An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Beach Management in the Catalan Coast (North-Western Mediterranean)

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of beach management in the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean) by introducing and integrating results from different partial projects. They analyzed the legal, political, and administrative framework of beach management, the quality tools available, the practices of management, the processes of beach use, and beach waste/litter dynamics. The information obtained served to create a new beach management tool referred to as the Beach Quality Index, which was developed by an interdisciplinary team of academics from the natural/physical sciences and social sciences that worked together during the course of four years. Information obtained from users and key stakeholders served to create the index. The study demonstrated that as a consequence of the shortcomings in the legal and administrative system as well as inadequate practices of beach managers, beach management in the area experiences coordination problems, insufficient information and lack of proactive management, pollution, and in general problems associated with the satisfaction of short-term user demands.     

Fuel savings on a heavy vehicle via aerodynamic drag reduction

In this numerical study, the fuel-saving potentials of drag-reducing devices retrofitted on heavy vehicles are analysed. Realistic on-road operations are taken into account by simulating typical driving routes on long-haul and urban distributions; variations in vehicle weight are also considered. Results show that the performance of these aerodynamic devices depend both on their functions and how the vehicles are operated. Vehicles on long-haul routes generally save twice as much fuel as those driven in urban areas. The fuel reductions from using selected devices individually on a large truck range from less than 1% to almost 9% of the fuel cost of a vehicle doing an annual mileage is 80,000 miles.     

Optimization of tunnel tolls in land use and transport planning

The task of transport planning is to determine cost-effective methods of providing and improving mobility, which can include minimizing traffic congestion. A cost-effective solution to transport problems should consist of a land use pattern, a transport system an a set of road pricing policies that together bring demand and supply into balance in an efficient and equitable way. The conventional approach aimed to produce comprehensive, long-term plans for land use and transport in considerable detail, but tended to ignore the role of road pricing policy, thus ending up with solutions that might not be efficient or economical. This feature of sub-optimal road pricing policy is accentuated by the overall growth in car use, which has generated problems with the efficient use of road space. This paper presents a computer analysis system (or model) which will enable the analysis of coordinated tunnel toll pricing policies by optimising an “objective function” while satisfying the associated and other constraints. The possibility of integrating the optimal road pricing policies in the land use and transport planning are discussed. A case study based on Hong Kong data demonstrates the efficiency of optimizing tolls on two of the three harbour crossing tunnels in Hong Kong.     

Distributions of queue lengths at fixed time traffic signals

This paper presents a new model which studies probability distributions of queue lengths at fixed time traffic signals. It extends Haight's model for Poisson arrivals that the arrival distribution during the effective red period is general and the headway between two successive departures is not less than the minimum departure headway. Moreover, the probability generating function of the queue length, at the end of the effective red period, is derived. The probabilities of the queue lengths, at the ends of the effective green, actual red and amber periods, are also obtained. Comparison is made with Haight's model. Finally a case study for the proposed model is reported.     

Total cost minimizing transit route structures considering trips towards CBD and periphery

The total cost minimizing approach to design transit systems is extended here beyond the usual dimensions of fleet (frequency) and vehicle size in order to examine the most appropriate spatial setting of transit lines as well. Motivated by the case of large cities in Latin America, characterized by high volumes of relatively long urban trips, we analyze the best ways to provide public transport services in a simplified urban setting represented by an extended cross-shaped network, where short trips (periphery–center) and long trips (periphery–periphery) coexist, generating economies of density. Three families of strategic lines structures are compared: mostly direct, feeder–trunk and hub and spoke. For each structure fleet and vehicle sizes are optimized, considering total (users’ and operators’) costs. The best structure is found parametrically in total passenger volume, the proportion of long trips and the value of the transfer penalty. The advantages of each dominating structure are explained in terms of factors like idle capacity, waiting or in-vehicle times and number of transfers.     

Participation and desire: leisure activities among Canadian adults with disabilities

As a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Canada has assumed the obligation to foster the fundamental right of individuals with impairments to participate in all normal activities and relationships of society. Currently, however, relatively little is known about the extent to which Canadians with disabilities are able to exercise of this right. Previous research has investigated the employment status and commute distance of persons with disabilities in Canada. In this paper, we use the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey to investigate, from the perspective of Canadian adults with disabilities, the factors that influence (1) their frequency of participation in various leisure and recreation activities; (2) the role of transportation in activity participation; and (3) the desire for more leisure and recreation activities during spare time. The latter question is closely associated to the experience of exclusion. The results of the analysis indicate that some of the very factors that tend to reduce participation also relate to a desire for more leisure and recreation activities.     

