies, such as the development of Bluetooth, WiFi, and smart cards, have been used to investigate the movements of passengers or vehicles. This study describes the use of a WiFi scanner that was installed on a bus and circulated around the bus’s route 14 times. The method presented here involves the use of WiFi and GPS to analyze passengers’ movements while the bus is running and while stopped at a bus stop. Nine steps were used to derive travel data from the raw data to estimate the number of movements of the passengers. The results of this study describe the travel data collected between bus stops no. 1 and no. 9 and compare the observer data with the WiFi data.

Estimating Roundabout Delay Considering Pedestrian Impact

Delay at roundabout is commonly estimated based on the entry traffic lane capacity. Pedestrians have significant impact on entry capacity. Entry process becomes complicated when pedestrians are included. This research aims at examining whether the existing delay estimation at roundabouts are available or not after considering pedestrian impacts under the Japanese situation. Microscopic simulation VISSIM and a theoretical regression formula proposed by the author are applied.

Characteristics of the Media for Involving Public in Infrastructure Planning Process

In this Paper, characteristics of the media are surveyed. The use of the web survey as the evaluation technique of the information transmission activity is examined. As a result, it is shown that it is appropriate to use the web investigation excluding the television, and clarified the characteristic of the informationtransmission activity in public involvement process of infrastructure planning. It is also useful to utilize the town information magazine aiming at young people, even if the newspaper is the fundamental media for information transmission.