Transport in a high‐density urban environment: the experience of Hong Kong

In Hong Kong the high cost of land reclamation servicing has made it necessary to plan land use through zoning commercial and industrial activity and by adopting very high densities for residential accommodation. Traffic has concentrated along particular corridors where its volume now exceeds road capacity. The imperative development of an urban rail system has affected the economic stability of most public transport. Simultaneously, private motoring has increased so rapidly that fiscal restraints have been imposed, generating a serious proposal for electronic road pricing. The future growth of links with China will end Hong Kong's relative isolation and present new transport planning challenges.     

The impact of urban characteristics and residents’ income on commuting in China

This study examined the relationship between urban characteristics and residents’ commuting behaviour using sample survey data from 106 cities in China. We found that the average commuting time of high-income groups is significantly longer than that of low-income groups. The increasing urbanization rate leads to an increase in commuting time and more residents using public transport for commuting. The increase in the urban population density is expected to increase the commuting time and the possibility of commuting using non-motorised modes. Different urban characteristics have different effects on the commuting patterns of residents within different income groups. The increased urbanization rate promotes the use of motorised modes for commuting in the high-income group, and shortens the commuting time of the low-income group. We also found that population density and neighbourhood-level factors have a greater impact on the commuting time of the low-income group compared to the high-income group. We suggest China’s urban planners should place emphasis on the commuting requirements of the low-income group by China’s urban planners.     

Consumers’ attitudes towards electric cars: A case study of Hong Kong

The paper presents the results of a survey carried out in Hong Kong to gauge people’s attitudes towards the environmental aspects of electric cars. The survey shows that people in general recognise the positive environmental benefits of electric cars, but express concerns over their environmental costs, in particular those of battery waste and increased airborne pollutants emitted by power plants when the electricity is produced.     

The role of the air transport service in interregional long-distance students’ mobility in Italy

This study investigates the role of air transport service in the attractiveness of universities to national students, examining how it might stimulate local economic development by attracting highly skilled labor. Examining the flow of Italian university students at the provincial level in 2003–2012, we find that the air transport service affects university attractiveness for long-distance students living at least 300 km from their university. Specifically, accessibility increases with the proximity of universities to airports, when low-cost carriers serve university routes and more alternative airports exist at the origin. Further, our results suggest that, over the last decade, air transport service has facilitated mobility of long-distance students from southern areas to universities in the north of Italy, where students generally move to increase their future prospects.     

Passenger experience with quality-enhanced bus service: the tyne and wear ‘superoute’ services

This paper investigates the role that enhanced service quality introduced into a deregulated market has in improving the experience of bus travel by a sample of passengers in the Tyne and Wear area of England. A generalised ordered choice (GOC) model that accounts for preference heterogeneity through random parameters, as well as heteroscedasticity in unobserved variance, and random parameterisation of thresholds, is implemented to identify sources of influence on the overall experience of bus travel in the presence and absence of the quality-enhanced treatment of service. The GOC model is contrasted with a standard ordered logit model, and the marginal effects associated with the preferred GOC model are derived for each influencing attribute, taking into account the various ways in which each influence contributes to the utility associated with each level of bus experience. The paper supports a view that the introduction of quality improvements, via a Quality Bus Partnership, does contribute non-marginally to an increase in a positive bus experience, and signals a way forward through cooperative intervention, to grow patronage. Knowing which attributes successfully deliver a more positive experience (and those that do not) means that resources are effectively targeted at the aspect of service provision which will increase patronage and therefore revenues, satisfying the objectives of both the bus operator and the local authority partner.     

Transportation and land-use preferences and residents’ neighborhood choices: the sufficiency of compact development in the Atlanta region

This paper analyzes the transportation and land-use preference and actual neighborhood choices of a sample of 1,455 residents of metro Atlanta. We develop a stated-preference scale on which desires for neighborhood type are gauged, from preferences for low-density, auto-oriented environments to desires for compact, walkable, and transit-oriented neighborhoods. This scale is then related to desires for change in one’s own neighborhood characteristics after a hypothetical move. If all neighborhood preferences were equally likely to be satisfied, then neighborhood preferences would not be correlated with a desire for change. By contrast, in the current study, stronger preferences for a more walkable environment are associated with greater desire for change in one’s neighborhood characteristics. This suggests an undersupply of compact, walkable, and transit-friendly neighborhood types relative to current demand.

