A methodological approach for developing and assessing business models for flexible transport systems

Flexible transport services include a wide range of demand responsive transport systems that provide non-conventional passenger and freight transportation services. Several alternative business models varying according to the local market conditions, the socio-economic, legal, and institutional framework may be developed for the provision of Flexible Transport Systems (FTS). The objective of this paper is twofold: first to present an integrated methodological framework for developing and assessing alternative FTS business models and second to demonstrate its applicability to a case study regarding the prioritization of alternative FTS business models for the provision of flexible passenger transport services in Helsinki.

喷涂型聚脲弹性体在地铁车站防水工程中的应用

喷涂型聚脲弹性体具有优异的物理力学性能及耐老化、固结快、施工方便的特点,在国内外得到非常广泛的应用。简要介绍了喷涂型聚脲弹性体的反应机理和喷涂机理、性能特点;着重叙述了喷涂型聚脲弹性体的喷涂施工工艺和设备以及注意事项。上海轨道交通8号线四平路站、10号线同济大学站防水工程应用喷涂型聚脲弹性体取得了良好的效果。     

Methodology for the qualitative evaluation of pedestrian crossings at road junctions with traffic lights

The aim of this work is to test the application of a method for making a qualitative evaluation of pedestrian crossings, based on the methodology of Khisty (Transportation Research Record 1438:45–50, 1994). The study identifies the Performance Measures (Comfort, Safety, System Continuity), with their respective attributes (waiting time, space available while waiting to cross, number of pedestrians, one-way or two-way street, state of the road surface, road width, vehicle speed, visibility, lighting conditions, guardrails, absence of obstacles in vicinity, state of sidewalks, lowered kerb, pedestrian signals, central island), which may be utilized in the evaluation. The first step was to ascertain the relative importance, from the point of view of the pedestrian, of the Performance Measures employed. Then the level-of-service (LOS), as perceived by the users, was determined for each of the pedestrian crossings in the survey, on the basis of the users’ level of satisfaction with each attribute. Khisty’s methodology makes it possible to relate the overall level of satisfaction with a qualitative LOS for the pedestrian facility under analysis. The chosen methodology was adapted to the Brazilian context, in a case study carried out in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), in collaboration with the local Traffic Engineering Corporation (Companhia de Engenharia de Tráfego, CET-SP). To this end, four pedestrian crossings at road junctions with traffic lights were analysed. The qualitative LOS obtained were compared to the quantitative LOS, calculated according to the Highway Capacity Manual (TRB 2000).     

An exploratory analysis of joint-activity participation characteristics using the American time use survey

This paper presents a detailed exploratory analysis of joint activity participation characteristics using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). As a very large nationwide survey that explicitly elicited information on both household and non-household companions for each activity episode, the ATUS is ideally suited for this analysis. Several intuitive and interesting results are obtained. Joint episodes are found to be of longer durations, significantly likely to take place at the residence of other people, and often confined to certain time periods of the weekday. In addition, important differences in these characteristics are also observed based on activity purpose, companion type, and the day of the week. These findings are intended to provide the basis for the justification of detailed collection of joint activity–travel participation information in household activity–travel surveys, and also as a stimulant for further empirical analysis and modeling of joint activity participation behavior.

BFL-RS01改性剂在OGFC混合料中的路用性能研究

本文探讨了国产70#沥青、进口70#沥青、BFL-RS01改性剂、SBS改性沥青改性OGFC混合料性能。研究国产沥青和进口沥青分别与BFL-RS01改性剂复配改性OGFC混合料性能,并与SBS改性OGFC混合料性能对比。结果表明,采用BFL-RS01改性OGFC混合料可以提高OGFC混合料的综合路用性能,耐高温性、抗水损害性要比SBS改性OGFC混合料更加优秀。     

Comparison on travel scheduling between driving and walking trips by habitual car users

Research on walking behavior has become increasingly more important in the field of transportation in the past decades. However, the study of the factors influencing the scheduling decisions related to walking trips and the exploration of the differences between travel modes has not been conducted yet. This paper presents a comparison of the scheduling and rescheduling decisions associated with car driving trips and walking trips by habitual car users using a data set collected in Valencia (Spain) in 2010. Bivariate probit models with sample selection are used to accommodate the influence of pre-planning on the decision to execute a travel as pre-planned or not. The explicative variables considered are: socio-economic characteristics of respondents, travel characteristics, and facets of the activity executed at origin and at destination including the scheduling decisions associated with them. The results demonstrate that a significant correlation exists between the choices of pre-planning and rescheduling for both types of trips. Whether for car driving or walking trips, the scheduling decisions associated with the activity at origin and at destination are the most important explicative factors of the trip scheduling and rescheduling decisions. However, the rescheduling of trips is mainly influenced by modifications in the activity at destination. Some interesting differences arise regarding the rescheduling decision processes between travel modes: if pre-planned, walking trips are less likely to be modified than car driving trips, showing a more rigid rescheduling behavior.     

