The availability of large, high-resolution data is continuously increasing in various areas of infrastructure planning. Model selection criteria used in statistics tend to support more complex models with more variables as the number of samples increases. However, this may not always be consistent with the direction of solution of the problems that our field expects in model estimation. In other words, for our specific problems, it is not clear how the complexity of the model should be captured according to the scale of the data, and what issues exist in such cases. This paper therefore discusses the following, using the estimation of location dependent fundamental diagrams as an example, which has been previously written by the author: the issues related to the data are summarised, the current state of the art of statistical model selection criteria is explained, the properties of the criteria are illustrated with examples, and future perspectives are presented.

In Switzerland, pattern timetables were installed on mainline railways since the 1980s, and later on, they were also introduced on branch lines that serve regional transportation, resulting in the creation of a consistent transportation system. This study focused on interchange stations between main lines and branch lines, and investigated the transfer time between lines for each train. As a result of the analysis, the transfer time between trains on the main lines was generally less than 10 minutes on average, and less than 15 minutes at maximum. Also, in the case of branch lines and main lines, the average time was within 16 minutes, and the maximum was within 22 minutes. Additionally, more than 90% of all transfer combinations had one or more connections per hour, and more than 50% had two or more connections per hour. Furthermore, nearly 90% of connections between main lines met the following conditions: “average of 10 minutes or less”, “maximum of 15 minutes or less”, and “one or more trains per hour”. Over 60% of connections between main lines and branch lines and less than half of connections between branch lines met the conditions. However, as long as these conditions are met, the variation in connection times is small and reliability is high.

Heuristic decision-making may be prioritized when people face rare events such as natural disasters because of lack of experience, incomplete information, and situation awareness of the surrounding environment. This raises questions about modeling evacuation behavior during heavy rain, when evacuation delays frequently occur, by considering only logical thinking. Therefore, in this study, we model the decisionmaking process of evacuation behavior during heavy rainfall using the frameworks of both protection motivation theory and naturalistic decision-making. Specifically, we estimate a decision-making model for evacuation behavior based on the results of a survey conducted among residents in Tokyo and 14 prefectures affected by Typhoon No. 19 in 2019. With this model, we conducted simulations to examine the potential effectiveness of measures such as enhancing disaster prevention efforts during normal times and promoting situational awareness during heavy rains in facilitating early horizontal evacuation.

In snowy-cold region such as Hokkaido, ice road surface occurs during winter season. It causes slip and travel speed deceleration, and increases traffic accidents. In winter road management, anti-freeze agents are applied to prevent from occurring ice road surface and more effective application method is desirable. The present study, coefficient of friction (μ) was converted from Halliday Friction Number (HFN) measured by Continuous Friction Tester (CFT), and compared the application effect between some application methods. In the range of tests which conducted in the present study, the results are as follows. In the case of drainage pavement section, when the coefficient of friction (μ) was decreased significantly on no application, the result indicated application by salt mater might be more effective than that by wet salt. While in the case of dense graded asphalt pavement section, when the similar situation, the result did application by solid preparations was the most effective under some application methods.

Rear-end crashes account for a very high percentage of accidental fatalities in bicycle-vehicle crashes. Although research using probe bicycles has become active for analyzing phenomena related to bicycle accidents and bicycle safety, few studies have been conducted in tunnels. In a study by Kojima et al., it was also pointed out that the rate of serious accidents in tunnel sections is high in Japan. The most common countermeasure against bicycle accidents in tunnels is the installation of warning signs. In the case of installing warning signs, drivers may become accustomed to seeing them and may not pay attention to them. In this study, the effectiveness of the introduction of a bicycle alert system in tunnels was verified as a joint research project with the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau and Bunkyo University. As a result, it was confirmed that when the system was in operation, there was an effect of decreasing the speed at which a car overtakes a bicycle.

One of the objectives of the "Roads System for Important Logistics Activities" established in 2018 is to improve logistics productivity, and traffic conditions for international maritime container vehicles are used as an indicator of "Importance". However, the value of the cargo being transported has not traditionally been quantified, and "Importance" has been verified exclusively by calibrated traffic volumes. This study develops a method for calibrating the value flow, which is the monetary value of each road link, by using the Commodity Flow Survey, the Road Traffic Census and the road network data for traffic assignment. Specifically, the value of cargo is estimated from the Commodity Flow Survey, and the B-zone OD table of the Road Traffic Census is used to allocate it proportionally. The estimated value are used to calculate the Value Flow each road link in the whole country (excluding Hokkaido and Okinawa prefectures) using the stochastic user equilibrium assignment model. The calibrated values were visualised on a map of Japan and were confirmed to be sensible, and the validity of this method would be reasonable. As a result, it is possible to provide a new perspective on the evaluation of road "Importance" by Value Flow.

