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The purpose of this research is to evaluate smart experience in green health tourism with the mediating role of content marketing by using the two models of technology acceptance and hedonism. This study utilizes quantitative and causal research methods. A total of 332 respondents completed a survey conducted at two Iranian tourism hubs. Also, purposeful sampling was used for data collection. Respondents rated their perceptions of each item on a five-point Likert scale. Using the partial least squares path modeling technique, the results reveal the direct effects of smart experience on green health tourism. The findings suggest that content marketing interacts with smart experience to influence green health tourism, such that the use of smart experience in health tourism can reduce the annual costs of developing environmental protection methods. This paper thus contributes to the hospitality management theory, green tourism, and wellness literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every country requires efficient public transportation to reduce the reliance on motor vehicles, decrease harmful emissions and noise pollution, and, most importantly, provide accessible transportation for urban populations with limited resources. Yet, several challenges hinder the efficiency of the public transportation system, affecting factors like daily ridership, infrastructure, revenue, and operations. Therefore, this research investigated barriers and their impact on the daily ridership of rail transit services, especially in densely populated areas characterized by high automobile usage, inadequate pedestrian facilities, and limited connectivity to other transportation modes. To accomplish this goal, a self-administered questionnaire was developed, and a survey was conducted to collect responses from commuters at various public transport hubs. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze data gathered from a sample of 1000 participants. The findings from the SEM model indicated a positive correlation between Instrumental Attractiveness (IA) and Facility Design and Operation (FDO) with daily travel. Conversely, Service and Information (SI) along with Environmental Comfort (EC) exhibited a negative correlation with daily travel. Private sector employees without personal vehicles and a monthly income below fifty thousand exhibited a strong preference for public transport. Individuals with higher incomes who owned vehicles showed lower preferences towards public transport usage. The main contributors to low ridership in public transport included poor connectivity with metro and feeder buses, lack of availability of discount tickets, insufficient seating at stations, and inadequate route map information. Gasoline prices have a notable impact on daily ridership too, as higher fuel prices tend to attract more travelers to use public transport. The ridership data demonstrate a positive trend in response to increased gasoline prices. The findings from this study are useful for transportation engineers, practitioners, planners, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban mobility is a current and hot topic for local administrations, and not only due to the numerous road accidents in urban areas, often caused by the incorrect behaviour of scooter drivers. The diffusion of electric scooters occurred, above all, after the pandemic. While on the one hand, social distancing has forced many to re-evaluate traveling by car, there are many citizens who have adopted innovations such as pedal-assisted bicycles and, above all, electric scooters - the latter being the protagonists of a real boom. In addition to ensuring fast travel and ease of use, the electric scooter and its use have sparked public debate regarding safety and apparent deregulation. Very often in Italy and beyond, the use of electric scooters is associated with a perception of fear and scepticism about micro-mobility, as well as the diffusion of some models relating to sustainable mobility. This derives in part from the previous characteristics of the vehicles produced and manufactured in China that do not comply with the law, and in that case, are truly dangerous. But given the recent rules at both the Italian and European levels, we are very often protected against products that do not comply with the laws, and therefore, we have greater road safety. The recent legislation on use on Italian roads has changed the characteristics of users, vehicles, and infrastructures in which to circulate. The safety of the electric scooter has been a long-debated topic, especially since this vehicle has seen a boom in sales and rentals since 2020, thanks to the incentives for the purchase and the willingness of Italians to use public transport less and less. To define the choice of an electric scooter as a sustainable modal choice, it is necessary, beyond safety, to investigate the perception of users in terms of gender equity, use in the first and last mile, and perception in terms of green transport modes. Starting from this, a survey was implemented, and subsequently, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on about 550 users in the metropolis of Palermo in Sicily. The results related to the period 2019-2022 showed that the electric scooter is certainly a practical and green vehicle but must be driven with the same attention we pay in cars or motorcycles. The chi-square analysis defined the trend variations connected to the users' psychosocial parameters according to the user's gender and age. The scenario shows the need for timely interventions, above all to protect vehicle users but also pedestrians who are often involved in accidents due to the use of vehicles on sidewalks. The survey shows that scooter users are the first to request more safety, starting with the creation of protected lanes such as cycle paths or dedicated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the impacts of perception of infrastructure, sociodemographic characteristics, frequency of road use, and road user perception on safety, comfort, and chaos with respect to shared spaces. The case study area was the Via Maqueda, a shared street in Palermo, Italy. A face-to-face survey was conducted and the answers of 200 of the participants, who use three active travel modes, namely, walking, cycling, and micromobility, were analysed. The results obtained from the ordered logit models suggest that one-unit higher perception of infrastructure will increase safety and comfort perceptions for both walking and cycling. Females feel less safe while walking and less comfortable while cycling at shared spaces compared to males. Increasing the age group by one unit will decrease the safety and comfort perceptions for walking. The participants who use the shared spaces more frequently perceive that they feel more comfortable with cycling. Participants, particularly males, find the shared spaces less chaotic for walking when the perception of infrastructure is higher. Regarding the micromobility use at shared spaces, females feel less comfortable compared to males while using micromobility., Author(s): Nurten Akgün-Tanbay [1]; Tiziana Campisi (corresponding author) [2]; Tayfun Tanbay [1]; Giovanni Tesoriere [2]; Dilum Dissanayake [3] 1. Introduction Shared space is an urban transport strategy, which aims to [...]

