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The rapid urbanization and subsequent motorization experienced in India have profound negative implications on the environment due to increased exhaust emission levels. India is one of the biggest global markets for the motorized two-wheeler (M2W) segment. Therefore, replacing M2Ws with electric two-wheelers (E2Ws) is considered essential to mitigate the adverse effects on the environment. However, developing the required infrastructure to support the operation, especially as desired by the prospective users, is essential to accelerate the acceptance of E2Ws by Indian commuters. Therefore, a travel behavior–based investigation was carried out in this study to evaluate the prospective users' preferences for the E2W infrastructure-specific attributes. The preferences were investigated in terms of willingness to pay (WTP) for the improvement of infrastructure attributes. The WTP is generally considered a measure of user benefit associated with a specific attribute. For the stated purpose, a stated preference experiment was designed, and preferences of the prospective users for different infrastructure settings were collected from E2W prospective users in Hyderabad. The preference data were analyzed by developing appropriate discrete choice models, namely, multinomial logit and random parameter logit (RPL) models. Further, the influence of socioeconomic and trip characteristics of the prospective E2W users on the infrastructure attributes was also evaluated by examining the heterogeneity around the means of random parameters in the RPL model. The results reveal that prospective users have a higher WTP for improving the public charging infrastructure and parking infrastructure availability. Characteristics such as gender, age, and journey time significantly influence the prospective E2W users' WTP associated with infrastructure attributes. Based on the results and inferences, the necessary policy measures for developing adequate infrastructure for E2Ws are also presented in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a methodology for optimization of service headway and stop spacing along a low-demand bus route that minimizes operator and user costs. This study develops analytical cost models that are representative of low-demand routes by using negative binomial distribution for passenger demand for boarding and alighting pattern to estimate the probability of stopping and both random and planned arrival of passengers are considered to estimate the waiting time. Pareto optimal solutions obtained using multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, NSGA-II indicate that optimal values of headway and stop spacing are underestimated if optimized based on assumptions typical of high-demand routes which is passenger demand for boarding and alighting at bus stops randomly following a Poisson process. With the aid of the study methodology, transit planners will be able to improve the service utilization and passenger accessibility along an under-performing low demand routes by recommending minimal modifications to the existing route and bus schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the first driver behavior questionnaire (DBQ) study on analyzing Indian drivers’ aberrant behavior for red light violations (RLVs) at signalized junctions. An ordered probit model is developed using the drivers’ socio-demographic variables. The model results indicate that age has the strongest influence on drivers’ RLV behavior, followed by driving experience and level of education. The level of perceived RLV appears to increase with higher driving frequency and two-wheeler ownership. This research is also the first to analyze the aberrant behavior differences among male and female drivers concerning their demographics and driving experiences. It is unique to note that at a certain combination of various demographics (e.g., driving experience, education level, and daily trip frequency), the men and women are becoming equal in their aberrant behavior while committing RLVs. This finding is an interesting input for developing driver training and education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study emphasized binder aging of bituminous mixtures in the field and compared it with newly developed field-simulating laboratory aging procedures. Monthly field cores from a pavement section were collected for this investigation over 2 years. After measuring the field core samples' bulk density, the air voids were calculated to assess the densification with time due to traffic. Binder was extracted from the field core samples, and further tests were carried out to assess the rate of aging with time. Also, the bituminous specimens prepared in the laboratory at the optimal binder content were subjected to field-simulating oven-aging methods. The bituminous mixture aging process in AASHTO R30 does not match field conditions in tropical countries. Therefore, new techniques have been developed in this study to calculate the number of days required for laboratory aging to simulate field-aging conditions. The oven was modified by introducing ultraviolet bulbs and oxygen supply, termed Laboratory Oven Aging-lll (LOA-III). Test results showed that 10 days of LOA-III corresponded to 47 months in the field. The Fraass breaking point indicated that LOA-III also simulates low-temperature conditions. Experiments conducted in the laboratory revealed that LOA-III accelerates aging and can simulate field conditions in tropical countries more accurately than AASHTO R30. The field study showed that higher initial air voids in the surface layer accelerate binder aging, causing raveling and surface cracking. Therefore, it is recommended to limit the initial air voids to 8% or less immediately after construction. Bitumen aging significantly influences pavement performance, leading to raveling and cracking when coupled with heavy traffic loads. Higher initial air voids, primarily due to insufficient compaction, accelerate binder aging. Binder aging can be minimized by restricting the initial air voids to 8% or less. If the initial air voids are decreased by 1%, pavement service life is increased by 10%. The procedure given in AASHTO R30 does not simulate field aging for tropical regions. Therefore, a field-simulating laboratory method was necessary. This study indicated that aging the mixture for 10 days by introducing UV rays and oxygen in the laboratory oven-aging (LOA-III) method simulates the pressure-aging vessel (PAV) and field aging accurately for tropical regions. The developed field-replicated laboratory aging procedure can be directly adopted to study binder aging on pavement sections in tropical climatic regions with similar pavement crust thickness and traffic. The duration of aging and other factors, like oxygen supply rate and UV light intensity, may need to be modified for pavements with varying thicknesses, traffic volumes, and climatic zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]