Heavy vehicle parking spaces at expressway SA/PA areas are congested, especially at night. Heavy vehicle drivers are often parking for long periods of time due to reasons such as securing opportunities for breaks and rest and waiting for unloading time appointed by the shippers. Therefore the required functions of expressway SA/PA have been changed. In particular, there are cases where vehicles are parked for long periods of time even though they only use expressways for short distances. Expressway companies have taken measures to increase the supply of parking spaces. However in order to respond to changes in required functionality, it is also important to control demand. In this study, we propose the introduction of a parking pricing system when parking for a long time, by considering expressway tolls as space occupancy fees. Then, we set parking fees according to the relationship between expressway usage distance and parking time, and estimated their impact and implementation effects.

In this study, we try to explore the role of public transit with subscription-based fare. To know how people’s transportation mode choices will be affected by the fare system, we conducted a free public transit experiment on 66 people in Aichi Prefecture. The results show that if the fee is free, many people increase public transit use except people who hesitate to use public transit due to environmental factors. The results also show that public transit use for shopping and leisure could increase and the use for commuting could vary. Low-frequency public transit which is considered as a transportation mode for non-auto-users could play an important role as a feeder to the various destinations if they are integrated into main public transit by the subscription-based fare systems.

Taxi service is expected to play an important role of transportation in the areas with small population. However, taxi business sustainability is vulnerable because the profits are small when the number of customers is small in such areas. Therefore, it is an effective measure to carry out not only the transportation of passengers but also the side business such as food delivery. When the decision of the side business is made, it is necessary for the business operator to assess the feasibility of the side business from viewpoint of profit and manpower. In this study, we construct a method to evaluate the feasibility of side business using the integer programming method, and empirically assess the feasibility using the actual taxi operation history data.

In mountainous areas, the sustainability of public transportation services will continue to decline as the number of users decreases in the future. For this reason, an increasing number of public transport operators are considering introduction of the freight-passenger integration services that provide both passenger transport and cargo delivery services in order to earn new revenues. When considering its introduction, it is important to have a general understanding of the cost-effectiveness that can be expected from integrated freight and passenger services by referring to previous cases, but such information is rarely available. In this study, we use a mathematical model that reproduces vehicle operation to clarify how much cost-effectiveness can be expected in areas where freight-passenger integration services are actually being implemented in mountainous areas.

In recent years, comprehensive and periodic inspections and asset management based on the results of these inspections have been actively implemented to steadily realize preventive maintenance of road infrastructure. Pavement maintenance and management, which covers a huge road network, urgently requires the development and application of new technologies to reduce the cost and labor of pavement inspection. In this study, we developed a simple pavement inspection technology using a commercially available camera and deep learning, evaluated its measurement accuracy on a national highway in Hokkaido, and verified the introduction benefits through a large-scale field verification test. As a result, it was found that the accuracy of our technology is equivalent to that of the existing technology. Furthermore, we showed that the cost of periodic pavement inspections and the total number of workers can be reduced by 50 to 80% by using our technology.

This study examined how social norms influence individuals’ intention to settlement in aging and marginal areas. A questionnaire survey was conducted in such four towns and villages in Akita Prefecture. The major findings obtained from respondents who are mostly elderly people are as follows: 1) The high settlement intention of others in the same community increases the settlement intention of individuals, while the perception that others think people in the community should continue to live here decreases the settlement intention of individuals; 2) Anxiety about the future of the community can decrease individual intention for the settlement; 3) the higher the community identity, the stronger the settlement intention becomes; 4) When community identity is low, the norm promoting continued community living decreases settlement intention, whereas in strong community identities, the norm has no impact on settlement intention. 5) The influence of social norms on settlement intention may be less significant than residential satisfaction. Finally, implications for the settlement policy to the aging community and limitations of this study were discussed.

