A parking model hierarchy

The last decade has seen considerable developments in computer assisted design procedures which enable planners to investigate the impacts of changes in the transport system. These developments have become more available to analysts through the introduction of microcomputers and computer graphics. Unfortunately, the impacts of parking on the transport have not been incorporated explicitly in many of these models since their prime concern is the movement of traffic. Parking system design and policy analysis can, however, benefit greatly from these developments in computer technology and availability. The design of parking systems can be improved and the investigation of policy impacts can be trialed or refined prior to their introduction using microcomputer packages. This paper outlines some developments in these areas. More specifically, it outlines a hierarchy or microcomputer models and information systems that can investigate parking policy and study the level of service provided by parking systems.     

Benefit-cost analysis for labor intensive transportation systems

Labor-intensive systems such as bikeways and pedestrian ways suffer in transportation planning in part because traditional benefit-cost analysis focuses on narrow, private transportation savings (e.g., reducing vehicle and time costs).Planners need benefit-cost frameworks which capture the community-wide effects of such innovative transportation systems — reduction in air pollution, less congestion, and increases in exercise and outdoor recreation. This study discusses practical methods for planners to include such categories in their analyses and applies these methods to two case studies. The analysis yields benefit-cost ratios which are much higher than those found in most public projects — suggesting negative returns to marginal automobiles in congested areas such as university campuses. The paper concludes with some suggested bikeway planning guidelines that emerge from expanded benefit-cost analysis.     

Barriers to progress or windows of opportunity? A study in career path mapping in the maritime industries

The objective of the study was to provide, through a series of interviews with key personnel from a range of European Member States, an overview of the following:

Residual stress distributions in ship hull specimens

This paper provides an in-depth study of residual stress distributions found in stiffened steel plate structures, such as those typically used in ship hulls. The effect of stiffener spacing on the distribution of residual stress components was studied. The welding heat input was also varied between high and moderate to study the effect of heat input level on residual stress distributions. Four specimens, resembling typical stiffened steel plate structures used in ship hulls were built and tested. Steel plates of 9.5 mm thickness were stiffened by welding L127 × 76 × 9.5 steel angles. The test was completed using the neutron diffraction method. The three normal components of residual stress were obtained in this study. It was found that a lower heat input results in higher tensile residual stress and that there exists a critical stiffener spacing somewhere beyond 250 mm that creates a maximum tensile residual stress value near the welded connection.     

Estimating spatial interdependence in automobile type choice with survey data

In this article, we show that vehicle type ownership is spatially dependent at both the regional and household-level even after controlling for income and population density. We discuss reasons for the existence of spatial effects in vehicle ownership, and note potential implications for policymakers. Our results point to the importance of spatial relationships in transportation research and highlight the hazards of ignoring their role in affecting transportation outcomes. For example, if vehicle type choice is affected by neighborhood spillovers, agencies that regulate traffic flow and road safety could tailor their choice projections and policy tools to account for such interdependence.     

Distribution and diet of larval and juvenile Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in the shallow Canadian Beaufort Sea

The distribution and diet of larval and juvenile Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) were studied during summer 2005 in the coastal Canadian Beaufort Sea. A total of 275 individuals were captured and the highest abundance was observed at station depths of 20–30 m. This corresponds well with the location of the frontal zone where the Mackenzie River plume water and open sea water meet. Diet examinations were performed on 220 Arctic cod, which were found undamaged from sampling. We observed a gradual decrease in prey number per fish and increase in prey size as larvae grew which corresponded to a shift from Rotifera and nauplii towards larger copepodid stages. However, at all sizes, the larvae remain generalists and feed on a broad range of organisms. Environmental changes due to climate warming could have a two-fold impact on fish larvae feeding in the studied region. First, the potential for increased primary production may lead to increased zooplankton production that may impact the feeding and nutrition positively. On the other hand, greater discharge of turbid water from the Mackenzie River may reduce light penetration in the water column that may negatively influence the ability of visual predators to successively forage.     

Why new technologies cannot radically improve the quality of urban transportation

In recent years a great deal of time and effort has been expended on the development of new modes of transport for cities. It is argued in this paper that this work is unlikely to be very productive because the major remaining flaw in the provision of transportation services—the inability of one mode to provide a good service to concentrated and dispersed trip ends—seems unavoidable. To make the required breakthrough a new mode must be frugal in its demands for space, flexible in its operation and fast. But an analysis of the performance of existing and prototype modes suggest that there is a fundamental technological barrier that precludes any one mode from performing well in more than two out of these three ways. This implies that any further improvements in travel for the urbanite must be made through existing modes and their derivatives and will be quite limited. It also suggests that the only possible way of substantially improving urban transportation is to build or rebuild towns so that one of the important mode attributes mentioned above is rendered superfluous.     

A new instrument for sediment temperature measurements

A novel self-contained probe is presented which measures the sediment temperature of tidal flats between the surface and 40-cm depth, and indicates whether the flats are flooded or dry. Depending on the selected acquisition interval, the endurance of the probe is more than 6 months. It can be applied for the investigation of thermodynamic properties of the tidal flats impacting physical and biological processes. Intensive tests have shown that the probe is robust and reliable and can be easily operated by a single person. In case of rough weather conditions, the usage of scour protectors is recommended.     

International logistics in Lithuania at a time of transition

This paper examines the current situation in the largest of the Baltic States - Lithuania - with respect to the development of international transport and logistics in the context of the severe political, economic and social changes that have taken place since 1991. Utilizing statistics previously unavailable for the region, the paper examines the impact of transition and the competitive role of East European carriers upon a specific international movement of electronic goods between Frankfurt/Main in Germany and Vilnius in Lithuania, developing a detailed cost model for the alternative modal choices that are available - road and ship/road. Rail transport is excluded as no international rail services between the two countries are available and there are no plans for such services in the near future. From this, a series of issues for the future in the context of potential EU membership, transport infrastructure developments and logistical trends is analysed.     

A study of tour formation: pre-, during,and post-recession analysis

Transportation - This study examines changes in activity-travel patterns of employed people during a recession by using a tour-based representation of the activity-based approach. The term tour is...