Specialization and economic impact of the ports of Montreal, Quebec, Saint John, and Halifax

Specialization in cargoes and forelands is defined for the ports of Montreal, Quebec, Saint John, and Halifax using a variation of the location quotient. Economic impact is also defined using the location quotient. All ports are shown to have some degree of specialization; whereas, Saint John and Halifax have relatively greater economic impact. It is suggested that the four ports should be encouraged to develop their specializations. However, are the benefits to the shipping industry in following such a policy outweighed by the losses to the local economies because investment in certain ports does not take place?     

The incidence and effects of travellers' diarrhoea in a seafaring population

My bowels boiled and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me. (Job 30: 27.)     

Evidence of land use impacts of rapid transit systems

This paper draws from the findings of published empirical studies and observations of the impacts of rapid transit systems on urban development. Analysis is based on comparisons of impact findings by different researchers and for different cities. An initial set of key issues is proposed, against which available information is arrayed and compared. It is concluded that rapid transit can have substantial growth-focusing impacts, but only if other supporting factors are present.     

A model and algorithm for multicriteria route-mode choice

Using an idea proposed independently by Quandt and Schneider, the paper declares mode choice to be a special instance of route choice. It describes a (non-logit) model which includes in its route-choice mechanism the decision variables traditionally associated with mode choice. With the assumption that each traveller selects the route which minimizes his own personal linear choice function, it is clear that the routes with a nonzero chance of being picked are only those not dominated by any other path (e.g. are not both costlier and longer than any other path). The precise probability of a route being chosen is just the integral over the appropriate portion of the probability density of the coefficients of the choice function. The integration limits are implied by the amount of each disutility on each of the undominated routes. An algorithm is given which is quite efficient in finding these paths in a large and complex multimodal network.     

Flat versus differentiated transit pricing: What's a fair fare?

Virtually every U.S. bus system today charges its customers flat fares. Recent trends, however, suggest that passengers are traveling farther and proportionally more during peak hours, factors which have contributed toward transit's cost spiral. As deficits continue to soar and available funding tightens, current pricing rationales must be seriously questioned. This paper assesses the efficiency and equity impacts of three California transit agencies' fare structures. Short-distance, off-peak patrons are found to heavily cross-subsidize long-haul commuters. Fares differentiated by distance and time-of-day, in contrast, could improve the transit industry's fiscal posture while eliminating differences in payment rates. Barriers to their implementation remain formidable, however, both in terms of current fare collection capabilities and political acceptability.     

Partial productivity measures and total factor productivity in the air transport industry: Limitations and uses

In recent years the measurement of productivity has increasingly focused on measuring total factor productivity or TFP. Additional research has investigated the reasons for differences in TFP between firms. The implicit assumption behind this work is that simpler measures of industry productivity (such as revenue ton-miles per employee) can seriously misstate both the level and growth rate of productivity. As a result, accurate analysis of productivity requires information on TFP. While this argument is not open to debate on a theoretical basis, the extent that simple measures of productivity inaccurately portray TFP has not been investigated in anything but a cursory manner. This paper investigates the relationship between typical industry measures of productivity and TFP using a data set of U.S. and non-U.S. airlines for the period 1970–1983. The paper examines both levels of productivity and growth rates. The results indicate the extent to which industry measures accurately or inaccurately reflect the more comprehensive measure of productivity (TFP). To the extent that industry measures are inaccurate, this paper investigates the possible sources of error in order to determine if slightly altered industry measures might more accurately reflect TFP.     

Forecasting downtime event durations for the Morgantown people mover

A model was developed to forecast the duration of emergency shut downs of the Morgantown People Mover. An extensive data base of downtime events for a 2 1/2 year period were analyzed. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) methods were applied to determine the significance of five variables which were hypothesized to influence downtime duration, including physical sub-system, restartablity, location of failure, number of vehicles in the system, and level of demand. Results of the analysis enable MPM system operators to provide improved information to system users during downtime events. The forecasting methodology also enables operators to evaluate alternative user management strategies during downtimes.     

21世纪的美国交通

就美国交通的基本情况、发展模式、交通工具的选择和新技术的应用、智能交通系统及私有化和外包等诸多方面进行了深入的探讨，对美国交通的发展趋势做出了详尽而有理有据的预测，这样的综合介绍无疑会使我国的交通规划与发展颇受裨益。     

台湾隧道衬砌异状类别之探讨

以台湾隧道为背景,搜集整理1990年代以来安全检测作业调查所得的异状,并纳入相关报导中早期隧道的破坏案例,继而区分不同的异状及其类别,并探讨采用砖(石)砌、混凝土与钢筋混凝土等不同的衬砌材料以及不同构筑方式之隧道所发生的异状形态.