ABSTRACT This paper presents the concept of a modular multi-dimensional tool (MMDT) for evacuatio... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the concept of a modular multi-dimensional tool (MMDT) for evacuation planning models. The goal of MMDT is to propose alternative route and destination locations that can be evaluated and compared to one another. The proposed tool can represent a very large number of scenarios and its strength is in its modularity and efficiency. The MMDT can be applied using both conventional evacuation models and decentralised personalised evacuation models based on Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN) to reduce overall evacuation times. Large-scale test cases using anonymous LBSN data illustrate the MMDT on several scenarios. Results indicate a significant reduction in evacuation times when using decentralised personal evacuation.
Transportation Research Board 87th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2008
This paper reports the methodology developed and applied to estimate capacity and speed for bus l... more This paper reports the methodology developed and applied to estimate capacity and speed for bus lanes. The bus stop capacity is calculated in accordance with the Transit Capacity Manual (TCM) methodology, and the function parameter values are adjusted by analyzing results of several micro-simulation runs. The TCM bus lane capacity model is slightly modified to account for local traffic conditions. The main difference between the TCM method and the proposed method is related to the estimation of bus speeds. Analysis of micro-simulation results enabled the estimation and calibration of volume-delay functions for bus lanes. The initial validation results show a satisfactory match between modeled results and field observations.
Transportation Research Board 90th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2011
Noise is an environmental problem that affects people's lives. Negative noise effects include... more Noise is an environmental problem that affects people's lives. Negative noise effects include annoyance, sleep disturbance and reduction of property values. A dominant source of environmental noise in urban areas is the motorized vehicle traffic flow on the transportation network. The purpose of this paper is to determine, for given noise level limits and total trip demand, the optimal trip distribution in the planning phase of a new neighborhood. An algorithm to solve the combined traffic assignment and noise problem is developed. A key feature of the algorithm is a method to find the equivalent maximum traffic volume for each road segment without exceeding the noise criterion for each of the designated receivers. The result of the process is a modified origin destination (OD) matrix which could be used for neighborhood planning. The thesis shows an implementation of the algorithm for a real case.
Transportation Research Board 86th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2007
Most activity-based models are composed by a series of Nested Logit (NL) models with a fixed hier... more Most activity-based models are composed by a series of Nested Logit (NL) models with a fixed hierarchical structure. The Cross-Nested Logit (CNL) model is a generalization of the NL model, since it allows an alternative to belong to more than one nest, and thus allowing the specification of more flexible structures. The flexibility of the CNL model comes at the expense of estimating additional parameters that allocate the alternatives to nests. In transportation choice problems with a large number of alternatives, the number of allocation parameters to estimate may increase rapidly. The motivation of this paper is to find practical methods to infer the CNL allocation parameters for large size problems, such as a system of combined decisions. The paper illustrates the problem by estimating a combined mode and destination choice model for shopping trips using revealed preference data. A simple method to define the allocation parameters is suggested, and the correspondent CNL model outperforms other CNL and NL specifications.
Rivista Internazionale de Economia dei Trasporti, Jun 1, 2002
This paper investigates the individual traveler's perception of auto travel cost and the para... more This paper investigates the individual traveler's perception of auto travel cost and the parameters that affect this perceived cost. Mode choice models use different data and assumptions to calculate the cost of auto trips and apply them to estimate travel choices made by individuals. However, most models estimate the choices using a cost function while individuals make their choices based on their perceived costs. Since perceived costs may be different from the costs produced by the cost function, this may cause a bias in the traditional model. This paper uses a survey designed to measure perceived costs and compares the results with calculated values taken from local sources. Two different cost estimates were obtained. The first one was based on the individual's perceived cost of their commute trip and commute distance, and the second one was based on the individual perceived monthly automobile expenses and km driven per month. The perceived costs based on the monthly expenses estimate is found to be more accurate. Younger people have a higher estimate of auto cost than older people but otherwise perceived cost was not a function of the individual's characteristics.
Transportation Research Board 87th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2008
This paper describes an application of a new system-wide data collection to a large scale project... more This paper describes an application of a new system-wide data collection to a large scale project. The problem is to identify and estimate spatio-temporal congestion characteristics and provide this information to assess congestion pricing schemes. The methodology is based on passive data collection obtained from a cellular phone provider. The nature and coverage of the system allows the estimation of travel time and traffic volumes within reasonable accuracy. The paper focuses on the estimation of man-hours lost due to congestion in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. A total of 2,042 men-years is estimated to be lost due to congestion in a single month (March 2007).
The Master Plan of the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area is currently undergoing revision, part of which... more The Master Plan of the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area is currently undergoing revision, part of which involves the definition of four basic land-use patterns in conjunction with two transportation development alternatives. A special method was developed that allowed comparison and ranking of the scenarios. The main advantage of the proposed method is its ability to treat different types of measures in a uniform methodological framework. This paper, which appears in a compendium of conference papers, discusses the application of the proposed method.
