Traffic rationing and pricing in a linear monocentric city

This paper presents a simple spatial equilibrium model for a linear monocentric city to investigate the effects of rationing and pricing on morning commuters' travel cost and modal choice behavior in each location. Under rationing and pricing, every day in the morning peak hour, each commuter is classified as either “free” or “rationed”. “Free” commuters are allowed to use the highway without paying the toll, whereas “rationed” commuters can avoid the toll only if they travel by transit. Each day, a fraction of commuters are rationed in their free use of the highway, and the rationing fractions are determined systematically so that everyone is equally rationed in a given period. It is found that Pareto‐improving rationing and pricing scheme might be obtained as a combination of the rationing degree and the toll associated with rationing. Extension to the rationing and pricing scheme with cordon and park‐and‐ride service has been made. Cordon and park‐and‐ride might help in improving the efficiency of rationing and pricing strategy although remains its Pareto‐improving property. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ridesharing in North America: Past,Present, and Future

Since the late 1990s, numerous ridematching programmes have integrated the Internet, mobile phones, and social networking into their services. Online ridematching systems are employing a range of new strategies to create “critical mass”: (1) regional and large employer partnerships, (2) financial incentives, (3) social networking to younger populations, and (4) real-time ridematching services that employ “smartphones” and automated ridematching software. Enhanced casual carpooling approaches, which focus on “meeting places”, are also being explored. Today, ridesharing represents approximately 8–11% of the transportation modal share in Canada and the USA, respectively. There are approximately 638 ridematching programmes in North America. Ridesharing's evolution can be categorized into five phases: (1) World War II car-sharing (or carpooling) clubs; (2) major responses to the 1970s energy crises; (3) early organized ridesharing schemes; (4) reliable ridesharing systems; and (5) technology-enabled ridematching. While ridesharing's future growth and direction are uncertain, the next decade is likely to include greater interoperability among services, technology integration, and stronger policy support. In light of growing concerns about climate change, congestion, and oil dependency, more research is needed to better understand ridesharing's impacts on infrastructure, congestion, and energy/emissions.     

Locating new passenger facilities on a transportation network

This paper examines the problem of locating additional passenger facilities on a transportation network to supplement ones that already exist. A distinction is made between “supporting” facilities which operate only in concert with already existing ones and “new” facilities which are self-sufficient and operate independently. It is shown that, when the objective is to maximize the utility of travel times to all users, at least one set of optimal locations for the new facilities exist on the nodes of the network if the utility function for travel times is convex. This result is proven under very general conditions including the assumption of a probabilistic transportation network, i.e. a network where travel times on network branches are random variables. A straightforward algorithm for solving a specific simple case is also provided and the results are illustrated by examples.     

Transport coordination debate and the Japanese National Railways problem in postwar Japan

As the “railroad problem” in Japan became serious, there was a widespread debate calling for the implementation of a policy of transport coordination. Much debated themes were “inherent advantage,” “equal-footing,” “comprehensive transportation system,” and “economizing in transportation.” However, this not only had the effect of hampering the modernization of economic regulations for Japan's railroad industry, but also caused the Japanese National Railways's cumulative deficit to expand and placed a heavy economic burden on the public.     

Dynamic process model of mass effects on travel demand

Whereas transportation planners commonly predict the negative impacts of mass transportation, there is increasing empirical evidence of the existence of positive mass effects, whereby increased use of a mode by the ‘mass’ will generally increase its attractiveness for future travellers. In this paper we consider the dynamic impact of such an effect on the problem of travel demand forecasting, with particular regards to social network effects. Our proposed modelling approach is inspired by literature from social physics, evolutionary game theory and marketing. For simplicity of exposition, our model is specified for a scenario in which (a) there is a binary choice between two mobility lifestyles, referred to as car-oriented and transit-oriented, and (b) there are two population groups, where one is the “leading” or “innovative” population group and the other the “following” or “imitating” population group. This latter distinction follows the rather well-known Bass model from the marketing literature (1969). We develop the transition probabilities and transition dynamics. We illustrate with a numerical case study that despite lower intrinsic utility for the transit lifestyle, significant changes towards this lifestyle can be achieved by considering congestion, service improvements and mass effects. We further illustrate that mass effects can be positive or negative. In all cases we explore the sensitivity of our conclusions to the assumed parameter values.     