This study aims to identify the travelers' adoption behavior towards electric vehicles (EVs) using the theoretical background of the Norm Activation Model (NAM) theory. A questionnaire was designed and conducted in Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 402 usable samples were obtained. The collected data were analyzed using factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling methods. The factor analysis confirmed the hypothesis of the statements designed according to the NAM theory, that is, awareness of consequences (AC), ascription of responsibility (AR), and personal norm (PN). Other factor analyses resulted in the following reliable factors: social and economic values (SEV), personal preferences (PP), willingness to buy (Buy), and willingness to use (Use) of an EV. The results of SEM revealed that the AC, AR, and SEV are significant predictors of PN, whereas the PN and PP are also positive predictors of travelers' willingness to buy and use. The young travelers (≤30 years), motorcycle users, employees, and trip distance (>10km) have significant and positive correlations with the PN. The car ownership status of travelers has a positive correlation with the ownership and usage of EVs. Suitable behavioral intervention techniques were derived to promote the ownership and usage of EVs in the context of developing regions., Author(s): Muhammad Ashraf Javid [1]; Nazam Ali [2]; Muhammad Abdullah [3]; Tiziana Campisi (corresponding author) [4]; Syed Arif Hussain Shah [5] 1. Introduction In recent decades, environmental pollution has been [...]

The recent pandemic has changed the modal choices of users in the urban context, highlighting in the last two years an increase in the diffusion of electric scooters, which is not homogeneous in the Italian context. At the beginning of 2020, the first e-scooter services were launched in Sicily, with the city of Palermo leading the way. A survey was therefore conducted in Sicily involving approximately 550 regular users of e-scooter services. The descriptive statistical analysis undertaken compared three different periods pre, during and post pandemic, with particular attention to the gender and age gap and different trends in the diffusion of multimodality. The results provide not only some suggestions for the improvement of services by managers but some suggestions to local administrators for implementation of democratic and sustainable planning steps, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing user behaviour and thus travel mode choice is an important task in transport planning and policy-making in order to understand and predict travel demand. Recent pandemic events have challenged the modal choices of European users by reducing the use of public transport at various times and favouring walking and/or the use of electric bikes and scooters for last-mile travel. A number of studies have focused on analysing how the pandemic affected workers' choice of transport mode, with particular reference to local public transport, by developing multinomial logistic regression and artificial neural network models to analyse travellers' choice of transport mode before and after COVID-19. Particularly in non-European contexts, studies have been conducted on the relationship between socio-economic factors and the duration of e-scooter trips before and during the health crisis caused by the pandemic. in these contexts, a general increase in the duration of escooter trips after the pandemic was shown. Few studies, however, have analysed the European context. Several factors relating to services and infrastructure as well as sociodemographic components contributed to the propensity to use e-scooters as evidenced by a number of literature works in the European context. However, little research has been conducted using the machine learning approach to understand which factors and how they may influence modal choices. The present research work focused on the analysis of last-mile transport choices by investigating the propensity of a sample of users residing in Sicily during different time phases before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, 35 different classes were determined for a total of 545 data. The classification process was carried out using SMO, KNN and RF machine learning algorithms. The results showed a reduction in the frequency of e-scooter use during the health crisis caused by the pandemic. The results showed that this was a temporary behaviour, even though the purpose of e-scooter use by most individuals changed during the health crisis caused by the pandemic. However, it was observed that the frequency of e-scooter use decreased in most individuals during the health crisis caused by the pandemic and this became a permanent behaviour. The results suggest that the analysis of the importance of variables in relation to different periods and is essential for a better understanding and effective modelling of people's travel behaviour and for improving the attractiveness of these means of transport for companies operating services in the areas examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel restrictions due to COVID-19 initiated a radical rethink of the urban planning process, focussing on a concept initially proposed by Carlos Moreno in 2016; the "15-Minute City" model, aiming at the improvement of quality of life by creating or rearranging cities so that residents' needs can be reached within 15-minutes on foot or by bicycle or by public transit. In continuation to a research in 2020, this paper quantifies the attractiveness of the model to residents in nine regions of Sicily in 2022. Based on statistical analysis concerning the respondents' opinion, the model examined promotes walking as an anti-stress method and improves the overall health conditions at a community level. Therefore, policy makers can revalue the existing planning process and create a blueprint for a healthier and car-free lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the development of novel