Using risk analysis to determine the potential range of lifecycle costs for urban transit systems

Intense competition for limited public funding for urban transport projects can often result in proponents of individual schemes presenting minimized costs and maximized benefits to funding bodies to try to ensure that their scheme is chosen above others for funding. This presents public bodies with a problem, especially in an era when they are keen to attract private contributions for transit schemes. Risk modelling techniques can be of great assistance in ascertaining ranges of costs and benefits for individual submissions and deciding upon which projects should receive priority-not only those with greatest cost-benefit indices, but also those whose indices have low levels of associated risk to allay the fears of the traditionally risk averse private sector.     

Effects of waste disposal on benthic faunal succession on the abyssal seafloor

Strategies to predict, and thus limit, potentially detrimental environmental impacts of abyssal disposal of wastes are severely limited by our lack of knowledge of deep-sea processes and lack of opportunity to directly study waste disposal in abyssal environments. Probable successional sequences following burial of benthic faunas by sewage sludge and dredged material on the abyssal seafloor are drawn by analogy with well-known processes in shallow-marine water. Scales of change and recovery of abyssal benthic faunas from episodic deposition of waste material are examined by extrapolation from what is currently known about turbidite sedimentary provinces, in particular, the Venezuela Abyssal Plain and the Great Meteor East area of the Madeira Abyssal Plain. Results suggest that initial benthic faunal recolonization would take place within years following episodic depositions of waste on the abyssal seafloor. Anoxic conditions or chemical inhibitory effects may delay initial benthic recolonization for hundreds of years. Establishment of equilibrium benthic faunal assemblages probably takes hundreds to potentially thousands of years. Potentially detrimental effects dictate that the surface areas of individual waste deposits should be minimized and the deposits should be isolated by capping with nontoxic materials or chemical barriers.     

Productive efficiency and ownership of urban bus services

The established ownership mix of urban bus operations in Australia provides a unique opportunity to investigate the productivity differences between public and private bus service supply. Using duality theory in economics which links economic indices of factor productivity to the cost structure of a firm, we develop empirical measures of total and partial productivity of inputs, and adjust the differences for the effects of ownership status and operating environment. The evidence supports the notion that private supply of public passenger transport in general has performed more efficiently in the past than public supply, although the differences in productivity need not continue in the future.     

an analysis of transportation energy conservation projects in developing countries

Industrialized countries have extensive experience with various transportation energy conservation measures and have been making steady progress in improving the efficiency of their transport sector. Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have also been making progress, but their experience in many aspects of transportation energy conservation is very limited. Development organizations have funded many transportation projects in developing countries, but the vast majority of these projects were designed to improve the transportation infrastructure. Very few transportation energy conservation projects have been implemented and decision-makers face a scarcity of information on effective strategies. This paper gives an overview of transportation projects in LDCs in order to identify those transportation energy conservation measures that offer the greatest potential for LDCs. Two case studies, from Tunisia and Costa Rica, are given to illustrate the issues involved in implementing transportation energy conservation measures in LDCs. Conclusions are drawn to suggest actions for developing countries and for development organizations.Acronyms DECAT Driver Energy Conservation Awareness Training - DSE Direccion Sectorial de Energia (Costa Rica) - GDP Gross domestic product - km Kilometer - LDCs Less Developed Countries - TOE Metric tonne of oil equivalent - USAID US Agency for International Development     

The structure of intercity travel demands in Canada: Theory tests and empirical results

This paper presents results of an econometric study study of intercity travel demands in Canada, 1961–1976. A translog form of reciprocal indirect utility function is used to test the structure of preferences in five demand sectors: three travel modes, goods and other services. Travel sector preferences are found to be time- and season varying but independent of average weekly work hours. The aggregate results indicate that the demands for all three passenger modes are price-elastic; bus and rail exhibit moderate complementarity, while rail and air are weakly complementary. The most important result derived from our tests of separability was that the demand system for the three passenger modes is inextricably tied to the rest of the economy, and therefore, may not be studied in isolation from the goods and other services sectors.     

The role of congestion of transportation networks in urban location and travel choices

Congestion of urban transportation systems results from an equilibrium of location and travel choices with generalized travel costs which increase with vehicle flows as well as other factors. The use of network equilibrium concepts in analyzing urban policies and evaluating alternative plans is examined. Issues arising in the use of network equilibrium models are described, and formulations of urban network prediction and design models are explored.     

Communication problems inherent in a cross-cultural manning environment

The globalization of shipping means that the industry needs cosmopolitan managers who can negotiate with—and manage—people of different cultures. The causes and consequences of cultural differences are explained in the paper with particular reference to power differentials and rule orientation. The dangers of stereotypes are high-lighted. Communication problems are discussed in the context of transmitting values.