Are Longer and Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) Beneficial for Society? A Cost Benefit Analysis to Evaluate their Potential Implementation in Spain

Abstract

In this paper we carry out a thorough review of the current research related to the benefits and costs arising from the implementation of longer and heavier vehicles (LHVs). From this review we concluded that despite the many studies available, little has been said about the sensitivity of the benefits and costs to the ultimate performance of the key variables related to the evolution of the economy, road transport performance, safety, and so on. In order to fill this gap, we have designed a sensitivity approach based on a cost benefit analysis tool to determine which variables demonstrate the greatest influence on the benefits and costs stemming from the implementation of LHVs. In order to test the methodology, we have used it in an analysis of the Spanish trunk network. The results show that the benefits of LHVs for society are significant. Even in the least favorable scenario, the economic benefits are greater than €3500 million over 15 years, and the environment enhanced as well, for CO₂ emissions are reduced by 2 Million tonnes. Overall we noted how the results are not very sensitive to the evolution of key variables in determining the final outcome. However, we found that the variables that have the greatest affect on the final benefit, such as traffic growth and social discount rate, depend basically on the performance of the overall economy. Moreover, the private cost for haulers seems to be more important in determining the final benefit than externality costs.     

A survey of Hungarian transport policy

Abstract

In its introductory part this article discusses the principles of the transport policy approved in 1968, followed by the reasons behind the advances on this policy approved in 1978.

It then goes on to review the Hungarian transport pattern and organization, including the roles played by the railways, the road transport companies, the state‐owned enterprises as well as cooperatives, urban transport, shipping, air transport, pipelines, and private transport.

In discussing the division of labour (or market sharing) in transport it concludes that passenger transport is increasing slowly, while the proportion of private transport is continuing to rise. A moderate increase is expected in goods transport with a decline in the share of the railways and a rise in that of the other transport branches. This division of labour is being influenced by economic, not administrative, means.

The main target of the advanced transport policy is to shape a transport system which corresponds to socioeconomic requirements. This means that goods transport capacities must be put to more efficient use, which involves improving development, organizational and planning operations. In passenger transport priority must go to public transport while the proportion of private transport must be defined in keeping with demand and economic possibilities.

In the development of the infrastructure and investments, the need to improve energy use and protect the environment must be stressed.

The rest of the article presents the detailed reasoning behind the measures already taken and scheduled to be taken to achieve these main targets.     

Analysing Demand for Suburban Trips: A Mixed RP/SP Model with Latent Variables and Interaction Effects

We analyse mode choice behaviour for suburban trips in the Grand Canary island using mixed revealed preference (RP)/stated preference (SP) information. The SP choice experiment allowed for interactions among the main policy variables: travel cost, travel time and frequency, and also to test the influence of latent variables such as comfort. It also led to discuss additional requirements on the size and sign of the estimated model parameters, to assess model quality when interactions are present. The RP survey produced data on actual trip behaviour and was used to adapt the SP choice experiment. During the specification searches we detected the presence of income effect and were able to derive willingness-to-pay measures, such as the subjective value of time, which varied among individuals. We also studied the systematic heterogeneity in individual tastes through the specification of models allowing for interactions between level-of-service and socio-economic variables. We concluded examining the sensitivity of travellers’ behaviour to various policy scenarios. In particular, it seems that contrary to political opinion, in a crowded island policies penalising the use of the private car seem to have a far greater impact in terms of bus patronage than policies implying direct improvements to the public transport service.     

Correcting injection pressure maladjustments to reduce NOX emissions by marine diesel engines

Emissions from the exhausts of marine diesel engines comprises several different gases including NO_X. These are currently regulated at the international level under Regulation 13 of ANNEX VI of MARPOL 73/78, but this regulation only applies to new engines and is based on bench tests, for only a single engine designated the “parent engine”. Here, the need to take measurements from across their whole range and once in operation on board a vessel is examined. This would not only improve assessment of new equipment against the current regulation, but would also detect defects in the functioning of the engine.     

Correlates of bicycling trip flows in Hamilton,Ontario: fastest,quietest, or balanced routes?

Transportation - Bicycling is an increasingly popular mode of travel in Canadian urban areas, like the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). While trip origins and destinations can be inferred...     

沥青混合料级配曲线研究进展

级配曲线是由富勒模型中最大粒径和形状系数两个参数来确定的,富勒模型能够很好地拟合使用性能良好的级配.级配曲线图是由形状系数和最大粒径组成的直角坐标系,它可以表示出级配范围、砂石比和相关的性能参数.该文分析了Superpave沥青混合料力学和水稳性能的试验结果,提出了根据级配曲线推荐的集料设计出满足路面各项性能的自由设计理念.     

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.     

Planning guidelines for metro–bus interchanges by means of a pedestrian microsimulation model

The big paradigm for cities nowadays is to study the movement of pedestrians at the interface between metro and bus systems – metro–bus interchanges. When these interchanges are not well designed, walking is inefficient and can be unsafe for pedestrians. This paper analyses, by means of a pedestrian microsimulation model, metro–bus interchange spaces in order to propose planning guidelines for the city of Santiago de Chile. Specific objectives are (1) to identify the variables that provide efficiency and safety in those spaces; (2) to simulate different scenarios using the pedestrian simulation model LEGION; (3) to propose planning and design guidelines for pedestrian spaces at metro–bus interchanges; and (4) to contrast the recommendations in the recently opened terminal station on Line 1 of Metro de Santiago: Los Dominicos Station.     

A combined destination and route choice model for a bicycle sharing system

This paper studies the supply variables that influence the destination and route choices of users of a bicycle sharing system in the Chilean city of Santiago. A combined trip demand logit model is developed whose explanatory variables represent attributes relating to the topology of the possible routes and other characteristics such as the presence of bikeways, bus service and controlled intersections. The data for the explanatory variables and system users were collected through field surveys of the routes and interviews conducted at the system stations. The results of the model show that proximity to stops on the Santiago Metro and the existence of bikeways are the main factors influencing destination and route choices. Also indicated by the model estimates are gender differences, a preference for tree-lined routes and an avoidance of routes with bus services. Finally, the outcomes reveal considerable potential for the integration of bicycle sharing systems with Metro transit.     

Connected cruise control: modelling,delay effects,and nonlinear behaviour

Connected vehicle systems (CVS) are considered in this paper where vehicles exchange information using wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. The concept of connected cruise control (CCC) is established that allows control design at the level of individual vehicles while exploiting V2V connectivity. Due to its high level of modularity the proposed design can be applied to large heterogeneous traffic systems. The dynamics of a simple CVS is analysed in detail while taking into account nonlinearities in the vehicle dynamics as well as in the controller. Time delays that arise due to intermittencies and packet drops in the communication channels are also incorporated. The results are summarised using stability charts which allow one to select control gains to maintain stability and ensure disturbance attenuation when the delay is below a critical value.