Description

The Transport Research Group (TRG) of the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo is interested in the scientific and teaching activity in the Transportation field, with particular respect to: people and goods mobility and logistics; efficiency analysis of the transport systems’ components to improve their integration; methods and models for simulating the demand for transport, the transport supply, the demand-supply interaction, the related effects on the economy, the environmental, safety and territorial impacts; regulation, control and planning of the transport systems; functional design of the components, facilities and complex transport systems; design, management and handling of transport systems; Intelligent transport Systems with respect to the application of electronic, information and telecommunication technologies. The researchers of the Transport Area have started an intensive research in the field of the behaviour of the drivers, with particular reference to the driving techniques to reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases. In this specific field, although the engine technology and performance of commercial vehicles have been improved in a significant way, most of the drivers do not have adjusted their driving technique to the adoption of responsible personal behaviour. This activity is made possible thanks to the availability of the driving simulator for heavy vehicles. The results obtained from a correct driving technique, not only in terms of fuel economy, but also on the cost of vehicle maintenance, safety and driving comfort, led some associations of hauliers to initiate cooperation agreements aimed at making point of a research activity in the field of road haulage and to implement the techniques of eco-driving through the training of senior professional (but also high school diplomates and postgraduate).

Research activity

• Identification of models related to the management of the operating process on the freight transport for both road and intermodal transport, aiming to the identification of info mobility systems.
• The behaviour of the drivers, with particular reference to the driving techniques to reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases.
• Microsimulation models and innovative instruments for the monitoring and the control of road traffic.
• Transport Network Assignment and interaction between Transport Demand and Supply. O/D Matrix estimation. Transport Demand Modelling. Stated Preference Survey. Network Design. Decision Support System.
• Design techniques of innovative shared mobility services (bike sharing, car sharing, scooter sharing, Shared Demand Responsive Transport Systems) in Weak Demand Areas, in particular in the suburban areas of cities, in small towns, in smaller islands.
• Methodologies and techniques for the analysis and improvement of the safety of pedestrian and cycle paths, with particular reference to all those itineraries strategic for the development of the city in a sustainable and multimodal perspective. These routes are mainly those that connect the main hubs of public transport system to attractors and generators poles and points of interest.

Main research projects

• The Project RESET, realized by the funding program POR FESR Sicilia 2007-2013 (Asse IV, Obiettivo 4.1.2), made possible the SMAART (Sustainable Mobility/Accident Analysis/Research & Training) Laboratory. The Laboratory is equipped with a truck simulator, a mobile station for monitoring the environmental and acoustics pollution levels produced by traffic. The laboratory has also a microdrone UAV, an MMS system, sensors for the detection of pollutants, a thermographic camera, a GPS and a software for transport planning.
• Project WEAKI TRANSIT: WEAK-demand areas Innovative TRANsport Shared services for Italian Towns, financed by PRIN 2017 – in progress. WEAKI TRANSIT focuses on innovative shared mobility systems for weak-demand areas. The aim is to study the planning and design of demand responsive shared transport services (DRSTS), able to provide real-time “on demand” mobility through fleets of vehicles shared by different passengers. The project will adopt a holistic approach, by deeply investigating demand (i.e. passengers), supply (i.e. infrastructures, vehicles and technologies) and regulatory framework, and adopting advanced simulation tools for service design and technological platforms for pilot implementations.
• Project SAFE-DEMON: SAFE Driving by E-health MONitoring, financed by POR FESR Sicilia 2014-2020, action 1.1.5. The aim of the project is to provide a system for continuous monitoring of the driver’s health and attention at the same time as monitoring driving performance in order to prevent critical conditions that could compromise his own safety and of other road users.

Keywords

Transportation, Freight Transport, Microsimulation, Transport Demand and Supply Modelling, Decision Support System.