The crowding in and surrounding tourism areas caused by the growing tourism industry has dissatisfied tourists and residents. However, the tourism industry's economic impact is significant, so it is necessary to mitigate the crowding while keeping the industry growing. To do so, it is essential to understand the tourists' behaviour in detail. This paper established the entropy model for estimating the number of tourists on each tour. The validity of the model and the accuracy of the estimation results were verified by replicating the questionnaire results using the established model. In addition, the efficacy of Wilson's and Sasaki's entropy models was compared. The results showed that Sasaki's entropy model, which considered the selection probability, could improve the accuracy of the model and reduce the computation time. The results of sensitivity analysis confirmed that Sasaki's entropy model showed better results in cases where the total number of tourists became large.

Urban transportation planning systems are required to contribute to location policies by achieving optimal modal share and to guarantee public transportation service levels. However, transportation plans based on the Act on Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Local Public Transportation Systems, which was extended to cover urban areas after 2014, are mostly aimed at restructuring the service itself to improve its efficiency and business balance, and have little direction to enhance public transport services in urban areas to shift people away from private cars. The regional public transportation planning system does not distinguish between urban transportation problems and local transportation problems, resulting in confusion in planning methodology, and the commitment to improve the efficiency of government subsidies for local buses for business improvement is mixed into the planning system.

Vehicles exceeding the general limits of vehicle regulations are classified as special vehicles and must obtain transit permits after a pre-assessment of intersection turning feasibility. Typically, these processes are manually conducted, leading to high administrative costs and reduced productivity in the transportation industry. This study proposes a method to semi-automatically determine turning conditions at intersections using aerial photographs taken for general purposes. The proposed method comprises both macroscopic and microscopic modules, and the turning conditions are judged by integrating both results to ensure judgment accuracy and redundancy. Validation on actual intersections revealed that while the macroscopic module had a higher overall accuracy, the microscopic module performed better in reducing false positives which may cause incident. These results suggest that the complementarity of both modules effectively works for the secure judgement. By automating parts of the assessment process, this approach aims to significantly reduce administrative burdens and improve the productivity of transportation operations, offering a practical solution to the challenges posed by the current manual procedures. This study's findings highlight the potential for technological integration to streamline special vehicle permitting and enhance overall efficiency in the transportation sector.

In recent years, interest in air taxies has been growing around the world. While the development of air taxis is underway, there is insufficient research on their usage intentions and infrastructure development, such as takeoff and landing locations. In this study, we surveyed the intention to use air taxies in the Chukyo metropolitan area, developed a model of air taxies use behavior, and selected takeoff and landing locations using person-trip data. The results of sensitivity analysis indicated that the number of takeoff/landing sites and waiting time have a significant impact on the number of users, and that when the number of takeoff/landing sites is increased, the number of users can be secured by expanding their locations from urban centers to suburban areas. Furthermore, it was shown that more passengers can be transported per vehicle for business and sightseeing purposes than for commuting, business, and sightseeing purposes.

Right turn accident with oncoming vehicle was analyzed concerning angle of roads which two vehicles run to utilize traffic regulation, digital road map, traffic accident GIS integration analysis system. As a result, right turn accident with oncoming vehicle had occurred more on intersection that access road of oncoming vehicle is curved to left than access road is curved to right. Oncoming vehicle tend to be hidden in the shadow of oncoming right turn vehicle at this type of intersection, so right turn accident with oncoming vehicle had occurred more. This trend is remarkable on daytime or bad weather, on middle wide road or non-signalized intersection. This trend is also remarkable on work relative drive or right turning middle age driver, this is likely due to travel time restrictions.

This study analyzed contributing variables affecting driver’s injury severity level, distinguished by the degree of negligence, in the crash of 4-wheeled vehicles at intersections in Aichi prefecture. To investigate the heterogeneity of thresholds, a hierarchical ordered probit model was constructed using the crash data from 2016 to 2020 combined with other data, such as the regional characteristics data and road-specific data. The estimation results showed that ages of the other party, vehicle size differences, collision directions, dim night conditions and land use significantly affected the injury severity level. In addition, the significant variables at the thresholds revealed the factors that partially influence the injury severity level, such as the age of the party, weather and time of day.

Electrification of vehicles is required for carbon neutral in the transportation sector. However, buses have not been widely used due to limitations in cruising range and lower operating rates caused by recharging time. In this study, the CO₂ emission reductions from the introduction of electric buses were extended by evaluating the hourly carbon intensity based on the generation mix. While preserving the current operation, we evaluated the reduction of energy costs by establishing a charging pattern for nighttime charging and drifting charging. As a result, it was revealed that the project has expanded the CO₂ reduction effect by 5.6% and reduced energy costs by 56.6%, and presented an evaluation method that contributes to the promotion of the spread of electric buses.

