Strategic Motorlance Deployment for Urban Emergency Response: An Agent-Based Study in Bangkok

Abstract

Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is time-sensitive, with each minute of delay reducing survival by 7-10%. In Bangkok, severe traffic congestion limits ambulances' ability to meet the 8-minute response target. Motorcycle-based emergency units (motorlances) equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are traffic-agile first responders, but their placement in complex urban environments remains understudied. This study applies an agent-based modeling (ABM) framework to simulate dispatch dynamics within a representative Bangkok district (Zone 8) using GIS-based road networks and real fleet parameters. Emergency calls were generated via a Poisson process, and traffic was modeled using hourly speed profiles distinguishing peak and off-peak periods, with congestion factors calibrated against baseline performance. We introduced a candidate motorlance dispatch location in the Lat Phrao / Wang Thonglang area to address coverage gaps and evaluated five deployment scenarios. Performance was measured as the proportion of calls reached within the 8-minute threshold. A strategically positioned motorlance improved 8-minute coverage more than expanding the fleet at the primary baseline hospital alone, reducing delayed calls from 71.8% to 29.7%. Beyond the initial unit, further fleet expansion produced diminishing returns due to ambulance availability bottlenecks. These findings highlight spatial planning and decentralized dispatch for urban emergency response in traffic-congested megacities.