An examination of factors affecting propensities to use bicycle and pedestrian facilities in suburban locations

The US federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program was created to fund transportation projects that have the potential to contribute to the attainment or maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This study evaluates a random sample of eight suburban bicycle and pedestrian facilities funded by the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program in the Chicago metro area. Users of these facilities were randomly sampled using a “time-based” user sampling approach and surveyed in intercept mode to implement a recall-based evaluation design. A random intercept logit model was used to explain variations in the propensity to switch from single occupant vehicle use to bicycling or walking, using attributes of users and sites. The analysis shows relatively low usage levels but that substitution of motorized modes have resulted, potentially leading to improved air quality outcomes.     

Medical-purposed travel behaviors in rural areas in developing countries: a case study in rural Cambodia

This study aimed at identifying influencing factors in an individual’s choice of health service facility and transportation mode to the facility, using two datasets: one collected through face-to-face interviews held between February and March 2016, containing responses from 258 local residents, and the other collected from 45 residents in the follow-up survey in December 2016. The study area was located in rural Cambodia, where road conditions were recently improved and a health sector policy was implemented to assist poor people in accessing to health services. An empirical analysis was carried out using nested logit models, consisting of two choices of three travel modes (private, shared, or walking) and two types of public health service facilities (health center or referral hospital). The results revealed the following: (1) individuals in households with motorcycles tend to visit health service facilities using private travel modes, whereas individuals in households without their own transportation tend to visit health service facilities using shared travel modes or on foot, and (2) travel distance between individuals’ houses and the selected facilities likely discourages people from visiting referral hospitals, where a variety of health services are available, but does not affect the choice of health centers, offering limited health services while being located closer to residential areas. These findings suggested the need to equip health centers with more functions as health service providers and to operationalize public transportation services for those who cannot afford to visit referral hospitals, which would enable people to receive necessary health services more conveniently.

     

Choosing the wrong technology: Or how to spend billions and reduce transit use

In spite of a broad consensus among transportation analysts that bus rapid transit, whether operating on exclusive rights-of-way or on uncongested high occupancy vehicle lanes or general purpose limited access facilities, provides higher performance and has significantly lower costs per passenger trip than rail transit in medium and low density cities, nearly all Sunbelt cities are building or planning heavy or light rail systems. This paper reviews previous studies of the cost-effectiveness of heavy and light rail transit with bus-rapid transit and the growing experience with busways and transitways and concludes, once again, that some form of bus rapid transit would be a far more effective way of providing improved transit in these cities than heavy or light rail transit. Not only would bus rapid transit be substantially cheaper, but it would provide a higher quality of service than light or heavy rail transit for virtually all users. Finally, the paper speculates on the reasons for the continued, “blind” commitment to rail transit by policymakers in Sunbelt cities and on the refusal of policymakers in all but a few of these cities to even consider bus rapid transit.     

Achieving environmental sustainability beyond technological improvements: Potential role of high-speed rail in the United States of America

In order to reduce energy use and cut emissions that contribute to climate change, countries need to radically reinvent their fossil-fuel intensive transportation systems. As a major consumer of energy and contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the U.S. transportation sector faces extraordinary challenges in the twenty-first century. Transportation in the U.S. depends heavily on fossil-fuel dependent cars and planes to the near exclusion of more energy-efficient electric trains. In order to address this concern, some policy makers refer to “technological optimism” which seeks no systemic change but instead focuses on employing technology to reduce the energy demand and environmental impact of the status quo. On the other hand, some researchers suggest a systematic paradigm shift away from cars and planes to intermodal systems that improve the sustainability of the system as a whole. High-speed rail (HSR) is arguably such an investment that can further this shift and help to achieve a more diversified and balanced transportation system. In this respect, by largely examining the role of the U.S. cars and planes “culture” in the economy, this paper elaborates on how building a HSR system may help U.S. advance towards environmental sustainability in transportation, make a break from the status quo, and create a more balanced, multimodal transportation system that will improve the quality and efficiency of travel.     

