The University of Queensland PhD scholarship: Driver and pedestrian behaviour in shared environments
Summary
| Enrolment status | New students |
|---|---|
| Student type | Domestic students, International students |
| Level of study | Higher Degree by Research |
| Study area | Engineering and Computing |
| HDR funding type | Living stipend scholarship, Tuition Scholarship |
| Scholarship value | $28,597 per annum (2021 rate), indexed annually |
| Scholarship duration | 3.5 years with the possibility of 1 extension in line with UQ and RTP Scholarship Policy |
| Opening date | 14 July 2021 |
| Closing date | 8 August 2021 |
Description
Supervisor – Professor Mark Hickman
There are many environments where pedestrians and vehicles may share road space. In this project, we are examining the factors that influence both pedestrian and driver behaviour in these shared spaces. Over the past 15 years, there has been growing research into pedestrian and driver behaviour within these spaces, but the results of different management strategies seems to be dependent on the local context. Moreover, many studies have missed the collection and use of data that would seem to be important in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of different traffic management strategies for shared spaces.
This project, supported by Brisbane City Council through the Transport Innovation and Research Hub (TIRH), is exploring the safety and effectiveness of different strategies in managing shared space. Three specific areas of interest include Local Area Traffic Management (LATM), or local neighbourhood traffic calming; pedestrian crossing treatments along higher-volume two-lane neighbourhood, district, and suburban roadways; and pedestrian crossing treatments at “slip” lanes at signalised intersections, where left-turning traffic may only need give way before making a left turn. Considerations in these cases could include the vehicle operating speed, pedestrian speed, road user visibility, road geometry, and vehicle and pedestrian volumes.
This research will explore mixed methods to evaluate strategies for managing these shared spaces, in terms of physical treatments, signs, markings, and related traffic management devices. Field observation amongst a range of facilities in Brisbane has begun and will continue through this project. These data will need to be analysed, and formal conclusions should be drawn across a wide range of cases across the Brisbane City Council area. To supplement these field observations, we also propose driving and pedestrian simulator experiments. The University has recently invested in two STISIM driving simulators which can be configured to test driver response to various shared space environments. The University also has developed a new Virtual Reality environment to test pedestrian reactions to vehicle and driver behaviours at a zebra crossing in Brisbane. Both the driving simulation and VR environment can be employed as part of this research.
A working knowledge of traffic engineering fundamentals, observational traffic studies, traffic simulation and virtual reality would be of benefit to someone working on this project.
School of Civil Engineering
UQ’s Transport research group in the School of Civil Engineering is a strong and growing research group with a vibrant and collaborative environment for transport research and application to industry. The group has access to large real-world mobility datasets and a broad range of traffic and transport analysis software, as well as traffic and driving simulation and virtual reality environments.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must meet the entry requirements for a higher degree by research.
This scholarship is open to Australian citizens, permanent residents and International students who are currently in Australia at the time of application and commencement.