To reduce the number of vehicle trips required for empty container repositioning, the introduction of foldable containers is proposed. However, using foldable containers requires both folding time (FT) and waiting time (WT) to stack the required number of tiers (NT). These additional times can adversely affect the utilization rates of vehicles and containers, potentially reducing the overall efficiency of foldable containers. This study aims to systematically analyze these impacts by constructing a stochastic simulation model. The model validates the relationship between the reduction in the number of vehicle trips due to the introduction of foldable containers and the container dwell times, represented by FT and WT. Numerical experiments reveal that the length of the FT significantly affects the efficiency of empty container repositioning.

Workplace transportation management has been proposed as a strategy to mitigate global warming. This study aims to analyze the impact of on-demand transportation using multiple commuter buses for a company located in the port city of Tomakomai. High-granularity human flow data and macro traffic simulations were utilized to evaluate the number of on-demand transportation vehicles required to meet total travel demand, as well as the impact on commuter traffic and CO₂ emissions. The findings indicate that peak vehicle traffic could be reduced by approximately 96.3%. Additionally, the study demonstrates that CO₂ emissions per capita could be decreased by up to 59.6%.

An increasing number of rural areas are considering the introduction of mutual assistance transportation. However, existing taxi operators are concerned about a decline in profits due to competition for passengers, so there are cases where they are not gaining acceptance for its introduction. On the other hand, some of the transportation provided by taxi companies is inefficient due to long transfer times, so if a system could be established in which taxi companies assign such transportation to mutual assistance transportation, competition for passengers would not occur. This will also lead to improved management for taxi operators. In this study, we refer to this system as an integrated operational management system for the taxi business and mutual assistance transportation, and construct a mathematical planning model that reproduces the vehicle operation of the taxi business and mutual assistance transportation under this system. Then, we will apply this model to an actual region and quantitatively clarify the impact that factors such as the location of business offices have on the profits of taxi operators.

The majority of traffic fatalities in Japan occur while pedestrians are crossing the road, partly due to the low rate of vehicles stopping for crossing pedestrians at unsignalized crosswalks. One countermeasure is the introduction of bulb-outs, which widen the sidewalk toward the roadway at pedestrian crosswalks, and are cited as an advantage in improving visibility between drivers and crossing pedestrians. In this study, driving experiments were conducted using a driving simulator on three types of unsignalized pedestrian crossing facilities (standard, two-stage, bulb-out), and a comparative analysis of each crossing facility was conducted in terms of both driver’s behavior and awareness. The results showed that the introduction of bulb-outs at unsignalized crosswalks improved driving stability and smoothness. In addition, it was found that the introduction of bulb-outs at unsignalized crosswalks reduced the burden on drivers and improved their awareness of pedestrians crossing.

Recently, the number of community centers that serve as bases for supporting community development and the number of employees who support activities is on the decline, and there is a need to secure human resources. However, according to a public opinion survey conducted by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, rewards that come from within the individual, such as the pleasure of working and a sense of accomplishment, may influence work motivation. In this study, we focused on intrinsic motivation and aimed to clarify the reasons for continued work motivation among community center employees who are supporters of community development. As a result of the interviews, we obtained narratives about autonomy, competence, and relationships related to the continuation of work motivation. In particular, relationships can be categorized as “being able to have a conversation,” “being able to experience the expansion of relationships,” and “finding a role model.” Civic center employees in particular were found to have intrinsic motivation that leads to continued work motivation when relationships are enhanced.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a large decrease in inter-prefecture travel, which has not recovered even after three years have passed. This study attempts to analyze the change in the business structure of firms, inversely based on the intercity business travels, captured by Docomo’s Mobile Spatial Statistics. We use an optimal multilevel business allocation model which describes the cost minimizing decision of firms with nationwide operations over the location and size of headquarters and branch office. The results of the analysis show that the proportion of nation-wide companies is stable until 2023, and that the proportion of companies taking medium-term response to COVID-19 is increasing, although only slightly. The results confirm that long-distance business trip by local firms is still decreasing, due to the decrease in generation intensity and increase in distance resistance.

