ALBERT

Description:    The transportation of dangerous goods (DG) can significantly affect the human and natural environment if accidents occur during the transportation process. Hong Kong is a large city with high population density and narrow streets. Due to the land constraints, vehicles carrying DG inevitably have to pass through densely populated areas or their vicinities. Therefore, safe DG transportation is of paramount importance. There is thus an urgent need to review and improve the way trucks carrying DG are being routed on the road networks. Routing of such vehicles should consider not only the operating cost, but also the safety of travelers in the network, the population potentially exposed, and the possible damage inflicted to the surrounding properties and facilities in the event of a DG incident. This research develops a novel methodology for the determination of optimal routes for DG transportation under conflicting objectives by means of the compromise programming approach. With the support of geographical information system (GIS), a case study is carried out for the transportation of DG in the road network of Hong Kong. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 249-271 DOI 10.1007/s10109-010-0124-6 Authors Rongrong Li, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N. T., Hong Kong Yee Leung, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N. T., Hong Kong Journal Journal of Geographical Systems Online ISSN 1435-5949 Print ISSN 1435-5930 Journal Volume Volume 13 Journal Issue Volume 13, Number 3