Refereed Journals

This paper examines the general perceptions of the public on Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). A survey was conducted that sampled 417 respondents. The survey was carried out using the convenience sampling method and was administered partly online and partly through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive analysis using SPSS was carried out for the variables using the chi-square tests to assess statistical significance. Most (66.4%) respondents were familiar with AVs. Majority (55.4%) had a positive opinion on AVs and most (78.2%) were interested in experiencing AVs. However, respondents still preferred to have some control (i.e., level-3 automation and below) should they experience using AVs. Respondents also expressed concern about AV use, with safety as the most important consideration. Respondents would utilize the free time available in use of AVs to be productive and work. Participants were optimistic, believing AVs will be available in the next ten years. To ensure public acceptance of AVs, government can: set out policies that make Ghana an attractive market for car manufacturers; put in place the necessary infrastructure to accommodate AVs into the existing transportation system; educate the public on the usefulness of AVs; highlight the positive impact AVs would have on the transportation system; introduce policies that would allow for AVs to be set at reasonable prices and for individuals to have subsidies and tax benefits associated with AV use. Further research should be carried out to include a larger proportion of respondents from several other cities in Ghana.

Aim Road traffic crashes remain a major public health issue and have been the subject of debate in many studies due to their effect on society. This study contributes to the discussion by investigating the risk factors that significantly contribute to driver injury severity sustained in traffic crashes. Subject and methods Using the crash data from the Greater Accra region of Ghana, spanning a 3-year period (2014–2016), a generalized ordered logit (GOL) model was estimated to determine the effect of a wide range of variables on driver injury severity outcome. Results The results suggest that, in the event of a crash, more severe driver injury was influenced by multiple factors including driver’s gender, driver’s action (e.g., turning, overtaking, going ahead), number of vehicles involved, day of week of the crash, vehicle size, and road width. Conclusion The findings of this study highlight the need to further study risk factors significantly influencing driver injury severity.

Vehicle seatbelt has been shown to have a beneficial impact on occupants. However, some occupants do not use the seatbelt when inside a moving vehicle. Despite the numerous investigations on the risk factors associated with seatbelt use by occupants, little is known about the relationship between driver and passenger seatbelt use. This gap is analyzed with road side observational survey data on driver and front-right seat passenger’s seatbelt use behaviour using bivariate probit model. The use of the bivariate probit model is based on the premise that the front-right passenger’s seatbelt use is endogenously related to that of the driver. Out of the 5,433 vehicles observed, the prevalence rate of driver and front-right passengers’ seatbelt use were 81% and 33%, respectively. In addition, there is a positive relationship between driver and passenger’s seatbelt use with correlation coefficient of 0.53. Thus, the unobserved factors that influence the probability of a driver seatbelt use also influence their front-right passenger's seatbelt use propensity.

Changes in mobility patterns are expected during global pandemics. Despite the role of cost and travel time on mode choice, these factors may be considered secondary to perceived safety during global health crises. This study seeks to shed light on changes in public transport mode preferences during the outbreak of COVID-19. A survey involving 1100 commuters showed that there were statistically significant differences in mode preferences prior to, and during the outbreak of COVID-19 in urban Ghana. The results suggest that more people (59.0%) were willing to opt for on-demand ride-hailing during the pandemic, in comparison to the 30.0% that would have opted for it prior to the pandemic. This however came at the detriment of the most common public transport form (trotro) which experienced a decline from 64.0% to 28.6%. The gains for ride-hailing and losses for trotros were also consistent across all age groups despite cost and time being constant. The results suggest the outbreak of COVID-19 and concerns surrounding its infectious nature had implications for travel choice considerations in Ghana. The outbreak as well exposed the vulnerabilities of the transport service in light of public health shocks, although mode preference changes are not expected to last.

Roundabouts are very useful when flows are balanced but can have operational challenges when flows increase. Most roundabouts on arterial roadways in Ghana experience recurring congestion during peak traffic. The four roundabouts between Ejisu Municipality and Asokwa Municipality on the N6 highway are typical of the situation found on arterials countrywide. They experience recurring long queues and delays during the peak hours and over-representation of truck rollover accidents. In Ghana, historically, most roundabouts with capacity problems have been developed into interchanges at very high cost without consideration of other effective at-grade configurations. When roundabouts are signalized, various configurations can be explored to enhance capacity while preserving the safety benefits. Using simulation techniques, various configurations and design options were tested for their effectiveness at two of the roundabouts, located at KNUST police station and Ejisu, with similar demand and high left turning volumes. The objectives of this study were to a) evaluate the performance of the selected roundabouts on the corridor; b) explore alternative intersection configurations to improve capacity and delay. Using video data collection techniques, 2-h time stamped footages of AM and PM peak traffic flows were captured for two days. Geometric design parameters of the existing roundabouts, queue lengths, travel times, and approach flows were also captured. VISSIM models of the selected roundabouts were developed and calibrated for the baseline conditions. Signalized unconventional roundabout configuration, with a phase for major road through traffic were simulated and assessed for capacity, delay and queue length. The results showed that signalized roundabout intersections effectively increased capacity by as much as 50% in some cases, reduced delay and queue length significantly, and maintained the benefits of roundabouts including safety. The performance could be further enhanced by introducing separate left turn phases to reduce conflicts or through a right turn U-turn (RTUT) concept.