Planning for implementation

Although the urban transportation planning process has evolved into the most sophisticated of all urban planning processes, the increasirig difficulty in implementing long-range transportation plans in urban areas today suggests basic questions concerning the process which deserve critical examination.Planning for implementation of urban transportation programs, particularly during periods of rapidly changing human values, requires a continuing re-evaluation of both technical and organizational strategies and their interrelationships.This paper raises some fundamental questions about the traditional activities and relationships that have characterized most urban transportation planning programs in the past. It also suggests a number of strategies, both technical and organizational, that may contribute to the implementation of plans and programs resulting from the transportation planning process.The first portion of this paper discusses the implications of not providing transportation services to match metropolitan growth. The experience of the Washington Metropolitan Area over the past decade is used to illustrate these implications.A discussion of organizational and institutional constraints upon the planning process follows. Then, the implications for the planning process are explored, and the scale of planning is reviewed as well as the need for monitoring the performance and impact of facilities.Next, the paper deals with the need to broaden the range of solutions to transportation problems, including consideration of economic and land development policies to reduce travel demand, as well as the provision of new facilities.Finally, techniques for involving decision-makers in the planning process are discussed. Examples of special project activities in the Washington area are used to illustrate these techniques and their value.     

Do motor-vehicle users in the US pay their way?

Governments in the US spend over a hundred billion dollars per year to build and maintain roads and provide a variety of services for motor-vehicle users. To pay for these infrastructure and services governments collect revenue from a variety of taxes and fees. The basic objective of this paper is to compare these government expenditures with the corresponding user tax and fee payments in the US. At the outset I argue that the such comparisons tell us something about the equity but not necessarily the economic efficiency of highway financing. I then present four different ways one might tally up government expenditures and user payments, depending on the extent to which one wishes to count “indirect” expenditures (e.g., on prosecuting car thieves) and non-targeted general-tax payments (e.g., severance taxes on oil). I make a comprehensive analysis of all possible expenditures and payments, and then compare them according to three of the four ways of counting expenditures and payments. The analysis indicates that in the US current tax and fee payments to the government by motor-vehicle users fall short of government expenditures related to motor-vehicle use by approximately 20–70 cents per gallon of all motor fuel. (Note that in this accounting we include only government expenditures; we do not include any “external” costs of motor-vehicle use.) The extent to which one counts indirect government expenditures related to motor-vehicle use is a key factor in the comparison.     

成都等交通物流融合发展经验与广州现代物流中心建设

本文根据实地调研成果,介绍了成都、重庆和郑州在建立健全物流管理体制机制、强化物流枢纽及通道功能、创新物流运输组织模式、物流标准化信息化、物流市场主体及产业培育等方面的先进经验,从加强政府顶层设计、完善物流枢纽和节点体系、促进物流枢纽互联互通、研究物流运输组织服务的新模式、打造“交通+物流+产业”的产业集群、提升物流标准化发展水平、出台促进物流降本增效的政策措施等七个方面总结了强化物流创新要素集聚,促进广州现代物流中心建设的经验和启示。     

Multi-modal and demand-responsive passenger transport systems: a modelling framework with embedded control systems

The LITRES-2 modelling system provides a framework for investigating the performance of urban passenger transport systems, with particular attention to demand-responsive transport modes and traveller information technologies. The modes covered include conventional timetabled services (buses, trains etc.), taxis (both single- and multiple-hire), and other demand-responsive services. Tables of estimated aggregate demand are disaggregated so as to produce a stream of fully-articulated travel-requests. Individual requests are resolved as single- or multiple-leg journeys, through the use of request-broking and journey-planning modules that seek to minimise travellers' generalised costs. Journey-legs allocated to demand-responsive modes are handled by a fleet-scheduling module which includes provision for “instantaneous” as well as advance-notice bookings, and for contingent situations such as breakdowns and passenger no-shows. The fleet-scheduling and journey-planning modules are designed as embedded control systems and are intended for use in real-time as well as modelling applications. The paper describes the main analytical and procedural components of LITRES-2, and assesses some methodological issues arising from experience in recent planning studies. The system appears to be well suited for use in modelling situations where the critical issues are concerned with the supply rather than demand side of transportation activity.     

The contemporary motor carrier salesperson: An analysis of shipper and carrier perspectives

One of the continuing concerns of the motor carrier industry is the need to upgrade the knowledge and skills of its salespeople. The paper reports the findings of a study which attempts to identify the specific characteristics of salespeople that require upgrading or improvement. The study is unique in the sense it examines and compares the views of both shippers (i.e. “buyers”) and carriers (i.e. “sellers”) of trucking services. Overall, both the univariate and multivariate analysis indicate that shippers and motor carrier sales managers have very different perceptions regarding desirable salesperson attributes, with shippers advocating less emphasis on personal traits and more attention to service and knowledge-related attributes. This suggests that motor carriers, in general, have been slow to adapt their sales management policies and practices to the realities of the contemporary transportation environment.     

