Title: Evaluating landside transportation operations for general aviation airports: estimating vehicle efficiency and pedestrian safety

Authors: Scott A. Parr; Nikola Mitrovic; Aleksandar Stevanovic

Addresses: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Louisiana State University, 2400-A6 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Rd. EG36, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Rd. EG36, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA

Abstract: The geometrical characteristics of landside facilities at general aviation airports are not always designed to provide safe and efficient flow for vehicles and pedestrians. The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to evaluate proposed site plan improvements on pedestrian safety and vehicular flow on general aviation airports while minimising the environmental impact and cost of construction. Site plan alternatives are modelled in VISSIM 5.10 and further evaluated with the Federal Highways Administration Surrogate Safety Assessment Model. These models provided a comparison of the proposed site plan alternatives on vehicular efficiency and pedestrian safety. With the proposed methodology applied to the Vero Beach General Aviation Airport in Florida the solution site plan provides for a 75% decrease in vehicular delay and a reduction of vehicle to pedestrian conflicts of 84% at a cost of approximately US$70,000 all while maintaining environmental stewardship.

Keywords: general aviation airports; microsimulation; surrogate safety assessment model; SSAM; site plan alternatives; landside operations; vehicle efficiency; pedestrian safety; environmental constraints; cost constraints; alternative analysis; vehicular flow; construction costs.

DOI: 10.1504/WRITR.2013.053363

World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 2013 Vol.4 No.1, pp.1 - 22

Received: 21 Oct 2011
Accepted: 23 Apr 2012
Published online: 31 Mar 2014 *

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