This study constructed a land use-transportation interaction model considering residents' relocation. This study also quantitatively analyzed the impact of the location normalization policy on the urban structure using a benefit incidence analysis and fiscal balance in areas of declining population. The result showed that the population shifted from rail lines to main roads in the trend. Also, under the scenarios of the housing subsidies and residential regulation, it had a high population inducement effect, and that the walking share of the population increased. We further analyzed the case in which the public transportation accessibility improvement plan and other location normalization policies as a combined package plan and found that there was synergy in terms of population inducement effect when combined with the measures to revitalize the central commercial district.

This study aims to estimate the speed-spacing relationship for each section and vehicle to elucidate the factors that determine traffic flow characteristics, such as traffic capacity. To achieve this, a model based on hierarchical Bayesian modeling is proposed to capture the Greenshields speed-spacing relationship for individual sections and vehicles. The proposed model was then estimated using complete vehicle trajectory data. The results were subsequently interpreted to investigate the influence of sections and vehicles on driving behavior. This analysis enabled the separate estimation of free-flow speed and jam spacing for different sections and vehicles. Notably, the results revealed that both section and vehicle affect free-flow speed, while jam spacing is primarily influenced by vehicle.

The Fukushima nuclear power station accident forced the residents of surrounding municipalities to evacuate, resulting in a large population change. Population statistics are often based on the population census and the basic resident registration, but there are differences between the two. Population is one of the basic indicators in urban planning, and it is important to track changes in population to promote various plans, including reconstruction. In this study, we analyzed the population change in Fukushima Prefecture before and after the nuclear power plant accident by focusing on the difference between the two populations. The analysis revealed that, while the residential population was generally higher than the census population across the entire prefecture before the accident, the census population has exceeded the residential population mainly in the core cities after the accident, and this trend was still continuing in 2020. The difference between the two populations, which cannot be understood only by looking at one side of the two, can be considered as a “Nostalgia index,” especially in Fukushima Prefecture, and is expected to be applied to planning under a declining population.

In this study, we focused on systems for reducing the number of mandatory parking spaces attached to public transportation promotion measures, which had not been organized before, and collected and organized the systems of 13 municipalities from data published by local governments and other organizations. The contents of these systems were compared and verified, and differences and commonalities among the systems were clarified. After reviewing the status of utilization of the systems, we discussed the systems, presented the significance of facility-based reduction and the merits of the systems, and discussed the issues, points to keep in mind, and points to consider from the viewpoints of safety as a system, fairness as a system, and accountability as a system.

As global interest in the urban planning concept of the “x-minute city” increases, with the aim of moving towards a car-free society, it is essential in Japan to create residential environments that offer high satisfaction in relation to the location of home. To do this, it is necessary to determine satisfaction in regions where life services can be reached within x minutes from home. Here, by using individual values as a focal point, we examined the directions and challenges in creating residential environments with high satisfaction by implementing the x-minute city,. An original survey revealed the following: 1) People who emphasize a work-life balance had the highest satisfaction with residential locations that provide access to commercial facilities within 15 minutes. 2)The use of cars for shopping by over 90%.

In recent years, due to population decline and regional disparity, lifestyle-related service industries have been withdrawing from the market, and the number of people with shopping difficulties has been increasing, drawing attention to store location and store closing issues. On the other hand, the regional characteristics of metropolitan areas are complex, and it is important to study statistical analysis methods for spatial data in order to express store competition and economic and social differences within a region. Since few studies have evaluated store locations from the viewpoint of regional spatial characteristics, this study constructs a store location model considering regional spatial characteristics and clarifies the location factors for each location. In addition, logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors that cause store openings and closings.

In recent years, the development of walkable urban environments has become a prominent focus within sustainable urban planning. Tomakomai City, the subject of this study, is currently encountering multiple challenges, including the deterioration of its city center. Efforts are underway to rejuvenate the city center with the aim of transforming the south exit of Tomakomai Station into a pedestrian-friendly, people-centered area. It is noteworthy that Tomakomai has not conducted a pedestrian survey since 2009, resulting in a lack of contemporary data on pedestrian movement. In this study, a pedestrian network graph was constructed utilizing fine-granularity human flow data enabled by advancements in digital technology. A modularity index was employed to elucidate the spatial distribution of clusters within the walking area. Consequently, the study validated the effectiveness of this methodology in evaluating network hubs and provided insights into the formation of a network hub around the south exit of Tomakomai Station.

