Department for Transport

Increasing modal share for cycling has many potential benefits for individuals and communities, especially in regions dominated by motor vehicle use and affected by issues such as extreme congestion. However, research suggests that cycling is not always a safe and positive experience, especially in car-centric communities that could benefit most from increasing cycling rates. Effective countermeasures can mitigate many issues that deter cycling, but their impact also depends on how useful they are perceived to be by riders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the experiences of cyclists in terms of whether these are positive or negative and what factors underly these experiences (i.e. frequency of conflict with other road users, perceived stigma, cyclist behaviour) as well as to explore the perceived usefulness associated with a range of countermeasures considering safer behaviour, safer infrastructure, smarter cycles and more enforcement. Participants were 2135 cyclists living in Australia ( n = 1239; average age 53.6; SD = 13.0; men = 74 %) and New Zealand ( n = 896; average age = 46.8; SD = 14.6; men = 59 %) who completed an online questionnaire. Riders had mostly positive experiences with cycling, however 87 % felt there was a stigma towards cyclists and almost all riders (99 %) had experienced conflict with car drivers. These factors were associated with less positive perceptions of cycling. Understandably, almost all cyclists held positive views towards separated infrastructure countermeasures. Education campaigns for drivers were also seen as useful. Moreover, binary logistic regression analyses showed that across a range of countermeasures, cyclists who reported more positive experiences and more protective behaviours, yet also reported more conflict with other road users, tended to endorse infrastructure countermeasures. These cyclists may be more aware of safety concerns, adapt accordingly, and want to keep cycling. Riders perceiving stigma towards cyclists tended to support broader system-level changes; such as education and enforcement for drivers. Thus, a systems-level approach may be required to improve safety and positive riding experiences across a range of cyclists. • More than 2000 cyclists from Australia and New Zealand were surveyed. • The vast majority perceived a negative social stereotype towards cyclists. • Most reported experiencing conflict between themselves and larger vehicles. • Stigma and conflict were associated with less positive cycling experiences. • Separated Infrastructures and educational actions were widely endorsed countermeasures.

The evaluation of the operational status of highway traffic is an important foundation for highway network planning and related research work. Based on the data of expressway toll collection and ETC(Electronic Toll Collection) gantry, we propose an evaluation method and index system for the operation status of expressways from a planning perspective through vehicle trajectory traceability, and conduct a case analysis. The research results have strong application and promotion value and can provide important support and reference for related research work such as highway planning.

Cities worldwide face increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions from transportation systems, yet implementing new transport policies often involves high costs and uncertainties. This study introduces an immersive virtual reality (VR) tool as a flexible, low-cost approach for evaluating travel demand management (TDM) strategies before real-world deployment. In a repeated discrete choice experiment (1,260 observations), participants chose between a taxi (high carbon) and a bus (low carbon) across multiple scenarios, each featuring variations in cost, travel time, and carbon attribute levels. Three nudge interventions were designed to highlight environmental impacts at three different decision points. The findings demonstrate that strategically timed nudges offer policymakers a scalable tool to promote sustainable urban mobility by integrating salient environmental feedback into decision-making contexts. These results underscore VR’s potential to simulate realistic policy interventions and generate inputs to quantify the impact of different types of interventions alongside travel attributes.

