Insights on disruptions as opportunities for transport policy change

Policy change is characterised as being slow and incremental over long time periods. In discussing a radical shift to a low carbon economy, many researchers identify a need for a more significant and rapid change to transport policy and travel patterns. However, it is not clear what is meant by rapid policy change and what conditions might be needed to support its delivery.Our contention in this paper is that notions of habit and stability dominate thinking about transport trends and the policy responses to them. We limit variability in our data collection and seek to design policies and transport systems that broadly support the continuation of existing practices. This framing of the policy context limits the scale of change deemed plausible and the scope of activities and actions that could be used to effect it.This paper identifies evidence from two sources to support the contention that more radical policy change is possible. First, there is a substantial and on-going churn in household travel behaviour which, harnessed properly over the medium term, could provide the raw material for steering behaviour change. Secondly, there is a growing evidence base analysing significant events at local, regional and national level which highlight how travellers can adapt to major change to network conditions, service availability and social norms. Taken together, we contend that the population is far more adaptable to major change than the policy process currently assumes.Disruptions and the responses to them provide a window on the range of adaptations that are possible (and, given that we can actually observe people carrying them out, could be more widely acceptable) given the current configuration of the transport system. In other words, if we conceptualise the system as one in which disruptions are commonplace, then different policy choices become tractable. Policy change itself can also be seen as a positive disruption, which could open up a raft of new opportunities to align policy implementation with the capacity for change. However, when set against the current framing of stability and habit, disruption can also be a major political embarrassment. We conclude that rather than being inherently problematic, disruption are in fact an opportunity through which to construct a different approach to transport policy that might enable rather than frustrate significant, low carbon change.     

Adoption intentions for micro-mobility – Insights from electric scooter sharing in Taiwan

Micro-mobility may alleviate a number of challenges facing big cities today, and offer a pathway toward more sustainable urban transportation. This research investigates what factors influence university students’ intention to use an electric scooter sharing service. A theoretical framework adapting the theory of planned behaviour was used. Survey responses from 471 university students in Taiwan were collected. Data were analysed using factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Respondents with different levels of usage intention and in different stages of behavioural change display distinct reasoning patterns. Lack of perceived compatibility with personal values, mobility needs and life-style particularly drives students with low usage intention and pre-contemplators, who show signs of “green hypocrisy”. Awareness-knowledge about the sharing system and environmental values influence the formation of usage intention in indirect ways. This study is intended to be a reference for subsequent conceptual and empirical work on e-scooter sharing in particular, and shared mobility with other types of powered two-wheelers.     

Scientific research about climate change mitigation in transport: A critical review

This paper seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the research on climate change mitigation in transport. We suggest that work to date has focused on the effects of improvements in transport technologies, changes in the price of transport, physical infrastructure provision, behavioural change and alternative institutional arrangements for governing transport systems. In terms of research methodologies, positivist and quantitative analysis prevails, although there are signs of experimentation with non-positivist epistemologies and participatory methods. These particular engagements with climate change mitigation reflect mutually reinforcing tendencies within and beyond the academic transport community. We first draw on a revised version of Thomas Kuhn’s philosophy of science to explore the path dependencies within transport studies, which are at least partly responsible for the predisposition towards quantitative modelling and technology, pricing and infrastructure oriented interventions in transport systems. We then employ the governmentality perspective to examine how transport academics’ engagements with climate change mitigation depend on and align with more general understandings of climate change in UK society and beyond. The analysis makes clear that ecological modernisation and neo-liberal governmentality more generally provide the context for the current focus on and belief in technological, behaviour change, and especially market-based mitigation strategies. While current research trajectories are important and insightful, we believe that a deeper engagement with theoretical insights from the social sciences will produce richer understandings of transport mitigation in transport and briefly outline some of the contributions thinking on socio-technical transitions and practice theories can make.     

Communicating something confidential while travelling by train: the use of a telephone conversation versus silent modes

Wireless ICTs are often used in public transport. Using survey data collected amongst 98 train travellers this article aims to gain insight into important factors that affect train travellers’ intentions to communicate with distant others while travelling. More specifically, the focus is on the decision-making process that leads to the intention to choose for a confidential conversation either via ‘audible’ mobile phone or via ‘silent’ SMS/e-mail. An approach that is related to the Extended Model of Goal-directed Behaviour (EMGB) is applied. Structural equation modelling results indicate that in particular past SMS behaviour, the desire to communicate (goal desire), the perceived efficacy and controllability influence the intention to conduct a confidential phone conversation in the train. The influence of the social environment (e.g. eavesdropping) seems to be less important. Several EMGB constructs are strongly influenced by age. It seems that older respondents have more negative attitudes towards telephoning while travelling by train, and find it more difficult to call other people in such a situation. Finally, they have a lower intention than younger respondents to conduct a confidential conversation over the phone while travelling.