Selection Criteria of Transportation Mode: A Case Study in Four Finnish Industry Sectors

Abstract

This paper takes a closer look at the very basics of logistics and it analyses the selection criteria of transportation services from the industrial point of view as the main research problem. It also tries to establish a better understanding of which industrial sectors are using which mode of logistics services and why. According to the analysis, the high value and especially high price/kg ratio of products, short life cycles and worldwide markets are typical reasons to use rapid modes of transport. The high price/kg ratio of products and the short life cycles, for example in the electronics industry, cause high price erosion and support selecting transport based on speed, as proportional transport costs remain small, even when using expensive transportation modes. Based on the results, some of the future logistics needs were identified, and the aim is to help logistics service providers offer the exact services needed, providing better competitiveness for Finnish shipping companies operating in global markets. Logistics service providers are, for example, expected to have more powerful supply chain management capabilities than a single‐service provider can typically offer. Additionally, logistics service providers should have compatible operating systems with different parties of various supply chains to enable deliveries to different customer groups according to their industry’s required speed.     

Remaking transportation organizations for the 21st century: consortia and the value of organizational learning

The US faces a number of important issues in the way it organizes and manages transportation facilities and services. A key issue is how to create organizations that pay attention to customers and focus on results and performance. However, these two organizational characteristics are often difficult to achieve in formal organizations like governments, which are bound by requirements for procedural integrity. This paper examines a way out of this dilemma: transportation organizations can participate in voluntary consortia, which may offer more flexibility and adaptability and facilitate organizational learning. To gain new insights into the potential benefits of voluntary consortia this paper examines two case studies of transportation-related voluntary consortia, taking an organizational learning perspective. It concludes that although further research is needed, consortia may offer many benefits, including their ability to provide a quick, low-threat response to changing conditions.     

A systemic overview of non‐motorized transportation for developing countries: An agenda for action

All through the twentieth century transportation planning and the implementation of transportation facilities in the developing world was heavily weighted toward motorized transportation (MT), despite the fact that non‐motorized transportation (NMT) constitutes a significant proportion of all trips. However, in the last two decades many researchers and practitioners all across the world have recognized the importance and advantages of NMT, and their investigations and findings have contributed toward identifying, if not mitigating, some of the more glaring problems in these countries. Unfortunately, most of these investigations have been performed in a piece‐meal and disjointed fashion. This paper explores the complex and sometimes poorly understood set of relationships between transportation and its links to a myriad of other factors, such as landuse, sustainability, safety, energy, ethical issues, value of time, telecommunication, environmental justice, and equity. The main objective of this paper is to provide a systemic overview of NMT by describing its multi‐dimensional aspects and to assist developing countries in formulating an “Agenda for Action”.     

城市绿色出行内涵和评价指标体系框架研究

绿色出行发展的根本目的是为了实现城市交通可持续发展,实现出行"安全、畅通、高效、舒适、环保、节能",从而实现社会、经济、交通和环境的协调发展。本文通过对绿色出行的概念、内涵、特征和实现途径等相关理论进行解读,确定绿色出行系统的主要构成;采用计划行为理论、交通需求管理理论等多视角,对影响和制约城市绿色出行发展的关键因素进行分析和识别,并研究提出围绕保障能力、基础设施、运输装备、运营服务等方面的绿色出行评价指标体系框架。     

Capacitated maximum covering location models: Formulations and solution procedures

This paper presents two formulations and two solution procedures for a capacitated maximum covering location problem. In the first formulation, the problem is presented as a mixed-interger linear programming model which maximizes covered demand. In the second model, the objective function maximizes the weighted covered demand while at the same time minimizing the average distance from the uncovered demands to the located facilities. The second formulation attempts to account for the assignment of the demand which is not “covered” to located facilities which have excess capacity. This assignment is very important, especially for locating emergency service facilities. Two heuristic procedures are proposed to solve these models. These are based on greedy adding technique and Lagrangian relaxation. At each iteration, the demands are allocated to the facilities using an out-of-kilter method. The performance of the solution techniques are compared to the optimal solutions in a variety of test problems.