الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The majority of private cars are designed to accommodate more than one person. However, private cars are frequently used to transport only one or two persons. A single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) is a privatelyoperated vehicle whose only occupant is the driver. Private cars are not fully utilized when only a single occupant is using the vehicle. For mega cities, this leads to unjustified traffic congestion and shortage in available parking spaces. Recently, many car manufacturers developed a number of small-sized vehicles (1-2 seaters), commonly known as microcars, that can serve different classes of car users. Microcars occupy less space which is beneficial for cities suffering from limited space where constructing new roads or upgrading the existing ones is infeasible. As well, microcars are usually electrically powered which makes them environment-friendly and supports e-mobility strategies set up by many governments. Microcars have many advantages compared to motorcycles and bikes. Firstly, they provide shelter from adverse weather conditions. Secondly, they allow for more storage space for carrying personal belongings. Thirdly, microcars are more culturally accepted in many eastern societies similar to Egypt. This research examines the public willingness to purchase and use microcars using a stated preference survey. As well, the research investigates the operational impacts of using microcars on roads using traffic microsimulation. The data collected using the stated preference survey included a sample size of 317 valid responses. The results showed that females, younger individuals, and people who do not own any private cars in the current time are more willing to purchase and use microcars. These results provide some useful insights into the willingness of individuals to purchase and use microcars. In order to investigate the operational impacts of using microcars on roads, VISSIM was used to model two case studies: a testbed simulated urban corridor and a suburban expressway in Greater Cairo Region (GCR). Mixed and exclusive lane scenarios were analyzed using different modal shares for microcars. The results showed that replacing a portion of private cars by microcars increased the throughput volume and reduced the overall travel time. Exclusive lanes for microcars showed better results than mixed lanes on the urban corridor. On the suburban expressway, however, average travel time was shown to be lower for mixed lane usage compared to exclusive lanes. The results of this research support the idea of promoting microcars as a potential mitigation measure to relief congestion especially in urban areas. |