Evaluating the efficiency of the Essential Air Service program in the United States

Essential Air Service (EAS) is a federally funded program in the United States that provides connecting, commercial air service between rural communities and their nearest large or medium commercial hub airport. During fiscal year 2010, $170 million dollars were spent to provide this service to 107 communities in the US. However, with significant variations in subsidies to each airport (ranging from $427,757 to $3,082,403) and marked differences in passengers served, there are serious concerns regarding the overall efficiency of the EAS program. The purpose of this paper is to use data envelopment analysis integrated in a geographic information system for evaluating service efficiencies at the community level. Policy implications and strategies to improve the EAS program are discussed.     

New appraisal values of travel time saving and reliability in Great Britain

Transportation - This paper provides an overview of the study ‘Provision of market research for value of time savings and reliability’ undertaken by the Arup/ITS Leeds/Accent consortium...     

Flag states and safety: 1997-1999

This paper examines the casualty rates of flag states in order to determine whether Flags of Convenience have a worse record than other types of register. The analysis uses the Lloyd's casualty database for the years 1997-1999. The data reveal that FOCs do, indeed, have a worse record than either second/international registers and national flags, but that there are considerable variations within the FOC group itself. This leads the authors to conclude that it is the newer, faster growing FOCs that are most likely to have inferior records to other flag states, and that this is due to the very nature of their, largely profit-making, regimes.     

Flag states and safety: 1997-1999

This paper examines the casualty rates of flag states in order to determine whether Flags of Convenience have a worse record than other types of register. The analysis uses the Lloyd's casualty database for the years 1997–1999. The data reveal that FOCs do, indeed, have a worse record than either second/international registers and national flags, but that there are considerable variations within the FOC group itself. This leads the authors to conclude that it is the newer, faster growing FOCs that are most likely to have inferior records to other flag states, and that this is due to the very nature of their, largely profit-making, regimes.     

Successful community participation in local traffic proposals

This paper examines the successes and failures of intensive community involvement in redesigning city streets. It examines the progress of an ongoing study of traffic and parking in the architecturally sensitive conservation area of Clifton, Bristol. It illustrates how all sections of the community can work together with the local authority to recognise issues, examine options and reach an agreed action plan. The process was not trouble free. Difficulties arose as the implications of the detailed proposals became clear to the wider public and the realisation that work would shortly commence in their street. The paper explains how different types of people become involved in the project as work progresses from the strategic level to detailed design and implementation.     

Risk analysis of vessel traffic systems

A risk analysis approach to the capital planning of vessel traffic services (VTS) is embedded within the benefit-cost methodology. The method is discussed in the Canadian context, but has already been used to plan the Hong Kong VTS system. Recently, in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the US Congress asked for a study of the requirements for VTS systems in American ports and waterways, and the US Coast Guard chose to apply our risk analysis approach to their study.     

Investigating links between transport disadvantage, social exclusion and well-being in Melbourne - Updated results

This paper updates results of an international study aimed at quantifying the links between transport disadvantage (TD), social exclusion (SE) and well-being (WB) in Melbourne, Australia. The study extends knowledge associated with SE and transport by quantify social and behavioural implications of lack of public and private transport and the nature of the social WB benefits associated with improving services.Study aims and methodology are outlined. Recent findings covered relate to car ownership on the urban fringe, patterns of transport disadvantage, the analysis of time poverty related to transport disadvantage, measuring the economic value of additional mobility and use of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to relate WB and SE to TD and a series of explanatory factors.Overall results suggest that those without a car on the urban fringe adjust well with their circumstances by living close to activity centres. They demonstrate sustainable choices, trading off budgets and home location to balance mobility and accessibility. Poorer households with high car ownership value mobility and cheaper more remote fringe dwellings but demonstrate numerous strategies to reduce high car costs which are acknowledged as a significant burden. Analysis identifies 4 key types of transport disadvantage including a ‘vulnerable/impaired’ group which should be of much greater concern for targeted policy than others due to poor scoring on SE and WB scales. The economic value of new mobility is also explored with results suggesting $AUD 20 per average new trip which is four times larger than conventional values for generated travel.Analysis has also suggested that transport disadvantage can relate to socially advantaged as well as socially disadvantaged groups through time poverty. This was found to be an important mitigating factor when relating TD to WB. A statistically reliable structural equation model is developed suggesting the SE-WB link is strong (−.87) with a modest link between TD-SE (.27).Areas for future research in the project are also summarised.