Citation

Golla APS, Bhattacharya SP, Gupta S. Transp. Res. D Trans. Environ. 2020; 86: e102439.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trd.2020.102439

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Local or neighborhood roads form the bulk of urban road network and are responsible for the last mile connectivity. They are highly vulnerable to earthquake-like hazards, causing road closures of magnitude ranging from small traffic diversions to isolation of entire neighborhoods. Such disruptions impede the emergency response, and significantly affect the post-disaster recovery. Hence their design, construction, and maintenance are of utmost importance for efficient working of transportation systems. In this article, we study the accessibility of local roads based on intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of vulnerability with a focus on Indian cities. The methodology divides the road network into two components. The first one is the inaccessible stretch of the road network due to its width (Intrinsic Vulnerability), and the second one is the accessible stretch of the road network prone to road closures due to collapsed buildings (Extrinsic vulnerability). Then a three-step framework, namely road network inventory development, building vulnerability assessment, and road closure analysis, is proposed for vulnerability assessment. For this purpose, 77 km of road network and 612 buildings are studied in three selected wards of Siliguri Municipal Corporation (Seismic zone IV). A comparative analysis between the wards for the change in accessibility levels before and after an earthquake is done. The results are measures of inaccessibility in the road network, which are also visualized as isolated streets on the maps. The proposed framework aides an urban planner and an emergency manager to identify the vulnerable parts of road network and take necessary mitigative measures.

Language: en

Keywords

Accessibility; Earthquake; Network analysis; Rapid visual screening; Siliguri; Vulnerability