ABSTRACT This paper presents the concept of a modular multi-dimensional tool (MMDT) for evacuatio... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the concept of a modular multi-dimensional tool (MMDT) for evacuation planning models. The goal of MMDT is to propose alternative route and destination locations that can be evaluated and compared to one another. The proposed tool can represent a very large number of scenarios and its strength is in its modularity and efficiency. The MMDT can be applied using both conventional evacuation models and decentralised personalised evacuation models based on Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN) to reduce overall evacuation times. Large-scale test cases using anonymous LBSN data illustrate the MMDT on several scenarios. Results indicate a significant reduction in evacuation times when using decentralised personal evacuation.
Transportation Research Board 87th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2008
This paper reports the methodology developed and applied to estimate capacity and speed for bus l... more This paper reports the methodology developed and applied to estimate capacity and speed for bus lanes. The bus stop capacity is calculated in accordance with the Transit Capacity Manual (TCM) methodology, and the function parameter values are adjusted by analyzing results of several micro-simulation runs. The TCM bus lane capacity model is slightly modified to account for local traffic conditions. The main difference between the TCM method and the proposed method is related to the estimation of bus speeds. Analysis of micro-simulation results enabled the estimation and calibration of volume-delay functions for bus lanes. The initial validation results show a satisfactory match between modeled results and field observations.
Transportation Research Board 90th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2011
Noise is an environmental problem that affects people's lives. Negative noise effects include... more Noise is an environmental problem that affects people's lives. Negative noise effects include annoyance, sleep disturbance and reduction of property values. A dominant source of environmental noise in urban areas is the motorized vehicle traffic flow on the transportation network. The purpose of this paper is to determine, for given noise level limits and total trip demand, the optimal trip distribution in the planning phase of a new neighborhood. An algorithm to solve the combined traffic assignment and noise problem is developed. A key feature of the algorithm is a method to find the equivalent maximum traffic volume for each road segment without exceeding the noise criterion for each of the designated receivers. The result of the process is a modified origin destination (OD) matrix which could be used for neighborhood planning. The thesis shows an implementation of the algorithm for a real case.
Transportation Research Board 86th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2007
Most activity-based models are composed by a series of Nested Logit (NL) models with a fixed hier... more Most activity-based models are composed by a series of Nested Logit (NL) models with a fixed hierarchical structure. The Cross-Nested Logit (CNL) model is a generalization of the NL model, since it allows an alternative to belong to more than one nest, and thus allowing the specification of more flexible structures. The flexibility of the CNL model comes at the expense of estimating additional parameters that allocate the alternatives to nests. In transportation choice problems with a large number of alternatives, the number of allocation parameters to estimate may increase rapidly. The motivation of this paper is to find practical methods to infer the CNL allocation parameters for large size problems, such as a system of combined decisions. The paper illustrates the problem by estimating a combined mode and destination choice model for shopping trips using revealed preference data. A simple method to define the allocation parameters is suggested, and the correspondent CNL model outperforms other CNL and NL specifications.
Rivista Internazionale de Economia dei Trasporti, Jun 1, 2002
This paper investigates the individual traveler's perception of auto travel cost and the para... more This paper investigates the individual traveler's perception of auto travel cost and the parameters that affect this perceived cost. Mode choice models use different data and assumptions to calculate the cost of auto trips and apply them to estimate travel choices made by individuals. However, most models estimate the choices using a cost function while individuals make their choices based on their perceived costs. Since perceived costs may be different from the costs produced by the cost function, this may cause a bias in the traditional model. This paper uses a survey designed to measure perceived costs and compares the results with calculated values taken from local sources. Two different cost estimates were obtained. The first one was based on the individual's perceived cost of their commute trip and commute distance, and the second one was based on the individual perceived monthly automobile expenses and km driven per month. The perceived costs based on the monthly expenses estimate is found to be more accurate. Younger people have a higher estimate of auto cost than older people but otherwise perceived cost was not a function of the individual's characteristics.
Transportation Research Board 87th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2008
This paper describes an application of a new system-wide data collection to a large scale project... more This paper describes an application of a new system-wide data collection to a large scale project. The problem is to identify and estimate spatio-temporal congestion characteristics and provide this information to assess congestion pricing schemes. The methodology is based on passive data collection obtained from a cellular phone provider. The nature and coverage of the system allows the estimation of travel time and traffic volumes within reasonable accuracy. The paper focuses on the estimation of man-hours lost due to congestion in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. A total of 2,042 men-years is estimated to be lost due to congestion in a single month (March 2007).
The Master Plan of the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area is currently undergoing revision, part of which... more The Master Plan of the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area is currently undergoing revision, part of which involves the definition of four basic land-use patterns in conjunction with two transportation development alternatives. A special method was developed that allowed comparison and ranking of the scenarios. The main advantage of the proposed method is its ability to treat different types of measures in a uniform methodological framework. This paper, which appears in a compendium of conference papers, discusses the application of the proposed method.
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Papers by Shlomo Bekhor