Relationship between proximity to transit and ridership for journey-to-work trips in Chicago

The use of privately owned vehicles (POVs) contributes significantly to US energy consumption (EC) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Strategies for reducing POV use include shifting trips to other modes, particularly public transit. Choices to use transit are based on characteristics of travelers, their trips, and the quality of competing transportation services. Here we focus on the proximity of rail stations to trip origins/destinations as a factor affecting mode choice for work trips. Using household travel survey data from Chicago, we evaluate the profile of journey-to-work (JTW) trips, assessing mode share and potential for more travelers to use rail. For work trips having the origin/destination as close as 1 mile from rail transit stations, POVs were still the dominant travel mode, capturing as much as 61%, followed by rail use at 14%. This high degree of POV use coupled with the proportion of JTW trips within close proximity to rail stations indicated that at least some of these trips may be candidates for shifting from POV to rail. For example, shifting all work trips with both the origin/destination within 1 mile of commuter rail stations would potentially reduce the energy associated with all work-related POV driving trips by a maximum of 24%. Based on the analysis of trips having the origin and destination closest to train stations, a complete shift in mode from POV to train could exceed CO₂ reduction goals targeted in the Chicago Climate Action Plan. This could occur with current settlement patterns and the use of existing infrastructure. However, changes in traveler behavior and possibly rail operation would be necessary, making policy to motivate this change essential.     

Parenthood and cars: A weakening relationship?

Transportation - A wide body of research supports the notion that the travel behaviour of families with children tends to be car dependent. Yet recent literature suggests a more varied set of...     

Scale and rationalization in container shipping

Return to scale are important in container shipping: service operators are continuing to increase the size of their vessels. Mr Seok-Min Lim's article 'Economies of container ship size' (Maritime pollicy and Management,21(2) pages 149-160, 1994) uses a sample of transPacific voyages to evaluate the effect of vessel scale on revenue and cost.Although the results are inconclusive,his study is of value in drawing attention to the revenue-side problems of large containerships. More data need to be collected before the effects of topping up with low-rated cargo on unit revenue retention can be assessed. Meanwhile the pursuit of scale aggravates over-tonnaging. The required response is further rationalization, through the medium of the conferences and the container consortia. In Europe both are under political attack. Operators need to convince the authorities of the soundness of the soundness of their case for adapting these institutions to the neeeds of times.Otherwise the scramble for scale could spell disaster.     

Changing demographics and young adult driver license decline in Melbourne,Australia (1994–2009)

In the last decade young people in North America, Australia and much of Europe are becoming less likely to hold a driver’s license and, if they can drive, they are driving less. This is a remarkable trend which is not yet well understood. This paper is an empirical analysis exploring the relationship between young adult driver licensing and young adult demographics and living arrangements. In many developed countries, young adults are becoming increasingly less likely to be in full-time work, more likely to be in part-time work or studying, more likely to be living at home with parents and they are getting married and having children later in life. Against the background of these trends, a binary logistic regression model of travel survey data (1994–2009) for Melbourne, Australia is used to explore the association between these demographics and young adult license-holding. The model established that full-time employment and child-rearing are associated with higher young adult licensing rates whereas part-time work and studying were associated with lower licensing rates. However the impact of living at home with parents was not clear and requires further study. Together it is theorised that these changes in living arrangements may be restricting the disposable income of some young adults and reducing or postponing license take-up. The paper concludes with the implications of findings for policy and opportunities for future research.     

An investigation of multiplier effects generated by implementing queue jump lanes at multiple intersections

This paper investigates the combination effects of queue jump lanes (QJLs) on signalised arterials to establish if a multiplier effect exists, that is, the benefit from providing QJLs at multiple intersections is higher than the sum of benefits from providing them individually at each of those intersections. To explore the combination effects on bus delay and total person delay, a delay estimation model is developed using kinematic wave theory, kinematic equations and Monte Carlo simulation. In addition, to investigate the combination effects in offset settings optimised for bus delay or total person delay, offset optimisation models are proposed. Validation results using traffic micro‐simulation indicate the effectiveness and computational efficiency of the proposed models. Results of a modelling test bed suggest that providing QJLs at multiple intersections can create a multiplier effect on one‐directional bus delay savings with signal offsets that provide bus progression. Furthermore, optimising offsets to minimise bus delay tends to create a multiplier effect on one‐directional bus delay savings, particularly when variations in dwell times are not high. The reason for the multiplier effect may be that providing QJLs reduces variations in bus travel times, which makes signal coordination for buses perform more effectively. From a policy perspective, the existence of a multiplier effect suggests that a corridor‐wide scale implementation of QJLs has considerable merit. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rail-road crossing impacts: an international synthesis

