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Assessment of Road Safety Audit Status in Gaza Strip, Palestine
Fadel Omar Alhelou,
Yahya Rushdi Sarraj
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
37-47
Received:
17 March 2019
Accepted:
25 April 2019
Published:
23 May 2019
Abstract: Local statistics in the last ten years indicate that the number of road accidents in both Gaza Strip and the West Bank is continuously increasing. Recent statistics by the Traffic Accidents Investigation Office of the Palestinian Police, recorded 2710 road accidents in 2016 in Gaza Strip, causing 84 deaths with a high rate of fatalities per 100,000 vehicles. This work aims to provide a general study about traffic safety condition in Gaza Strip and to assess the status of road safety audit (RSA). This work is also expected to encourage stakeholder agencies in Gaza Strip to make potential changes toward enhancing traffic safety. The results and discussion in this paper are based on the collected data on RSA actions in Gaza Strip’s agencies by several methods; interviews, electronic communications and exploring several specialized local and international websites. This was followed by a comparison between local and international procedures of RSA. The results indicate that traffic safety sector in Gaza Strip suffers from several shortages and deficiencies. The results also proved that the local implementation of RSA is non-frequent and unsystematic. They also revealed that there is no adopted or standard guideline for RSA in Gaza Strip and that there is a lack of qualified and multi-disciplinary RSA teams. The research concludes that traffic safety sector in Gaza Strip needs more attention as well as continuous development. The adopted RSA guidelines for the West Bank (version 2013) are suitable and they are recommended to be used in Gaza Strip.
Abstract: Local statistics in the last ten years indicate that the number of road accidents in both Gaza Strip and the West Bank is continuously increasing. Recent statistics by the Traffic Accidents Investigation Office of the Palestinian Police, recorded 2710 road accidents in 2016 in Gaza Strip, causing 84 deaths with a high rate of fatalities per 100,000...
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Fe Coefficient – Development and Application of a Key Figure for Assessing the Efficiency of Alternative Drive Concepts in Trucks
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
48-55
Received:
26 March 2019
Accepted:
28 April 2019
Published:
23 May 2019
Abstract: Alternative drive concepts for trucks represent a highly promising way of reducing environmental pollution from road freight traffic. There are numerous proposals and pilot schemes pointing to the replacement of fossil fuel diesel by more sustainable energy sources. Along with drive chain electrification, it is a matter here of deploying alternative natural (gas) and synthetically generated fuels (eFuels) in combustion engines that might have to be modified. Given that a multitude of parameters on final energies, vehicle and travel route/ ambient conditions enter into the consumption calculation, it is usually difficult to compare the various drive concepts based on individually gauged consumptions/emissions. It is therefore proposed assessing the comparison on the basis of the same vehicle platform under practically the same deployment and route parameters. In other words, in order to examine an alternative energy as to its efficiency, only the vehicle drive chain is replaced - everything else remains as it is! The Fe coefficient in the heading is formulated to afford a simplified comparison of the various drive concepts under the above general conditions. Going into the Fe coefficient in each instance is solely the mean drive efficiency over the route ηE-N and the payload to total load ratio under full capacity utilisation ηkon (design efficiency). The calculated Fe coefficient provides information on consumption. The greater the Fe the higher the consumption. Under the same vehicle platform - and with consideration given to the above general conditions - the Fe coefficients of the various drive variants can be related one to the other and, in this way, the increase or decrease in consumption as against, for instance, the diesel benchmark can be established. In conclusion, the Fe coefficient is used in three case studies to assess the effectiveness as against the diesel benchmark of two electric battery (Fuso eCanter, Tesla Semi) trucks and one LNG-driven Iveco Stralis NP 400 truck.
Abstract: Alternative drive concepts for trucks represent a highly promising way of reducing environmental pollution from road freight traffic. There are numerous proposals and pilot schemes pointing to the replacement of fossil fuel diesel by more sustainable energy sources. Along with drive chain electrification, it is a matter here of deploying alternativ...