Users’ perceptions and willingness to pay in interurban toll roads: identifying differences across regions from a nationwide survey in Spain

Users’ acceptability is considered one of the key drivers for the successful implementation of transport policy measures. This is especially crucial in the case of toll roads since they are financed through drivers’ contributions. Previous literature in this field has mainly focused on measuring users’ attitudes towards urban congestion pricing strategies. However limited research has been developed concerning interurban toll roads. Previous research shows that socioeconomic variables are not conclusive to explain users’ perceptions towards tolls. By contrast, other drivers such as regional differences seem to play a more important role, especially when charging conditions within the same nation greatly vary across regions. This paper analyzes regional differences in users’ attitudes within an asymmetrical distribution of the toll road network across regions. Based on a nationwide survey conducted to road users in interurban toll roads in Spain, we develop both a binomial logit and a censored regression (tobit) model to explore drivers’ perceptions and willingness to pay. The research concludes that users from regions with a more extensive tolled network generally show a more negative attitude towards charges, but not necessarily a lower willingness to pay. The paper also points out that an asymmetrical distribution of toll roads across regions may result in negative perceptions among those users perceiving to be unfairly treated when compared to citizens in other regions.     

An activity-based approach of investigating travel behaviour of older people

The paper presents the results of an investigation on daily activity-travel scheduling behaviour of older people by using an advanced econometric model and a household travel survey, collected in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Canada in 2011. The activity-travel scheduling model considers a dynamic time–space constrained scheduling process. The key contribution of the paper is to reveal daily activity-travel scheduling behaviour through a comprehensive econometric framework. The resulting empirical model reveals many behavioural details. These include the role that income plays in moderating out-of-home time expenditure choices of older people. Older people in the highest and lowest income categories tend to have lower variations in time expenditure choices than those in middle-income categories. Overall, the time expenditure choices become more stable with increasing age, indicating that longer activity durations and lower activity frequency become more prevalent with increasing age. Daily activity type and location choices reveal a clear random utility-maximizing rational behaviour of older people. It is clear that increasing spatial accessibility to various activity locations is a crucial factor in defining daily out-of-home activity participation of older people. It is also clear that the diversity of out-of-home activity type choices reduces with increasing age and older people are more sensitive to auto travel time than to transit or non-motorized travel time.     

Effects of built environment and weather on bike sharing demand: a station level analysis of commercial bike sharing in Toronto

Bike Share Toronto is Canada’s second largest public bike share system. It provides a unique case study as it is one of the few bike share programs located in a relatively cold North American setting, yet operates throughout the entire year. Using year-round historical trip data, this study analyzes the factors affecting Toronto’s bike share ridership. A comprehensive spatial analysis provides meaningful insights on the influences of socio-demographic attributes, land use and built environment, as well as different weather measures on bike share ridership. Empirical models also reveal significant effects of road network configuration (intersection density and spatial dispersion of stations) on bike sharing demands. The effect of bike infrastructure (bike lane, paths etc.) is also found to be crucial in increasing bike sharing demand. Temporal changes in bike share trip making behavior were also investigated using a multilevel framework. The study reveals a significant correlation between temperature, land use and bike share trip activity. The findings of the paper can be translated to guidelines with the aim of increasing bike share activity in urban centers.     

Bicycle mode share in China: a city-level analysis of long term trends

In the past 15 years, cities in China have experienced big changes in socioeconomic and traffic conditions, resulting in a long term change in bicycle use. This study aims to quantify the changes in bicycle mode share in Chinese cities and explore the potential causes. Based on data from 51 cities, it is found that bicycle mode share at the city level decreased gradually in the past. Conventional bicycle mode share decreased with a rate of 3 % per year, but electric bicycle mode share increased with a rate of 2 % per year. The correlations between city features such as demographics and built environments and bicycle mode share at different city sizes are compared. The generalized linear models are estimated to relate the changes in the share of different trip modes to various city-level factors. The results show that the bicycle mode share in a city is impacted by factors including city area size, population density, number of cars, percentage of local road mileage among all roads, and trip purpose. Possible reasons for the changes in bicycle uses in Chinese cities are explored and policy implications are discussed.