Rail-road crossings generate a range of transport, economic, social and environmental impacts. While much research has focused on selected impacts such as safety, little consideration has been given to wider impacts. The aim of this research was to therefore develop a holistic understanding of the impacts of rail-road crossings (both at-grade and grade-separated) and to identify key gaps in knowledge in this field. An international synthesis of rail-road crossing impacts was developed through a detailed literature review, which revealed a total of 18 different types of impacts associated with rail-road crossings. The review found that most research to date has focused on quantifying transport and economic impacts, particularly safety and road vehicle delay, with little consideration given to social and environmental impacts. A number of research gaps have been identified which provide a clear agenda for future research. These gaps include the use of empirical evidence to support impact assessments, and the need to better understand the impacts of grade-separating rail-road crossings in terms of safety, travel time variability, land use, traffic flow, rail vehicle delay, disability access, and crime.     

On cost-efficiency of the global container shipping network

This paper presents a simple formulation in the form of a pipe network for modelling the global container-shipping network. The cost-efficiency and movement-patterns of the current container-shipping network have been investigated using heuristic methods. The model is able to reproduce the overall incomes, costs, and container movement patterns for the industry as well as for the individual shipping lines and ports. It was found that the cost of repositioning empties is 27% of the total world fleet running cost and that overcapacity continues to be a problem. The model is computationally efficient. Implemented in the Java language, it takes one minute to run a full-scale network on a Pentium IV computer.     

Autonomous vehicles: who will use them,and will they share?

ABSTRACT

The advent of road transport automation is suggested to be one of four key technological transitions that could amount to a major transformation in mobility practices. Specifically, fully Automated Vehicles (AVs) might replace the current private car owner user model with fleets of on-demand synchronously-shared automated taxis. However, significant barriers to this vision becoming the norm remain. This paper examines two critical user-acceptance aspects of the transition: willingness to adopt AVs, and willingness to share an AV with others, particularly strangers. Our novel survey (n?=?899) included a choice experiment featuring four future full automation transport services (private, synchronously/asynchronously shared, and public). Cluster analysis examined respondents' preferences and their demographic and psycho-social characteristics. We uncover significant uncertainty about willingness to adopt automation and sharing, and important differences between clusters within our sample. For example, under 50% of participants report willingness to use an AV over their normal mode, or would prefer an automated option to a current human-driven option. Our findings raise critical questions for policymakers and transport authorities. Not least, how can AV technologies help realise the environmental and social benefits of widespread vehicle sharing in a context of a travelling public that still prefers its privacy on-the-move?     

An Airport Experience Framework from a Tourism Perspective

This study, by integrating the perspectives of sociological, psychological, and service marketing and management, all of which affect the passenger experience, proposes a theoretical framework for the creation of the airport experience in relation to tourism. This research responds to the current phenomenon in which airports are offering other types of experiences within the airport terminal, expanding the role of an airport from being a utility for transportation into a place where various and different values can be offered. This research explores the current airport experience and adds to research on airport experience by clarifying ten key components necessary for airport passenger experience propositions based on existing research, the current industry phenomena, and the empirical study. The paper also underlines those components that can enhance passenger experience in relation to tourism and highlights the role that airports contribute to a destination.     

Travel plans for new developments: a global review

A travel plan is a mechanism for delivering a package of transport measures at a site to manage car use and encourage the use of more sustainable forms of transport. In recent years, travel plans have been required for new infill and greenfield developments through the land-use planning and approvals process, predominantly in the United Kingdom, the United States, continental Europe and Australia. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a global review of travel plans for new developments. The results show that while travel plans for new developments share a common set of elements with those for pre-existing sites, differences within each element are notable, particularly in the types of travel plan measures adopted, processes for managing the travel plan, and approaches to monitoring and review. Results of previous evaluations have varied considerably, although most have reported a reduction in car driver trips of 10–20 percentage points. Despite this, most evaluations lack rigour, with a paucity of robust evidence. Key success factors identified by the literature, such as the provision of an explicit policy supporting the role of travel plans, should be embedded within the travel planning process where possible to ensure best outcomes for new developments.