In February 2022, Sapporo was hit by a massive snowstorm, which caused service suspensions and delays for JR and bus services, and traffic congestion for automobiles, resulting in a major impact on the entire transportation system. In order to cope with this situation, it is necessary to identify priority means and areas and to take effective countermeasures based on an understanding of the factors that affect the mobility of all modes of transportation in the event of snow damage. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between heavy snowfall patterns and the number of trips during such events by utilizing aggregated mobile phone location data that enables trip identification by transportation mode for each mesh, along with snowfall information. Additionally, we conducted echelon analysis to objectively evaluate regional variations in transportation usage. This approach allowed us to map areas with increasing or decreasing population density and to elucidate the changes in movement by different transportation modes and their accumulation patterns during heavy snowfall events.

In recent years, traffic flow analysis using AI cameras and micro traffic simulation has been progressing. In this study, we developed a machine learning model that enables real-time traffic jam prediction using edge AI, which discriminates vehicles at observed locations. A machine learning model that approximates a micro traffic simulation was constructed for the Shinkawa Interchange in Sapporo, and the effect of vehicle discrimination accuracy of edge AI on traffic jam prediction was evaluated. LGBM outperformed NN when there was variation. It was also confirmed that using machine learning models as an alternative to micro traffic simulation can significantly reduce the forecasting time. Further improvement of accuracy will be an issue in the future.

In this study, changes in the population when train service suspensions or delays are expected due to typhoons or heavy snowfall have been grasped in 500m mesh units using mobile spatial statistics in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Next, the commuting behavior of employees who commute by train to the five central wards of Tokyo when bad weather was expected was analyzed using an online survey. As a result, the increase and decrease in the population by region was different from normal times, and it was inferred that behavioral changes such as starting to return home earlier and refraining from going to work and going out had occurred. In addition, analysis of the online survey revealed that the frequency of telecommuting, commuting time, and type of job and industry are factors that determine whether to go to the office or telecommute. The above analysis suggests that it is possible to manage the continuation of work and reduce commuting demand when bad weather is expected.

The development of autonomous vehicles is progressing, and technologies for automatic driving level 3 or higher, in which the program takes the initiative in controlling driving, have emerged. With this development, there has been a debate on the responsibility in the event of an accident. On the other hand, the TROLLEY PROBLEM in autonomous vehicles is attracting attention. The trolley problem is a philosophical question about the choice of life. The debate on the value of justice, what people judge to be right, has not yet been settled. However, the control of autonomous vehicles requires the definition of a program. How can we define the values of justice so that they can be implemented as a program, and what does this mean for the social acceptability of autonomous vehicles? This study classifies the trolley problem into four types: Utilitarianism, Deontology, Altruism, and Principle of double effect, and examines its feasibility in autonomous driving from the viewpoints of technology, ethics, and law.

Many municipalities under financial pressure are struggling between the “increase in the number of residents who cannot reach existing bus stops” and the “increase in the cost of maintaining public transportation”. One of the reasons for this is that (with the exception of mutual aid transportation) public transportation and private cars are the only two options available. This study focuses on personal vehicles (PVs), which can be operated even by people who have returned their driver's license, and quantitatively estimates the contribution of PVs to solving the last mile problem. We also point out the existence of a “prisoner's dilemma” structure in which the situation cannot be improved without cooperation among residents, local governments, and sales companies to simultaneously improve residents' awareness of the use of PV, the driving environment, and the availability environment. This paper proposes a design framework for a municipal support package to break through this structure and publicly establish a system that facilitates the use of PV by residents.

After deregulation, the role of ensuring rural public transportation was assumed by local governments. If public transportation is positioned as a means of guaranteeing the right to survival by local governments, they should identify and maintain the minimum level of public transportation necessary for daily life. In reality, however, many municipalities have adopted the idea of maintaining public transportation that has a certain level of use, based on the income/expenditure ratio or the number of users, or the idea of making the efforts of local residents the condition for public subsidies. Through an analysis of the policy documents of local governments and the literature of experts who have influenced them, this study points out that there is a problem that these discussions have not conceptually distinguished between public transportation for minimum guarantee and public transportation for additional convenience improvement, partly due to the limitations of the COMMUNITY BUS boom period. This may have diluted the policy objective of municipalities to identify and guarantee minimum public transportation.