Background. The article provides an overview of the current state of the railway container transportation market. Statistical data on the container transportation market is presented and analyzed. The article provides an overview of the work aimed at improving the organization of container transportation by rail. A generalized scheme of container delivery using rail transport is developed. The key objectives aimed at ensuring the reliability of container delivery are identified, and the main factors affecting the speed of container delivery are systematized. A mathematical expression of the delivery time of a container for the conditions of a direct option of transshipment from one mode of transport to another and taking into account the processing and storage of cargo at the terminal. Formulated the problem of optimizing the delivery scheme of containers in multimodal transportation in the conditions of the presence of several options of container terminals, their location. At the same time, according to the conditions of the formulated task, one processing of containers at the terminal is provided. A decision support system for changing the method of transportation of container products in multimodal transportation is proposed. Conclusions are drawn about the prospects of using the proposed system by transport and logistics companies. The purpose is to identify options for ensuring the flow and uninterrupted movement of container flows during multimodal transportation. Methodology. The article used an analysis of the current situation in the field of container transportation, mathematical modeling of container delivery time, optimization of the container delivery scheme based on the decision to overload the container at each terminal, and formulated a decision support system for delivery management. Results. The state of container transportation involving rail transport is determined, the analysis of studies in the field of container transportation using rail transport is performed, the directions of ensuring the reliability of container delivery are identified. A decision support system for multimodal container transportation is proposed. Practical implications. The results obtained can be used in the railway container transportation system, as well as by freight forwarding, operator, and transport and logistics companies.

The fragmentation of infrastructure information systems has long been an obstacle to integrated transportation asset management (TAM). This paper presents a novel method for automatic knowledge extraction and ontology modelling from heterogeneous TAM databases using large language models (llMs). The method adopts a Chain-of-Thought framework to decompose the complex ontology modelling process into atomic tasks, harnessing the semantic understanding and reasoning capabilities of LLMs. As a result, class entities, class hierarchies, and relations are generated to construct an ontology model that supports semantic interoperability across diverse TAM systems. The method's performance was evaluated using four sets of TAM database schemas from UK road agencies. The results show that the overall recall rate for entity generation reaches 89.5% compared to the standard ontology. Furthermore, the accuracy rates for entity classification and relation classification are 82.1% and 75.6%, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed LLM-based approach in addressing data fragmentation issues in transportation information systems.

INTRODUCTION: Life-cycle extension strategies have become critical enablers of circularity in product development. By emphasizing product longevity, reusability, repairability, and recycling capacity, these strategies aim to minimize resource consumption and waste generation while fostering sustainable value creation. OBJECTIVES: This research paper aims to explore approaches for extending product life cycles across all phases, from design through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life. For companies seeking to extend the longevity of their products, it is essential to understand the main principles in product life cycle extension (PLCE) but also to evaluate their maturity before implementing such strategies, in order to be sure that the best decision will be made. In this context, this work introduces an innovative methodology designed to support decision-making process by helping companies identify critical aspects that influence successful PLCE. METHODS: The present study explores principles relevant to PLCE, including durability, modularity, repairability, reusability, and recyclability. In addition, the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing in supporting PLCE strategies, particularly in applications such as predictive maintenance, is analysed. The PLCE maturity model was developed and an assessment was conducted using a structured questionnaire designed to capture and classify influencing factors across three domains: organizational, cultural, and technological. To validate the methodology, the assessment was applied to three manufacturing companies. RESULTS: The three use cases provided specific answers to the questionnaire that were reflected into different maturity levels. These results highlight the relevance in developing a methodology that support decision-making in product development focused on life cycle extension. The implementation of this structured methodology allowed to release specific guidelines that enable the improvement of PLCE through strategies that targets company’s needs. CONCLUSION: Through a maturity assessment applied in three manufacturing companies, it was possible to characterize the readiness level for PLCE of each one and identify which issues should be worked on and what aspects are already mature in the company. With this knowledge in consideration, the companies can now make informed decisions of their next steps in innovation and management of their products’ life cycle.