Transaction Costs in Transport Public–Private Partnerships: Comparing Procurement Procedures

Abstract

In recent years, concern has grown over good practices in the procurement process in public–private partnerships (PPPs). The consensus view is that PPPs are prone to higher transaction costs than traditional public provision. In this paper, we contrast the hypothesis that transaction costs in transport PPPs depend, to a large extent, on the procurement mechanism used in each case, comparing the Negotiated and the Open procedures. Given that PPPs may offer considerable benefits and significant savings over the entire life cycle of the project, it is essential for PPPs to minimize those costs that undermine efficiency gains and that deter private involvement. The quantitative analysis undertaken in this paper highlights that there is room for important savings in the tendering of PPP transport infrastructure projects, using an Open procedure.     

PID Controller Modelling and Optimization in Cr Systems with Standard and Reduced Accumulators

The proportional-integrative-derivative (PID) controller and the pressure control valve of a Common Rail system are modelled by taking into account electronic, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical aspects. A fully predictive model of the injection apparatus is realized and validated by means of comparison with experimental data. The effects of the PID parameters on the injection system dynamics are illustrated and discussed on the basis of model results, which refer to steadystate and transient working conditions. The influence of the accumulator size on the rail pressure time history is investigated when the rail volume is dramatically reduced (up to 2.5 cm³). In particular, the effect of the large rail pressure drop that occurs at the end of the main injection for Minirail layout solutions is examined when after injections are implemented. An objective is to try to determine possible suitable values of the PID controller parameters and of the pressure-sensor sampling-frequency for rails of reduced size.     

Modeling isoexposure to transit users for market potential analysis

Transit operators face a difficult fiscal environment and an imperative to contribute to urban sustainability. Under these circumstances, operators must find innovative ways to make public transportation attractive to broader segments of the public, while simultaneously trying to raise revenue to reduce reliance on public subsidies. Development of commercial partnerships is seen as a promising way to achieve these goals. Previous research has examined the potential of using geodemographics to assist transit agencies in the task of identifying potential partners for developing mutually beneficial commercial agreements. In this paper we describe an approach to model isoexposure to transit users as a tool to assess market potential. The approach is based on the analysis of walking behavior of transit users, and specifically distance walked at the end of their transit trip. Spatial modeling is used to geographically project estimates of walking distance for a desired demographic profile at a specific transit facility. After expanding the estimates using sample weights, overlays of these estimates can be used to generate variations in exposure to transit travelers at different locations in space. The approach is demonstrated using the case of Metro users in Montreal, Canada. The case study demonstrates the use of isoexposure profiles as a novel approach to generate marketing intelligence. This should be of interest to transit agencies and businesses interested in developing partnerships.     

The impact of compliance measures on the operation of a bus system: The case of Transantiago

In a regulated bus system operated by private companies, pecuniary incentives can be of primary importance to ensure the quality of the operation and the level of service, especially when there are only a few companies and basically no competition among them. The case of Transantiago, in the capital city of Chile, provides a good example of this. The very ambitious Transantiago project, implemented in 2007 in Santiago, integrated the bus and the subway systems, changing the route structure of the bus services, introducing a common and integrated fare system and electronic payment device, and tendering the operation of approximately 4,600 buses (which by the launch of the system in February 2007 had increased to 5600) to 10 private companies replacing some 4000 small operators which owned 8000 buses. In the beginning, the system faced huge difficulties. Operators' revenue formula basically consisted of a fixed payment, which changed slightly with the actual patronage. This quickly turned out to be a problem, and as technological support became available (several months after the launch), compliance measures were implemented, directly affecting the operators' revenue. The first measure considered the seat/standing places per hour of the buses in operation, for each company, and compared it to the theoretical figure. As a result, buses operating during peak hours increased from 4600 to 5600 in just two months. Subsequent indexes included service frequency and regularity, as well as effective bus-km, aggregated by company first and later by service. This paper shows how the successive implementation of these performance indexes had an impact on the operation of Transantiago in the first years, discusses the difficulties faced to implement them and highlights the importance of technological support to make possible the application of adequate compliance measures.