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Climate Change Evolution and Indigenous Methods of Flood Control in the Upper Nun Valley of Cameroon
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
56-66
Received:
8 March 2019
Accepted:
23 April 2019
Published:
26 May 2019
Abstract: This study discusses the evolution of climate change and the use of indigenous methods of flood control in the Upper Nun Valley of Cameroon. The local farmers of the Ndop plain have developed and implemented extensive indigenous farming systems as adaptation strategies to reduce the vulnerability of climate variability over the years. However, these indigenous methods of flood control have not been sustainable enough to guard against severe flood incidences in the Ndop Plain as a result of climate change impact. This paper examines climate change evolution in the region and highlights some indigenous adaptation strategies practised in the Upper Nun Valley and the benefits of integrating such indigenous knowledge into formal climate change adaptation strategies. To ensure stability in food production and sustain food sufficiency in areas where local economies entirely depend on farming and the natural state of the environment, it is important to investigate the indigenous strategies put in place and the extent to which they combat floods in the Ndop Plain. Field surveys, focus group discussions, interviews, participant observation methods and secondary sources were used to collect data from selected villages where rice cultivation and market gardening products are on the increase. Based on climatic data for the region, the simple forecasting method using the forecasting line was used to predict future changes in climatic conditions for the region and the extent to which they may cause floods. The data collected were analyzed in both qualitative and quantitative terms to provide information for the discussion. The results reveal that changes in temperature and rainfall have altered the climatic conditions of the region leading to increased flood incidences in the Plain. The paper posited that a sustainable adaptation mechanism should take into consideration the widening of the drains as well as minimizing the cultivation of crops on the drains which serve as gateways to excessive water into the rice fields. The study also recommends the need to incorporate indigenous knowledge into climate change policies that can lead to the development of effective adaptation strategies that are cost-effective, participatory and sustainable.
Abstract: This study discusses the evolution of climate change and the use of indigenous methods of flood control in the Upper Nun Valley of Cameroon. The local farmers of the Ndop plain have developed and implemented extensive indigenous farming systems as adaptation strategies to reduce the vulnerability of climate variability over the years. However, thes...
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Numerical Analysis on the Stability of Layered Surrounding Rock Tunnel Under the Conditions of Different Inclination Angle and Thickness
Wang Jingyuan,
Deng Xianghui,
Cao Weiping
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
67-74
Received:
26 March 2019
Accepted:
27 April 2019
Published:
31 May 2019
Abstract: To study the relationship between the stability of layered surrounding rock tunnel and the thickness and inclination angle of the layered rock, using the discrete element analysis software UDEC, the deformation and stress characteristics of layered surrounding rock tunnel are analyzed under different inclination angle and thickness conditions after the tunnel excavation. Meanwhile, the influence of different inclination angle and thickness on the stability of layered surrounding rock tunnel is studied. The results show that when the layer thickness and the excavation span are the same, the vertical displacement, horizontal displacement and maximum principal stress of the surrounding rock of the tunnel show a low of increasing first and then decreasing with the increase of the inclination angle of the structural plane. When the inclination angle and excavation span are same, the vertical displacement, horizontal displacement and maximum principal stress of layered surrounding rock of the tunnel gradually decrease with the increase of the layer thickness. When the inclination angle of the structural plane is 30°, the vertical displacement of the surrounding rock of the layered surrounding rock tunnel is the largest; When the inclination angle of the structural plane is 45°, the horizontal displacement of the surrounding rock of the layered surrounding rock tunnel is the largest; When the inclination angle of the structural plane is 45°, the layered surrounding rock tunnel principal stress is the largest.
Abstract: To study the relationship between the stability of layered surrounding rock tunnel and the thickness and inclination angle of the layered rock, using the discrete element analysis software UDEC, the deformation and stress characteristics of layered surrounding rock tunnel are analyzed under different inclination angle and thickness conditions after...
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