In order to mitigate the population decline in regional areas, it is necessary to encourage people to return to their hometowns. The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors behind return migration to the prefecture including hometown among employees who found their first job outside Tokushima prefecture. Particularly, we focus on the differences in decision-making factors depending on age and the time elapsed until returning. Therefore, we analyzed factors related to return migration based on the results of a questionnaire survey of people who found work outside the prefecture. We identified factors related to the number of years until return in addition to the distribution shape assumed to be a Weibull distribution. The results clearly showed that the factors for return migration differed depending on age. Return migration varies depending on the first place of employment. In addition, up until age 40, the return rate decreases depending on the travel time to the place of origin by car. On the other hand, it is suggested that the return rate declines in response to wage disparities among those aged 40 and over.

In response to the increasing demand for parking for heavy vehicles on expressways, there are strategies to maximize and optimize the use of existing sites by rearranging the layout of parking spaces. One such strategy is the row parking system, in which three vehicles are parked in a row in the order of departure time by converting the lanes between the regular parking spaces. This study examined the conditions and effects of using this system to optimize the number of parking spaces. The analysis results at the Kakegawa Parking Area on the Shin-Tomei Expressway showed that an appropriate combination of the three parameters controlling this parking system increases the space occupancy rate, an index for evaluating utilization efficiency, compared to the case where only regular parking spaces are used. Furthermore, we clarified the characteristics of each control parameter.

In Japan, it is sometimes argued that railway operators who make operating profits should work to relieve in-vehicle crowding on urban railways. On the other hand, it is said that reducing crowding is unlikely to lead to profits for railway operators, but no quantitative evidence has been officially provided. We estimated rail demand and fare revenue for four railway operators in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area by using a transport behavior model based on the Council for Transport Policy Report No. 198 and estimating the increase in transportation capacity by increasing the number of trains during the morning peak hours. We also estimated the increase in personnel costs and expenses associated with increasing the number of trains and showed the changes in operating profits. Our results found that the profits of three and all four companies decreased if the number of trains was increased by 10% and 30%, respectively. This study revealed that private railway operators would need some form of assistance to improve their profits if they were asked to further reduce crowding.

In Japan, operational requirements and accuracy standards for AI Camera have been established as an AI observation method using CCTV cameras, aiming at constant observation of roads regardless of normal conditions or disasters. In addition, the usefulness of additional learning for AI observation is well known, and research on methods to reduce learning costs and obtain teaching data has been active. However, there is a lack of complementary research on the relationship between teacher data and accuracy requirements for AI Camera, and we believe that accuracy verification related to dataset selection is necessary for the nationwide spread of AI observations. In this study, we conducted AI observations using two open datasets that are publicly available and an original dataset created using our own semi-automated method. As a result, we clearly show the relationship between the creation and selection of teaching data and the accuracy requirements of AI Camera and discuss various issues that need to be considered.

In recent years, the X-minute city concept, which emphasizes the proximity of urban functions to residential areas, has gained global attention. Based on this concept, evaluating the proximity of housing to urban functions and the convenience of residents’ daily lives, as well as assessing the equity of walkable accessibility, is essential to ensuring “equitable access to essential services” in the future. This study quantitatively evaluated the walkable accessibility of residents in the Sapporo metropolitan area using point data of various amenities and 100-meter mesh population data. The aggregation and spatial distribution of these facilities were further analyzed using Lorenz curves and the Gini coefficient. As a result, it was found that 76.4% of the meshes, encompassing 87.1% of the total population, enjoy living convenience consistent with the “15-minute city” concept.

In recent years, the direction of road policy in Japan has been to realize residential streets where pedestrians and vehicles coexist safely and comfortably, and in order to achieve such road space, it is thought that the awareness of “pedestrians having priority” must be further disseminated in the future, taking into account the perspective of utilization in residential streets. From the above, the elements related to the awareness of pedestrians having priority were clarified quantitatively through a questionnaire survey. The results of the analysis showed that the factors that lead to the formation of the two different attitudes - one that thinks it is sufficient if pedestrians can pass with priority on residential streets, and one that can accept the use of residential streets - may differ. In addition, it was suggested that the depth of involvement with the local community and the creation of a safe and secure environment are important in fostering an attitude that can accept the use and use of residential streets by users.