<ns7:p>Background This study aimed to collect and summarise information on e-bike and e-scooter use in areas with and without e-bike (EB) and e-bike plus e-scooter (EB+ES) combined share-hire schemes. Methods This study employed a repeated cross-sectional design. An online survey asking questions about demographics, travel, and health was completed by people in August and September 2023 before the schemes were launched in Bristol (EB+ES) and Leeds (EB), with Bradford and Sheffield as control sites. A resurvey was conducted at the same sites one year later, but also in Bath (EB+ES) and Plymouth (EB). We also interviewed eight e-bike and e-scooter users and non-users in Bristol (n=4) and Leeds (n=4). Results Following data cleaning, 3771 remained in the baseline sample and 5370 remained in the resurvey sample. The majority of participants reported having never used an e-bike (baseline: 61%; resurvey: 69%) or e-scooter (baseline: 77%; resurvey: 84%). At baseline, the most common e-bike access route was the use of their own e-bike (45%), with access via a share-hire scheme lower at 25%. In the resurvey sample, access levels were similar via a share-hire scheme (38%) and personal e-bikes (36%). The most common e-scooter access route was a share-hire scheme (baseline: 60%; resurvey: 74%). The most common weekly e-bike and e-scooter destinations were leisure/leisure venues, followed by work/education and shopping/errands. Half said they would not use an e-bike scheme and 63% indicated they would not use an e-scooter scheme. Potential users were willing to walk ~500 m to access an e-bike/e-scooter. Interviewees generally supported share-hire schemes, seeing them as a good addition to the wider transport offer, but with more support for e-bikes and reservations around e-scooters. Conclusions These data will be important for a later evaluation of EB and EB+ES share-hire schemes on public health, social, economic, and environmental factors.</ns7:p>

The disposal of windturbine blade (WTB) waste posesa significantenvironmental challenge due to its high volume and complex composition.This study introduces an innovative approach to address this issueby repurposing WTB-derived glass fibers (GF) into high-performancepolyacrylonitrile (PAN)-GF composite fibers through a scalable dry-jetwet spinning and forced assembly process. By integrating alternatinglayers of PAN and PAN-GF, layer thickness was precisely controlledto the micrometer scale, ensuring enhanced GF dispersion and improvedorientation through shear stress at layer interfaces. The individuallayer thickness in the multilayered PAN-GF fibers decreased progressivelywith an increasing number of layers, with 32-layered fibers exhibitingcomparatively thicker layers, while 256-layered fibers demonstratedsignificantly thinner layers. The effects of WTB-GF incorporationon the thermal and mechanical properties of PAN fibers were examinedusing tensile testing and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). UsingGF loadings of 1–4 wt %, the 256-layered composite fibers demonstratedremarkable mechanical improvements, with stiffness (modulus) increasingby 54.7% from 15.10 to 23.37 GPa and tensile strength rising by 27.2%from 521.71 to 663.66 MPa compared to pure PAN fibers. TGA resultsindicate that increasing the GF content leads to higher residual weightat 900 °C, reflecting enhanced thermal stability and greaterchar yield. The 256-layered 10PAN-4GF fibers showed the highest residualmass (41.23 wt %), highlighting the significant contribution of GFreinforcement to thermal stabilization. Heat treatment further transformedthese precursor fibers into carbonized fibers (CF) with exceptionalthermal stability and performance under extreme conditions. This processhighlights a sustainable pathway for reusing WTB waste and producingadvanced composite fibers, making them ideal candidates for demandingapplications such as aerospace and space exploration.

Global technological developments continue along with the era of globalization. Apart from that, currently all our needs can be reached easily, including in the field of transportation technology. One mode of public transportation that is already operating in Surabaya is the Suroboyo Bus. The Suroboyo Bus offers various facilities including handgrips for passengers. However, in reality the handgrip is considered to lack ergonomics and many Suroboyo Bus passengers complain of discomfort when using it. This research distributed questionnaires, Of the 30 respondents, 40% of respondents have the potential to experience injury with a low risk level and 60% of respondents have the potential to experience injury with a moderate risk level. This research was carried out using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method and simulated using jack software. It can be concluded that Suroboyo Bus needs to develop handgrips so that the height of the handgrip straps can be adjusted to the height of Suroboyo Bus passengers and their comfort level. In addition, the handgrip can be adjusted to the shape of human fingers and is coated with foam to minimize complaints or injuries such as muscle cramps, tingling and numbness.