Refereed Journals

Objective: As a major safety intervention, infrastructural facilities such as footbridges, underpasses or signals are provided for pedestrians to remove their direct interactions with vehicles and consequently ensure safe crossing as they attempt to cross roadways. Interestingly, it is evident that even within the proximity of footbridges or underpasses, some individuals are more willing to take the risk of crossing at-grade even where there are no signals or crosswalk markings to separate their movement from vehicles. These crossing alternatives may have different utilization depending on location and road user types. Therefore, sustainable crossing facilities are needed to meet pedestrian needs. This study attempts to investigate the factors that influence pedestrians to avoid provided footbridges and engage in at-grade crossing behaviors.

Methods: The crossing point preference is an interpersonal behavior which is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon involving conscious (intentions) and subconscious (habits) factors. This study employs Triandis' Theory of Interpersonal Behavior (TIB) as a theoretical framework and structural equation modeling to achieve study objectives. Pedestrians were intercepted randomly and socio-demographics, trip characteristics and perceptions data collected through a stated preference survey.

Results: Perceived consequence, affect, and social factors were found as significant antecedents of at-grade crossing intentions. Habits and facilitating conditions significantly moderate the impact of crossing intentions on actual at-grading crossing behavior. Pedestrians' perceived consequence was found to significantly mediate the impact of social factors and affective factors on intention to cross at-grade. Apart from gender, age, satisfaction with footbridge features, work trips, and crossing frequency were all significant determinants of actual crossing at-grade behavior.

Conclusions: The study findings can help road safety agencies provide acceptable sustainable facilities that will be used by pedestrians to ensure that the purpose of investments toward pedestrian crossing safety is achieved. Effective road safety education and awareness campaigns on negative consequences of crossing at-grade, while highlighting the benefits of using provided footbridges are suggested to be undertaken by government agencies.

The global awareness and utilization of superplasticizers (SPs) in concrete have significantly contributed to developing resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Despite this, many developing nations face limited adoption of SPs in construction practices due to a lack of knowledge. This study provides a concise overview of concrete’s mechanical and durability properties, comparing formulations with and without superplasticizers. The focus is on compressive and flexural strengths, modulus of elasticity, water sorptivity, and chloride penetration. The results underscore the considerable improvement in both mechanical and durability properties when SPs are incorporated. The study recommends the widespread use of SPs, particularly in developing countries, to enhance the longevity of concrete structures

The recent rise in the size of the informal sector in developing economies, particularly in the Global South, is increasingly recognized as an obstacle to sustainable development. The sector remains the primary source of employment and serves as an engine of economic growth in developing countries. Despite their significant contribution, they also threaten the urban environment. The research uses major road transportation networks to investigate the impacts of informal economic activities on mobility and the environment in cities. A section of the National Highway Six (N6) Road in Oforikrom Municipality, Ghana, was used as a case study. The study findings suggest that informal economic activities along major transportation corridors lead to road accidents, traffic congestion, poor sanitation, and reduced aesthetic quality of the city centre. The analysis of variance shows that informal economic activities negatively impact traffic congestion, F (4, 19.15) = 7.57, P < .0001, η² = 1.48 and sanitation, F (4, 22.35) = 5.55, P = .003, η² = .06. 21.8% of reported accident cases involved informal economic actors. The study recommends policies geared towards cross-institutional partnership, strict law enforcement, and infrastructural renewal where provisions would be made for informal economic operations with the necessary safety measures. The Ministry of Sanitation and the Department of Urban Roads should come together to reach agreements with traders through formal regulations to control indiscriminate waste disposal along the highways. Further research and innovation are needed to integrate such infrastructures into the traditional transport modelling system.

Existing studies indicate that the construction sector is critical to the integration of sustainable public-works procurement towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 12.7 (SDGs). However, significant impediments to effective and efficient compliance with sustainable public-works procurement exist. The focus of this study is to identify the specific barriers to compliance with Sustainable Public-works Procurement. Through a scientific literature review and questionnaire survey, seventeen (17) barriers were identified and analyzed using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) variant of factor analysis to assess the significant barriers to sustainable public-works procurement. Four clusters of factors were concluded as critical barriers to compliance with sustainable public-works procurement at the tender evaluation stage. (1) sustainable adaptability cluster; (2) managerial challenges cluster; (3) knowledge incapacity cluster; and (4) legal, policy, and evaluation cluster. The study presents a basis for experts along with researchers to appreciate the barriers to compliance and the need to improve compliance with sustainable public-works procurement in Ghana. The study adds to the pool of knowledge and provides the first survey on the specific barriers that inhibit compliance with sustainable public works procurement at the tender evaluation stage in Ghana.