green bio-composite mortars obtained by reusing mussel shells, a waste from the fish canning industry, as recycled aggregate, used for the first time in total substitution to the traditional sand. It suggests that this is a valid alternative to their usual disposal in landfills because the organic matter is potentially dangerous to humans and the environment. Different waste-based cementitious mixes were tested and compared to a traditional OPC mortar. The manufacturing process was performed at ambient conditions (20 °C, 65% RH) with highly sustainable results and consisted of simple operative steps reproducible in a real building site. The engineering performance was investigated to preliminarily assess the novel material potentials in construction. The main results showed that recycling mussel shells as aggregate while considerably decreasing the mechanical resistance (up to 60% in bending and 50% in compression), mixes could still find proper building applications (either structural, light partition, and plastering) according to the relevant standards. Moreover, the bulk density resulted up to 30% lower and the energy behavior was improved up to 40%, making the developed mortars highly suitable for promising energy-saving uses. Finally, the waste recycling about halves the materials cost and could also grant further financial saving for the fish industry. To conclude, the large amount of reused bio-waste not only represents a valid alternative to their usual disposal in landfills, but also makes the considered mortars suitable for building applications and promising candidates for the Minimum Environmental Criteria certification, in light of the EU Green Transition, and in line with the principles of the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles in a short time will make up the majority of the fleet of vehicles used in general. This state of affairs will generate huge sets of data, which can be further investigated. The paper presents a methodology for the analysis of electric vehicle data, with particular emphasis on the energy consumption parameter. The prepared database contains data for 123 electric vehicles for analysis. Data analysis was carried out in a Python environment with the use of the dabl API library. Presentation of the results was made on the basis of data classification for continuous and categorical features vs. target parameters. Additionally, a heatmap Pearson correlation coefficient was performed to correlate the energy consumption parameter with the other parameters studied. Through the data classification for the studied dataset, it can be concluded that there is no correlation against energy consumption for the parameter charging speed; in contrast, for the parameters range and maximum velocity, a positive correlation can be observed. The negative correlation with the parameter energy consumption is for the parameter acceleration to 100 km/h. The methodology presented to assess data from electric vehicles can be scalable for another dataset to prepare data for creating machine learning models, for example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable urban mobility planning is a strategic and integrated approach that aims to effectively address the complexities of urban transportation. Additionally, vehicle emissions are still a significant problem found in cities. Its greatest concentration involves intersections, as they have the highest number of stop-and-go operations, resulting in the highest engine load. Although electrification of vehicles is underway, the coming years and the energy crisis may cause the full transformation and fulfillment of the European Green Deal to be postponed. This state of affairs means that much effort should still go into possibly modifying the current infrastructure to make it more environmentally friendly. The article addresses the use of vertical road markings such as "stop", "give way", and also signal controllers signs, at four-arm X intersections. The modeling of intersection variants was carried out in the traffic microsimulation software VISSIM. The created model was calibrated according to real world data. The actual part of the work concerns the assumption of specific traffic flow scenarios, for which measurements of delay and emissions of harmful exhaust components such as NOx and PM10 were made. The results obtained can have practical application in proposals for creating unequal intersections. Based on the results, it can be concluded that below the traffic volume value of 1200 vehicles/h, an intersection can be considered with a yield sign and stop sign for two directions of traffic. However, for traffic volumes from 1200 vehicles/h to 2000 vehicles/h, an intersection with stop signs can be used for all traffic directions. The results may also provide some information on the location of the crosswalks and the improvement of strategies to be introduced into the SUMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vital mode of transportation for short term mobility is paratransit. There are several studies on paratransit safety in developed nations but the developing nations like Bangladesh pay less attention to the issue. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of paratransit using the perceptions of riders and drivers. Negative binomial model (NBM) was used to calibrate the safety of paratransit using 451 responses in Chittagong city. The study's findings highlight the significance of perceptions of travel safety in enhancing accessibility during the routine travel. Vehicle speed limits (km/h), which reduce the chance of accidents and having an institutional driver's license are among the variables that have emerged for the betterment of safety. Therefore, identifying factors that can makes these transportation systems safer will allow service managers and controllers to optimize passenger and driver safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to assess the risks of the functional safety of railway tracks allows harmonizing characteristics of track elements under certain operating conditions under certain maintenance for the efficient use of the track structure throughout its life cycle. The concept of detailing conditions of the interaction of the rolling stock and railway track was used for the productive solution of tasks of infrastructure functional safety assessment. The paper formed an approach to the analytical solution of determination problems of deformability parameters over time using the elastic waves theory. The formation method of interconnections between the technical and economic aspects of the operation of railway infrastructure was proposed. The criteria of deformability work and intensity of use were utilized for the effective use of the track structure through its life cycle. The results of calculations are presented to assess changes in the deformability behaviour of the track elements and structure when the force and speed parameters of the operating conditions change, as well as the algorithm of the method for estimating the operation deformability of the railway track. Thus, the proposed approach can be adapted to optimize objects by railway functional safety assessment at the stage of object operation simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People make numerous trips every day for a variety of purposes. Transport mode choice directly impacts travel time, congestion, and environmental conditions. It also depends on various economic, social, environmental, and personal related factors. This paper investigates the association between identity characteristics and transport mode choices in Thessaloniki, Greece. A customized questionnaire survey was carried out with 506 individuals in 2019 to collect data on nine self-declared personal statuses (affiliation with environment, place of residence, career, companionship, etc.) and trip frequencies of all available transport options in Thessaloniki. We ran latent class analyses to uncover three identity clusters. The Active individuals prefer public transport over private car, and they are mostly young, sporty, and with low incomes. Additionally, the Family-Oriented individuals are comparatively older, and they have greater access to private cars and higher incomes, while the Typical Urban population exhibits a slightly higher use of cars and public transport than the Active one. Trips on foot and by car (as passengers) are equally preferred by all latent classes' populations. Our findings highlight the role of individuals' identities in the development of travel behavior and may assist with the design of targeted policies and marketing strategies, which will facilitate sustainable urban mobility behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ride-hailing services play an important role in developing countries where conventional transport systems are not enough to meet the needs of commuters because of increased populations. This form of transport has gained much popularity in developing regions because of the inclusion of motorcycles and rikshaws in ride-hailing services. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there has been little research on passengers' behavior towards these ride-hailing services that focuses on social protection and the fare system in developing regions. Therefore, this research study is aimed at investigating the behavior of commuters towards these ride-hailing services in Lahore, which is the second largest city in Pakistan and can be considered as a case study of a developing country. A total of 531 useable valid responses were collected through face-to-face interactions, including the sociodemographics (SEDs) and behavior of commuters towards these services. The results of an explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that some of the significant latent variables of these ride-hailing services are comfort, convenience, privacy and security, the fare system, social protection, and safety. The commuters' overall evaluation of these services is positive and affects their present and future preferences. The structural coefficient between convenience and the variable of present preference is significant and negative, which shows that there are respondents who infrequently use ride-hailing services despite having high satisfaction. The riders' satisfaction with privacy, security, social protection, safety, and comfort has a positive and direct impact on their present preferences as the structural estimates are positive, which means that the higher their views on privacy, security, and comfort, the more frequently they intend to use ride-hailing services for commuting. Increased social protection, safety, privacy, and security will improve the evaluations of the commuters and influence their present preferences for these ride-hailing services. Even though there are regulations on these ride-hailing services, some concrete policy interventions are needed for improvements in commuters' overall evaluations of these services in order to influence their future preferences. The findings of this research study, if applied in the real world, can improve the overall evaluation of the commuters and positively influence their present and future preferences for these ride-hailing services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic congestion is one of the most significant problems in urban transportation. It has been increasing, especially in regions close to intersections. Several methods have been developed to reduce the traffic congestion. One of the analysis methods is social network analysis (SNA). This method, which has increased use in transportation, can quickly identify the most central intersections in transportation networks. Improvements to central intersections, identified in a road network structure, speed up the traffic flow across the entire network structure. In this study, the Istanbul highway transportation network has been examined and values for a series of network centrality measures have been calculated using the SNA. The accuracy and error