The role of ‘indirect’ greenhouse gas emissions in tourism: Assessing the hidden carbon impacts from a holiday package tour

Tourism is a noticeable contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Existing estimates of tourism’s carbon footprint are however incomplete as they fail to holistically assess the additional, ‘indirect’ carbon requirements. These arise from the non-use phases of a tourism product or service life cycle and can be further magnified by supply chain industries. Under-development of methods for carbon impact assessment in tourism is the primary reason for the omission of ‘indirect’ GHG emissions. This study develops a new approach for comprehensive appraisal of GHG emissions which incorporates and advances the methodological advantages of existing assessment techniques. It tests the applicability of this approach in tourism by conducting a holistic analysis of a standard holiday package to Portugal, based on the British tourism market. The new approach demonstrates the significance of the ‘indirect’ GHG emissions in the total carbon footprint from the holiday package, thus emphasising the necessity for more comprehensive future assessments.     

The role of incentives towards adolescents’ commitment to use public transport in Malaysia

This study examines the adoption of a travel behaviour modification programme to encourage sustainable mobility and public bus usage. Students from four schools in Penang Island were recruited and divided into two groups: Group 1 (without incentives) and Group 2 (with incentives). In the experiment, after having a motivation session about sustainable transport, the respondents were asked to design their travel patterns for seven days. The next session gathered data about their actual travel and asked for feedback regarding the programme. The results demonstrate that incentives encouraged respondents to follow their plans for travel behaviour and public bus usage. The results highlight that their commitment to follow their travel plans were influenced by ethnicity, distance from home to school, travel time, and household income. The study offers some discussion regarding the implications of the results for strengthening sustainable mobility and encouraging public bus use among adolescents.     

Spatial analysis of the competitiveness of the high-speed train and air transport: The role of access to terminals in the Madrid–Barcelona corridor

This paper analyzes the effect of access and egress time to transport terminals over the spatial competiveness of the high-speed train (HST) in the Madrid–Barcelona (Spain) corridor, one of the densest airline domestic markets in the world. Applying spatial data from 2010 provided by a geographical information system (GIS) to a mode choice model estimated with sample travelers in this corridor, the present study examines whether and how the level-of-service of transport terminals spatially affects the competitiveness or modal distribution of HST and air transport in the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona; and, in particular, the degree of competitiveness that can be accrued by the access time provided by private car and transit in different market segments, especially mandatory and leisure trips. In a number of urban zones near train stations and airports, terminal accessibility clearly favors one transport mode in comparison to the other. Improving terminal accessibility via private car or public transit not only affects the relative access to terminals, but also represents a key strategy for readjusting the market shares of the competing modes in the corridor.     

The effects of the 2013 floods on Germany’s freight traffic

This article analyzes the spatio-temporal effect of the 2013 floods on freight traffic in Germany by using automatic traffic counter data. The methodology uses a proven time-series outlier detection and identification technique to endogenously determine if a counter was affected during the flood and estimate the magnitude and duration of the change in the number of vehicles passing through it. This is the first paper able to quantify climate-related variations in traffic across all the counters of a national network. Results show variations on 10% of all counters and 23% of all main roads. Results allow us to trace the configuration of disrupted and detour routes, recovery times, and the total effect on the network. Our findings serve as an input to other studies on the impact of exogenous events on the transport system and contribute towards the formulation of public policies to improve road resilience.     

The development of a mobility index based on a factor analysis of the socio‐economic characteristics of households

Anthony J. Faria is an associate professor and Chairman of Marketing in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Windsor. A graduate of Michigan State University, he received his Ph.D. degree in 1974. Dr. Faria is a member of the American Marketing Association, Southern Case Research Association, the Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, and the North American Simulation and Gaming Association. Dr. Faria has authored a marketing simulation game entitled COMPETE: A Dynamic Marketing Simulation and has published in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Small Business Management, Pittsburgh Business Review, Traffic Quarterly, Retail Control, Atlanta Economic Review, Retail Directions, Department Store Economist, The Southern Business Review, Business and Society, and the Marquette Business Review. In addition, he has participated in various seminars for the business community.     

The Smeed Report 50 years on: a role for the workplace parking levy?

Fifty years ago, Reuben Smeed chaired a study and produced a Report on the Economic and Technical Possibilities of Road Pricing. This report was to consider different methods of charging, including road pricing, to see if different pricing methods could reduce the problems associated with congestion as opposed to the traditional methods in place such as fuel tax. Since that time, various attempts have been made to introduce road pricing schemes but with only modest success so far. By contrast parking policies, a second-best alternative to road pricing, have been extensively used by local authorities as a means of managing congestion. The effectiveness of such policies, however, has been limited by an increase in the proportion of privately owned non-residential parking which is not under the control of local authorities. The aim of this paper is to present the results of an early-stage, post-implementation study of the Nottingham Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) – a measure that charges employers for the number of parking spaces they provide for their staff. Particular emphasis is placed on why a WPL was seen as being favourable compared to a road pricing alternative. The reason for this was that it could be introduced in a shorter time frame and at a lower cost, thus making it a lower risk option when compared with road pricing.     

