Search Results (5)

RaceRunning is a sport for disabled people and successful performance depends on reducing the amount of time spent travelling a specific distance. Performance analysis in RaceRunning athletes is based on traditional methods such as recording race time, distances travelled and frequency (sets and reps) that are not sufficient for monitoring training loads. The aims of this study were to monitor training loads in typical training sessions and evaluate technical adaptations in RaceRunning performance by acquiring sensor metrics. Five elite and competitive RaceRunning athletes (18.2 ± 2.3 yrs) at RR2 and RR3 levels were monitored for 8 weeks, performing in their usual training sessions while wearing unobtrusive motion sensors. The motion sensors were attached to the waist and lower leg in all training sessions, each lasting between 80 and 90 min. Performance metrics data collected from the motion sensors included player loads, race loads, work/rest ratio and impact shock directions, along with training factors (duration, frequency, distance, race time and rest time). Results showed that weekly training loads (player and race loads) followed acceptable threshold levels, according to assessment criteria (smallest worthwhile change, acute/chronic work ratio). The relationship between race velocity (performance index) and race load was non-linear and statistically significant, which led to different performance efficiency groups. Wearable motion sensor metrics revealed small to moderate technical adaptations following repeated sprint attempts in temporal running performance, variability and consistency. In conclusion, using a wearable-based system is an effective feedback tool to monitor training quality, revealing important insights into adaptations to training volumes in disabled athletes. Full article

Background: People invest hours of their working day to pay for their vehicle. Is this a worthwhile use of their time? Wouldn’t public transport be a more economical solution for those on low income? Which demographic group typically chooses the most effective mode of transport? Aim: The two studies presented in this paper answer those fundamental questions based on the effective speed concept. This is calculated by dividing the distance travelled by time (i.e., minutes spent travelling and earning the money to afford it). Methodology: A digital model of the residents in Berlin is created to calculate the ‘effective speed’ for everyone. In the second study, based on a survey of residents in New York City, the best mode of transport for each respondent based on their effective speed has been identified and compared to the mode chosen. Results: The results of the Berlin case study show that the mode share for cars would be less than 6% if people choose the mode of transport with the highest effective speed. A similar picture is seen in NYC. Factors that significantly affect whether people who should use public transport, do so, include: age, gender, education, place of work or home. Full article

Women and men often do not experience equal mobility opportunities in their societies. Increasingly, gender is being recognized to play a significant role in transport planning, particularly for addressing individual mobility needs in urban and rural areas. By understanding the link between male and female travelers’ preferences, perceived values, and travel behavior, as well as experienced barriers, transport systems could be better tailored to women’s activities and mobility needs by putting the women’s perspective on center stage. Therefore, the objective of this paper is twofold: (1) to perform an in-depth analysis of women’s and men’s travel behavior to scrutinize the difference in perception of the value of travel time derived from travel experience using various transport modes and (2) to identify the significant factors influencing men and women’s travel behavior in terms of transport mode choice. The empirical analysis is based on a multinomial regression model of 1406 female travelers and 1486 male travelers in eight European countries. In regard to the subjective values associated with users’ perception of travel time worthwhileness, this research implies that the perception of enjoyable travel time and the perceived mood from the travel experience would increase the tendency of ridesharing and using private motorized modes of transport as a passenger among women. Results also demonstrate that women have a higher perception of the worthwhileness of travel time for walking compared to men using bicycle and micro-mobility systems and private motorized vehicles as a driver. Regarding public transport, a significant difference in the perceived worthwhileness of travel time between female and male users of public transport in the European urban areas was also discovered. Full article

Seventeenth-century travel accounts written by ordinary people are a rarity. In this article, we analyze the unusual travel report by Gregorio de Robles, a Castilian peasant (labrador) who travelled several European empires in Western Europe and America at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries. The approach we offer is that of a global microhistory. The aim of this article is mainly methodological: we try to delineate the methodological steps we had to undertake to trace Robles in the sources. Looking for an early modern peasant traveler is comparable to searching for a needle in a haystack, but we argue that this endeavor is worthwhile because Robles offers a unique perspective on how ordinary people traveled in early modern times and on imperial frontier zones. We show that his convivial ties and the places he mentions were key elements in the methodology. Full article

Ridesharing as a form of mobility service increased significantly and has become a popular concept in recent years among users, mobility authorities, and transport service providers. This research focused on exploring an emerging view of value of travel time (VTT) from the traveler’s perspective, based on the stated travel time worthwhileness, preferences and motivations on their intention towards participation in ridesharing to evaluate individual’s perception of VTT and perceived value of ridesharing (VRS) impacts on intentions to participate in car sharing for their daily commuting using multinomial logit (MNL) model. This is particularly relevant today, as peer-to-peer mobility services are on the one hand shaping and redefining the value of technologies, and services, and on the other hand introducing new actors in the mobility eco-system. This study describes a survey of 278 people in 4 European countries: Finland, Portugal, Spain, and Slovakia as part of the “Mobility and Time Value” (MoTiV) H2020 project EU-wide data collection. In short, the empirical analysis indicates the high significance of enjoyment in terms of travel time worthwhileness on ridesharing adoption for commuting trips. Results also revealed economic benefit and enjoyment of being social as major motivators for participation in ridesharing. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for urban and transport planners, policy makers, and authorities to implement in shared mobility planning and to prepare transport policies which are tailored to individuals’ ridesharing needs and travel preferences and count also on travel happiness factors to better reflect the traveler’s personal ambitions. Suggestions for future research on shared mobility planning are outlined in conclusion. Full article