Traveler delay costs and value of time with trip chains, flexible activity scheduling and information

The delay costs of traffic disruptions and congestion and the value of travel time reliability are typically evaluated using single trip scheduling models, which treat the trip in isolation of previous and subsequent trips and activities. In practice, however, when activity scheduling to some extent is flexible, the impact of delay on one trip will depend on the actual and predicted travel time on itself as well as other trips, which is important to consider for long-lasting disturbances and when assessing the value of travel information. In this paper we extend the single trip approach into a two trips chain and activity scheduling model. Preferences are represented as marginal activity utility functions that take scheduling flexibility into account. We analytically derive trip timing optimality conditions, the value of travel time and schedule adjustments in response to travel time increases. We show how the single trip models are special cases of the present model and can be generalized to a setting with trip chains and flexible scheduling. We investigate numerically how the delay cost depends on the delay duration and its distribution on different trips during the day, the accuracy of delay prediction and travel information, and the scheduling flexibility of work hours. The extension of the model framework to more complex schedules is discussed.     

城市交叉口交通拥挤最大排队长度估算模型

文章针对交通波模型应用于城市道路排队长度估算所存在的问题,评述了累计到达-离去模型应用的优势。通过对累计到达-离去模型的三种变形形式的分析比较,选用出其中的一种模型为基础模型进行改进,得到城市交叉口交通拥挤最大排队长度估算模型,并通过VISSIM仿真实验验证了这一改进模型的实用性。     

《大学生创业基础》示范课程建设实践与探索

大学生创业教育已成为目前各高校面临的新课题.文章结合广西交通职业技术学院教学实践,以《大学生创业基础》示范课程的建设为突破口,提出了创业教育示范课程建设的思路与设想,探讨了专业教育与创业教育相匹配的方法,并评述了该示范课程建设的效果.     

复式拱桥加固与保护设计

以古拱桥与现代新拱桥迭合而成的复式拱桥的加固与保护设计为例,通过现场病害调查、合理计算模型的探讨找出病害所在及病害产生的原因,提出了桥梁加固与保护所采取的方法。     

拱盖法隧道围岩稳定性模型试验研究

文章利用大尺寸模型试验,研究了拱盖法隧道开挖过程中地表的发展模式和围岩受力情况。结果表明:隧道开挖过程中地表沉降先后经历了缓慢沉降、快速沉降和缓慢沉降三个阶段,其中中导洞开挖、竖向支撑拆除是沉降快速发展的阶段,拱部二次衬砌完成后开挖下部围岩对地表变形贡献不大;在掌子面推进过程中,监测断面各部位围岩荷载的释放过程具有较大差异性,拱部围岩荷载相比于拱脚和边墙释放更快,且幅度更大;拱部围岩中导洞开挖和临时支撑拆除会导致已稳定的围岩压力二次释放;由于支护的及时跟进,围岩自承能力得以发挥,围岩径向收敛变形得到较好的控制;拱部围岩中导洞开挖和临时支撑拆除会导致已稳定的围岩压力二次释放,建议工程中应将拱顶沉降作为拱盖法围岩稳定判别的主要依据。     

高烈度地震区山岭隧道模型试验研究

以雅泸高速公路高烈度地震区某山岭隧道为背景,对山岭隧道结构地震动力响应进行了大型振动台模型试验研究。试验表明,在隧道洞口段模型土表层裂缝均先从隧道拱顶偏向两侧45°角位置出现,然后斜向向上扩展;在隧道洞身段进出口纵向及斜向裂缝数量较多,大部分裂缝延伸至环向裂缝后终止。在隧道洞身段试验中,拱顶内缘和两侧边墙中部衬砌外缘出现拉裂性裂缝;在仰拱部位出现剪裂性裂缝或压裂性裂缝,并有不同程度的错动,是受地震影响最大的部位。     

Experimental Study of the Tunnels with Natural Ventilation for Various Parameters of Ventilation Openings北大核心CSCD

In order to compare the ventilation efficiency and air speed of the tunnel for different parameters of ventilation openings, the acrylic board is used to build a 1:15 tunnel model and carry out the proportional model test. Four working conditions are set up to compare the ventilation in the tunnel under different ventilation openings in terms of number, length and height. The experimental results show that the air velocity distribution and ventilation efficiency change significantly under different ventilation openings in terms of number, length and height. Based on the test results, the best setting pattern of the ventilation opening is proposed in this paper. © 2018, Editorial Office of "Modern Tunnelling Technology". All right reserved.     

公路隧道二次衬砌纵向裂缝非线性数值模拟研究

已建隧道普遍存在衬砌开裂现象,裂缝的存在会降低隧道衬砌的承载能力.文章为研究带裂缝隧道衬砌的力学性能,提出了塑性地压、松弛土压、偏压等三种受力裂缝数值模拟的荷载施加模式;分析了几种常见裂缝模型的原理及适用性,并且基于钢筋混凝土有限元非线性分析理论,利用分布裂缝模型进行不同荷载模式下隧道二次衬砌开裂至破坏的全过程分析;通过计算得出了不同加载方式下裂缝的发展及分布规律.研究结果可为隧道衬砌裂缝成因判断及二次衬砌加固改造提供理论支撑.     

Modelling the impact of weather conditions on active transportation travel behaviour

Three weather sensitive models are used to explore the relationship between weather and home-based work trips within the City of Toronto, focusing on active modes of transportation. The data are restricted to non-captive commuters who have the option of selecting among five basic modes of auto driver, auto passenger, transit, bike and walk. Daily trip rates in various weather conditions are assessed. Overall, the results confirm that impact of weather on active modes of transportation is significant enough to deserve attention at the research, data collection and planning levels.