In this study, cooperative control methods at a nonsignalized intersection are examined. Assuming that all vehicles are connected cars, cooperative control models for their smooth merging is constructed using deep reinforcement learning and evaluated using micro-simulation. Using Deep Q-Network and Soft Actor Critic, a type of deep reinforcement learning, a cooperative control model at a nonsignalized T-intersection that minimizes travel time while avoiding collision was constructed. The analysis results showed that this method is capable of efficient traffic control with high average speed. In particular, it was shown that the cooperative control method constructed by Soft Actor Critic can control traffic more safely and stably than Deep Q-Network one. In addition, it was confirmed that the cooperative control model constructed by Soft Actor Critic can control vehicles without collision and with less time loss than the priority non-priority control.

This study provides essential knowledge for policy intervention to eliminate psychological barriers such as “not reaching out” to persons with intellectual disabilities who use public transportation in the future. Specifically, we analyzed the relationship between the perception of the characteristics of people with intellectual disabilities when they use public transportation and whether or not they provide support when they encounter a situation in which a passenger with intellectual disabilities is in a difficult situation. The results showed that it is effective in reducing the psychological barrier for third parties, such as passengers, to give priority to informing them of the situations in which persons with intellectual disabilities find themselves when they use public transportation.

The challenge of building a sustainable business continuity governance framework for corporate organizations against natural disasters, which are becoming more severe due to climate change, is an immediate one. This paper aims to contribute to corporate business continuity risk assessments by focusing on temporary business continuity expenses (BCE) required during disaster recovery. Specifically, it attempts to quantitatively explain the factors influencing expenditure behaviour using regression analysis and to estimate the expenditure amount in advance. In particular, the paper examines the relationship between decision-making regarding expenditure behaviour and the temporary BCE required during flood recovery for affected companies. The analysis utilizes survey data from companies affected by the July 2018 heavy rain disaster in Western Japan, evaluating the factors and their impacts on business continuity expenditure behaviour quantitatively through a Tobit Type 1 censored regression model. Moreover, the paper discusses the practical application of the estimated expenditure amounts derived from the Tobit Type 1 model.

As the concentration of people in urban areas leads to a shortage of local development leaders in rural areas, the existence of a “related population,” which exists between the “exchange population” and the “resident population,” has been attracting attention. Among them, the “visiting related population” is expected to play an important role in regional development because they are involved with the local community and local people. In this study, we focus on the “visiting related population” because of the importance of visiting the local community and examine the transition factors from the “non-visiting related population” that engages with the local community remotely and the “exchange population” that simply goes sightseeing or returns home, in terms of regional awareness and other aspects. The analysis reveals that the visiting related population includes those who use websites to engage with local people, those who engage in activities to improve their skills, those who are satisfied with the attractiveness of the region, and those who are willing to move to the region, while the non-visiting related population includes those who have lived in the region for a long time and those who enjoy eating out and studying, as well as those who are in the non-visiting related population and those in the visiting population.

This study uses PERT/CPM as a reference and aims to establish a procedure for constructing the conditions for a “public transport network that ensures quick transfers at hub stations (synchronized operation network)” at the lowest possible cost. PERT/CPM can be broadly divided into the stage of eliminating marginal schedules and the subsequent stage of additional improvement. In the former, critical works and floats are confirmed, and schedules shortening of critical works are repeated while eliminating float. On the other hand, the construction of a synchronous operation network can be roughly divided into elimination of waiting time at nodes and additional improvement afterward. The former work is the reference target of this research, and the waiting time equivalent to float in PERT/CPM is calculated from the temporal distance between nodes and the operation cycle, and the cross-section of the network is used to eliminate waiting time and shorten the time required for links. It was confirmed that a synchronous operation network could be realized by repeatedly implementing this method.

There have been cases in which drivers fail to notice road signs, leading to traffic accidents and lawsuits, suggesting the need to examine the visibility of signs on narrow roads overgrown with trees. However, previous studies have mainly focused on urban roads, and such road environments have not been considered. In this study, as part of the examination, a driving simulator was used to reproduce mountain roads and road signs, and its difference in visibility due to the color of the visual target road signs was experimentally examined. As a result, for mountain roads overgrown with green leaves, yellow had the shortest visibility time, and its difference with the green road sign, which had the longest visibility time, was 0.95 seconds. The rate of overlooking stop signs showed no significant difference based on the color of the road signs. When the green leaves on the same road were changed to autumn leaves, the visibility changed from when they were green, and both the visibility time and overlooking rate were highest for green, and the red was lowest. Its difference with the green road sign was 0.68 seconds. Therefore, it was suggested that measures are necessary to enhance the visibility of red signs during the autumn foliage season.