Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/97
Electrical and Electronic Engineering is an exciting and dynamic field. Electrical engineers are responsible for the generation, transfer and conversion of electrical power, while electronic engineers are concerned with the transfer of information using radio waves, the design of electronic circuits, the design of computer systems and the development of control systems such as aircraft autopilots. These sought-after engineers can look forward to a rewarding and respected career.

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Browsing Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering by Author "Akoku Ebot Eno Akpa, Nelson"

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    A comparative evaluation of the impact of average speed enforcement (ASE) on passenger and minibus taxi vehicle drivers on the R61 in South Africa
    (South African Institution of Civil Engineering, 2016) Akoku Ebot Eno Akpa, Nelson; Booysen, M. J.; Sinclair, M.
    Average speed enforcement (ASE) is an emergent alternative to instantaneous speed limit enforcement to improve road safety, and is used to enforce an average speed limit over a road segment. This paper presents a study on the response of passenger vehicles and minibus taxis to ASE on the R61 in South Africa. A spatio-temporal quantitative study of speed compliance was conducted, where metrics such as speed variability, average speed and 85th percentile speed measured prior to, and during enforcement, were analysed for two prominent modes of transport - passenger vehicles and minibus taxis. These measurements were taken on the enforcement route and on control routes adjacent to and further away from the enforcement route. A qualitative study was also conducted to evaluate the relationship between speed compliance and driver understanding of the system. The impact of the system on crash risk and injury severity was also examined before and during enforcement. For passenger vehicles, results showed that the introduction of ASE was followed by a reduction in mean speed on the enforcement route and adjacent control route. For minibus taxis, it was found that ASE appears to have little influence on improving speed compliance, which is likely associated with a lack of driver understanding of how the system operates.
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    The evaluation and testing of mobile ITS interventions on speed compliance in the minibus taxi industry of South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12) Akoku Ebot Eno Akpa, Nelson; Booysen, M. J.; Sinclair, M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Informal public transport in South Africa, dominated by minibus taxis is noted for poor compliance, and has been shown to disregard posted speed limits on long-distance trips. They go as far as driving over the di erentiated speed limit of the lighter passenger vehicles used for private transport. This work compares and evaluates improvements in their speed compliance using two renowned interventions: automated Average Speed Enforcement (ASE), and auditory Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA). The feasibility of fuel economy existing as a self-regulatory incentive for speed compliant driving is investigated, together with the impact of each intervention on fuel consumption rates. The main ndings were that with minibus taxis, ASE is not well understood and needs ISA as a complementary intervention, and safe driving can increase driver remuneration from fuel costs. Average Speed Enforcement is an emergent alternative to instantaneous speed enforcement to improve road safety. This study involves a mixed methods approach in understanding driver response to the system on the R61 Between Beaufort West and Aberdeen in South Africa. A spatio-temporal quantitative study of speed compliance is conducted. Various speed metrics are measured prior to, and during enforcement, and ASE impact on crash risk and injury severity is also examined. These measurements are taken on the enforcement route and on control routes having similar characteristics. Two main modes of transport in the region are considered, namely minibus taxis and passenger vehicles. A qualitative study is also conducted to evaluate the relationship between speed compliance and understanding of the system. Results show that for passenger vehicles, the ASE system led to a reduction in mean speed on the enforcement and adjacent control routes. However, ASE appears to have no in uence on minibus taxis, which could be linked to limited understanding on ASE operation. This study also tests and evaluates the impact of an auditory ISA intervention, applied at various levels, on the speeding behaviour of the seemingly intransigent minibus taxi industry. The experiment evaluates the same ASE section on the R61, to which the minibus taxi drivers were seemingly impervious. Various speed metrics, as well as their statistical relevance and the e ect sizes are evaluated. Results show that the auditory ISA intervention has a clear impact on speeding behaviour, both when applied at an audible level that can be drowned out by a radio, and even more so at a loud level. The impact on speeding is signi cant, with speeding frequency (both time and distance) reducing by over 20 percentage points. Also, although the drivers showed little or no behavioural change when driving on the ASE route, introduction of the ISA system resulted in signi cant changes bringing violation frequencies down to 47.4% from 81.2% on the enforcement route. These changes brought about lower fuel consumption rates especially with the ISA system, and drivers can increase their remuneration by a minimum of about 120% and by up to 214% from the fuel budget if they drive safely.