Children’s mode choice for the school trip: the role of distance and school location in walking to school

Rising levels of childhood obesity in the United States and a 75% decline in the proportion of children walking to school in the past 30 years have focused attention on school travel. This paper uses data from the US Department of Transportation’s 2001 National Household Travel Survey to analyze the factors affecting mode choice for elementary and middle school children. The analysis shows that walk travel time is the most policy-relevant factor affecting the decision to walk to school with an estimated direct elasticity of −0.75. If policymakers want to increase walking rates, these findings suggest that current policies, such as Safe Routes to School, which do not affect the spatial distribution of schools and residences will not be enough to change travel behavior. The final part of the paper uses the mode choice model to test how a land use strategy—community schools—might affect walking to school. The results show that community schools have the potential to increase walking rates but would require large changes from current land use, school, and transportation planning practices.

The role of parents’ mobility behavior for dynamics in car availability and commute mode use

Transportation - Recent studies have analyzed travel behavior over the life course through the lens of the mobility biography approach. Similarities in the effects of certain key events on travel...     

The influence of neighborhood types on active transport in China’s growing cities

Rapid urban expansion in China has created both opportunities and challenges for promoting active transport in urban residential communities. Previous studies have shown that the urban form at the city scale has affected active transport in Chinese cities. However, there is less agreement about how the physical and social variations of neighborhood types should be addressed. This research investigates the four most representative neighborhood types found in Chinese cities: traditional mixed-use, slab block work-unit, gated community, and resettlement housing. Household travel diaries conducted in Chengdu in 2016 were analyzed using binary logistic regressions, supplemented by informal onsite interviews. The findings indicate significant variations in the use and accessibility of active transport in each neighborhood type for non-work trips. This suggests that each neighborhood type may need different strategies for promoting active transport: (1) the traditional mixed-use neighborhoods are in need of intensified urban retrofitting projects to reclaim public open space; (2) the work-unit could benefit from comprehensive plans rather than a patchwork of projects; (3) while opening up gated communities can improve porosity across neighborhoods and promote active transport, the more pressing issue may be their inability to keep up with the transportation needs of the residents; and (4) residents of resettlement housing should have better access to employment using transit and non-motorized modes.     

“Turn on the radio,bust out a song”: the experience of driving to work

Though driving to and from work has become a prevalent experience in the lives of individuals in every metropolitan region in the US, much remains to be learned about the activity from the perspective of the drivers. To increase our understanding of the motivation for certain travel behaviors, we must first know something about what those drivers experience. The existing literature explains much, but the application of new methodologies could improve our ability to explain the willingness of individuals to choose to drive through increasingly congested road networks. The results of this study of oral histories of 12 women commuters underscore the idea that commute should be seen as a set of subjective behaviors that contradict some existing assumptions about why individuals commute.     

Analysis of the effect of charging needs on battery electric vehicle drivers’ route choice behaviour: A case study in the Netherlands

Electric travelling appears to dominate the transport sector in the near future due to the needed transition from internal combustion vehicles (ICV) towards Electric Vehicles (EV) to tackle urban pollution. Given this trend, investigation of the EV drivers’ travel behaviour is of great importance to stakeholders including planners and policymakers, for example in order to locate charging stations. This research explores the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) drivers route choice and charging preferences through a Stated Preference (SP) survey. Collecting data from 505 EV drivers in the Netherlands, we report the results of estimating a Mixed Logit (ML) model for those choices. Respondents were requested to choose a route among six alternatives: freeways, arterial ways, and local streets with and without fast charging. Our findings suggest that the classic route attributes (travel time and travel cost), vehicle-related variables (state-of-charge at the origin and destination) and charging characteristics (availability of a slow charging point at the destination, fast charging duration, waiting time in the queue of a fast-charging station) can influence the BEV drivers route choice and charging behaviour significantly. When the state-of-charge (SOC) at the origin is high and a slow charger at the destination is available, routes without fast charging are likely to be preferred. Moreover, local streets (associated with slow speeds and less energy consumption) could be preferred if the SOC at the destination is expected to be low while arterial ways might be selected when a driver must recharge his/her car during the trip via fast charging.     

Is car drivers’ response to congestion charging schemes based on the correct perception of price signals?

This paper deals with the question of whether the capability of car drivers to estimate the cost of a new hypothetical, highly differentiated congestion charge influences their decision to change travel behaviour. The analysis makes use of an integrated choice and latent variable model (ICLV) which merges classic choice models with the structural equation approach (SEM) for latent variables. This hybrid model improves the explanatory power considerably compared with a conventional discrete choice model. The results suggest that charge complexity decreases the resistance in considering behavioural changes. Car drivers tend to avoid a travel option where the price is not known beforehand, a phenomenon known as ambiguity avoidance.