MUST - Research

Traffic and Public Transportation Management and Operations

- Headed and Managed by Dr. Moazzem Hossain

This research area is headed by Dr. Moazzem Hossain. The objective of this research is to develop an advanced traffic management strategy incorporating the fundamental principles of traffic flow, operation and control on urban road networks of Malaysian cities. However, in order to be able to keep the automobile use at a manageable rate for the overall sustainability of urban transport system simultaneous development of an efficient and integrated public transportation system is vital for the urban areas. The research outcomes are expected to guide the balanced development of both the public transit and automobile based urban transport system.

Current Research Topics

Urban Public Transportation System Integration - in collaboration with MIT

MUST principal investigator:

Prof. Moazzem Hossain

MIT Principal Investigator:

The objective of this project is to investigate the benefits of and best approaches for achieving an integrated system of operations and communications across the public transport providers in Kuala Lumpur. Within the scope of the first phase of the project data collection and field survey were undertaken in and around all the 48 stations of the two main LRT lines i.e. PUTRA and STAR lines, covering the integration features related to system, facility and service elements. These data will be input for analyzing the integration status of the two main LRT lines utilizing the integration framework developed at MIT and applied for similar study in Chicago city. All the understandings from the first phase will guide the framework for next phase of study which will be aimed at undertaking an integration study for the whole Klang Valley public transport network including Bus, KTM commuter trains, ERL express and KL monorail. The results of the application of the framework and process to Kuala Lumpur, will suggest recommendations for key areas for focused attention and several key recommendations for immediate action.

Development of a digital planning tool for transport network of Klang Valley - in collaboration with MIT

MUST principal investigator:

Prof. Moazzem Hossain

MIT collaborative researchers:

Transport network of a large urban region like Klang Valley involves complex interactions among land use, population, socio-economic factors and spatially distributed public facilities of all sorts. Planning and operation strategies either for public transport or private car based transport cannot be comprehensive unless an integrated analysis of the whole system can be performed in a single platform. This digital planning tool based on GIS representation of all the above elements including discrete travel behavioral aspects of the residents can provide such an integrated platform. Initially utilizing the in-house resources a preliminary tool with limited scope will be developed for a portion of Klang Valley to demonstrate the ability of the intended tool and also to finalize the framework for the total tool development. Currently, we are close to the development of the preliminary tool.

MITSIM Laboratory Application in the Klang Valley - in collaboration with MIT

MUST Principal Investigator:

Dr. Chan Toong Khuan

MIT Principal Investigator:

The Microscopic Traffic Simulation Laboratory (MITSIMLab) is a simulation model created by professors and students at MIT which allows testing, evaluation, and design refinements of Dynamic Traffic Management Systems (DTMS). A microscopic simulation approach, in which movements of individual vehicles are represented, is adopted for modeling traffic flow in the traffic flow simulator (MITSIM). This level of detail is necessary for an evaluation at the operational level. The simulation laboratory has extensive graphical user interface (GUI) that is used both for debugging purposes and for visualization of traffic impacts through animation of vehicle movements, graphical display of traffic data, and state of signal and signs. This simulation modeling package has been successfully used, and continues to be used in Boston, Massachusetts; Irvine, California; Des Moines, Iowa; and Stockholm, Sweden.

In conjunction with the ITS Kornsortium Sdn. Bhd. (IKSB) and the city of Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), MUST is currently implementing MITSIMLab in the Klang Valley as part of the larger Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS) initiative. The goal of ITIS is to provide real time traffic information to the public and relevant agencies, to facilitate the sharing of traffic information, to improve traffic flows, to increase traveler mobility, to reduce travel times, and to provide a long term scaleable, maintainable and upgradeable system. Forty-five corridors in the Klang Valley have been identified on the basis of hierarchy within the overall road network, traffic volume, volume-capacity ratio, affinity for accidents, protocol roads, and areas of major sports/international events. MUST will code this entire network and then calibrate and validate MITSIMLab's traffic simulations. Once the simulation capabilities are validated, MITSIMLab can be used to test various traffic response plans, traveler information schemes, and other ITS deployment strategies.

Status: Completed

Publications and Reports for Funded Projects in This Area

M Hossain, Micro-simulation Modelling of Vehicular Emission from Road Traffic of mixed flow situation, Submitted for possible publication in the International journal of Transportation Research Part D, Elsevier Science Ltd (Under review)

M Hossain and Tean C, Development and evaluation of neural network model for incident detection on urban arterials using simulated database, submitted for possible publication in the International journal of Transportation Research Part C, Elsevier Science Ltd. (Under review)

Completed Student Theses in This Research Area

Lee, Mun Joon, 2004. "Automatic Incident Detection System (AIDS): Non-recurrent Incident Detection in Urban Roadway - A Case of an Isolated Signalized." - supervised by Dr. Chan Toong Kuan

Loh, Su Min Clement, 2004. "Evaluation of Adaptive Automatic Freeway Incident Detection Algorithms." - supervised by Dr. Chan Toong Kuan

Chew,Tean, 2005. "Artificial Neural Network Modeling for Incident Detection in Kuala Lumpur Arterials Using Simulated Database." - supervised by Dr. Moazzem Hossain

Teh, Hong Yet, 2005. "Impact of Rain to Highway Traffic and Drivers' Deceleration Behavior." - supervised by Dr. Chan Toong Kuan

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