scales of the centrality values were compared using a machine learning algorithm. The Bonacich power centrality has been the best performance. Based on the study results the most central intersections in Istanbul have been determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport can significantly contribute to independent and healthy ageing, but in Pakistan—as in various other countries across the globe—many older adults are dependent on others. Age-sensitive transport environments are crucial for generating positive experiences among older adults. Notably, psychosocial experiences significantly impact public transport use. Thus, a thorough understanding of these psychological influences on public transport accessibility can encourage walkability and independent mobility. In the present research, we combine different data into a mixed-method study to investigate the psychosocial barriers to public transport use by older adults for daily travel in Lahore, Pakistan. The data include a questionnaire survey (319 older adults), semi-structured interviews (11 older adults), structured interviews with four experts and an analysis of relevant national-, provincial-, and district-level strategies and transport plans. The findings show how poorly perceived social norms, negative emotional responses, and perceived difficulty are significant barriers to using public transport services among older adults. Moreover, the existing transport plans and documents do not favour and cater to such psychosocial issues. Several strategic interventions that could promote walkability and public transport use are suggested. It includes activating social norms, raising awareness and information, providing social support, improving walking infrastructure and public transport services, pricing mechanisms, and offering specialised services. These initiatives, however, necessitate coordination among government authorities at the national, provincial, and district levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in logistics and mobility. Concerning Italian road mobility, between March and April 2020, there has been a reduction in traffic for both light vehicles and heavy goods vehicles. Italy was the first European country to implement a total lockdown, starting on March 9th, causing a deep contraction in road traffic. This paper explores the main differences in mobility choices before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A multi-criteria decision-making method was selected for the analysis of questionnaire survey data. The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied, considering eight mobility types: bus, tram, taxi, train, shared vehicles, multiple modes, walking and car. An evaluation process was adopted for the modal mobility choices of the residents of Sicily, Italy. The results show a significant decline in mobility demand during the first phase of the pandemic, especially in public transport mode. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the need to implement strategies to respect the constraints generated by the pandemic and revive the penalised transport and mobility-related sectors. Furthermore, the study's findings provide valuable insights for the policymakers, both national and local, about the mobility results of the lockdown and can be used as a forecast benchmark for planning the restrictions in the future, in case of another unexpected phenomenon, e.g., pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of reliability theory has led to the setting of tasks requiring consideration of the efficiency and functional safety of technical objects of transport over the life cycle. The paper demonstrates the possibility of using the universal laws of elastic wave theory to describe natural phenomena occurring in complex dynamic systems, on the examples of solving issues arising in the interaction of rolling stock and the railway track. The accounting of the time component and the ability of elastic waves to propagate energy in time and space allowed considering any interaction process as a chain of processes, incidence-reflection-refraction of force impulses of interaction. Understanding the physics of dynamic processes that occur in objects while performing their intended functions allows developers to improve objects in such a way as to minimize their life cycle cost and maximize their ability to perform their intended functions under different operating conditions. In addition, it allows the expansion of existing methods and approaches to diagnostics of dynamic transport systems. All this is a base for making it possible to develop an innovative and effective tool for engineers and scientists to assess the impact of technosphere transport objects on human habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant public health problem and the leading cause of reduction in the demand and supply of public transit in the last three years. It has caused an unprecedented reduction in the demand for public road transportation, and it has changed passengers' perceptions from positive to negative when it comes to using public transportation amenities. There is an increasing concern that the public road transportation systems are witnessing a new horizon, especially now that developed and developing countries are trying to resume their daily activities post COVID-19 pandemic. In this research, we focused on the overview of literature reviews of research within the past three years that focused on the challenges and solutions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public road transportation systems, especially when it comes to the enforcement of physical distancing in public transportation, usage of face masks and government interventions. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were used in reviewing the articles used for this literature review, and an original 140 articles were reduced to 100 articles that were used in this literature review. This research aims to create an overview literature review that highlights the impact of the pandemic on public transportation and identifies strategic ways in which urban planners and public road transportation researchers can develop constructive and efficient public road transportation planning to ensure the sustainability of public transportation systems in the post-COVID-19 era. This literature review extends our knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic in public road transportation. It also provides additional evidence concerning the effectiveness of physical distancing and the use of face masks to prevent the COVID-19 virus in public road transportation networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-lane roundabouts have been created in many European countries over the past few centuries and are now characterized by an unsafe geometric development and by a low sustainability capacity or level. In this regard, new double-lane geometries have been implemented to overcome to these critical points. This article shows a comparison of two nonconventional double-lane roundabout schemes defined as elliptical and turbo. Considering this research on the unsafe and congested conditions for each road schemes at grade, the microsimulation approach allows comparing schemes of intersections not yet realized in order to be able to evaluate the critical issues. A symmetric traffic distribution and an identical vehicle mix for both design solutions are considered. The research was conducted considering two different double-lane roundabout-turbo roundabout and the elliptical roundabout. By comparing their geometry and technical elements, this article assumes that turbo roundabout due to its physical separating traffic lanes in the central circulatory carriageway will enable potentially better traffic safety conditions. This article has the following main goal: a comparison of traffic safety using VISSIM microsimulator and SSAM tools. The results can provide to show safety level on investigated scenario considering level of service (LOS) and also the possibility of obtaining time to collision (TTC) and postencroachment time (PET) through the use of surrogate parameters obtained by SSAM tool. In fact, the surrogate safety parameters allows evaluating the possible collision scenarios between them, according to the trajectories of the single vehicles. This assessment is useful in order to be able to evaluate by the local authorities which of the examined schemes can provide greater negativity in the construction and operation phase. Therefore this comparative analysis allows reducing, in the preliminary phase, possible security impacts and also economic ones for the community., 1. Introduction Today, the different road intersections are increasingly developing. In general, the road intersections in roundabout allow a substantial reduction of the points of conflict between vehicles and vehicles [...]

Cities are often characterised by the presence of universities and by a greater number of students, often commuters, with an average age of less than 30 years. The study focused on the city of Enna (Italy), where the university students represent a significant percentage of residents and also a good rate of local travel demand. The survey campaign was conducted over a period of more than one year. A bivariate statistical method was applied highlighting significant variables regarding several features of a car sharing system. Additionally, non-parametric statistics and a before and after analysis were performed to evaluate the influence of implementation of the shared transport service. The results can also offer insights into the improvement of transport supply in urban context and the possible implementation of the co-creation actions between the companies managing the service with the end-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As many studies have already shown, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on the daily routines of people all over the world. University students form one of the most affected groups of people, since they have had to interrupt many of the activities that they usually perform, and have also had to get used to a new way of learning (e-learning). An important question that now arises is whether the changes that were identified within the pandemic period are to be maintained when the risk of being infected is eliminated. To this end, 537 university students of the Kore University of Enna, Italy, were surveyed. Their responses are analyzed descriptively, and an ordinal regression model is being developed to shed more light on the likelihood of retaining changes related with to transport mode choice. The results show that the likelihood of retaining all the changes when commuting and during daily activities is very high, demonstrating such willingness from the participants. Moreover, it has been shown that public transport has increased the probability of people being negatively affected by the pandemic in the long-term, and opportunities appear for increasing the modal share of active modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, the Italian road transport system has been characterized by severe and consistent traffic congestion and in particular Rome is one of the Italian cities most affected by this problem. In this study, a Leven berg Marquardt (LM) artificial neural network heuristic model was used to predict the traffic flow of non-autonomous vehicles. Traffic datasets were collected using both inductive loop detectors and video cameras as acquisition systems and selecting some parameters including vehicle speed, time of day, traffic volume and number of vehicles. The model showed a training, test and regression value (R² ) of 0.99892, 0.99615 and 0.99714 respectively. The results of this research add to the growing body of literature on traffic flow modelling and help urban planners and traffic managers in terms of the traffic control and the provision of convenient travel routes for pedestrians and motorists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]