Driver recruitability for advanced traveler information system experiments

A number of Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) field experiments are being undertaken to study the effectiveness of the ATIS concept in ameliorating traffic congestion and reducing delays. Many of these experiments require the participation of private drivers willing to allow in-vehicle navigation units to be installed in their vehicles over an extended period of time. A critical part of any ATIS field experiment is the selection or recruitment of private drivers to fulfill the multi-purpose participation needs of the ATIS experiment. To provide an informed basis for designing such a driver recruitment effort, it is important to understand the factors affecting driver recruitability or “willingness to participate.” This research presents the results of a quantitative analysis of driver recruitability conducted to aid in the design of recruitment procedures for ADVANCE (Advanced Driver and Vehicle Advisory Navigation Concept), the largest ATIS field experiment of its kind. The approach used a telephone survey to assess driver willingness to participate in the ADVANCE field experiment and to explore variations in that willingness among different drivers and across characteristics of the ADVANCE system and experimental design. The results indicate that the willingness to participate in the ADVANCE field test is greater for men, persons who hold executive or managerial occupations, individuals who drive extensively, persons who use electronic devices such as personal computers and car phones regularly, and persons who have positive beliefs regarding the usefulness of the ADVANCE concept. The result also suggest that drivers' willingness to participate is not strongly affected by monitoring/reporting requirements such as responding to surveys, mailing electronically stored records of system operation, and periodic service requirements. However, the willingness decreases considerably if drivers have to bear the financial responsibility for damage of the navigation equipment and any equipment-caused electrical failures to the car. Finally, the incentive of a lottery prize raises the level of participation willingness. These results have important implications for the recruitment effort, both in terms of recruiting drivers for participation in the demonstration and specifying the operational details of the field test.     

A model for multi-class road network recovery scheduling of regional road networks

Transportation - In this paper, an optimisation model for recovery planning of road networks is presented in which both social and economic resilience is aimed to be achieved. The model is...     

Towed-Diver Surveys,a Method for Mesoscale Spatial Assessment of Benthic Reef Habitat: A Case Study at Midway Atoll in the Hawaiian Archipelago

An integrated method for benthic habitat assessment is described, in which divers maneuver boards equipped with digital video, temperature, and depth recorders while being towed behind a small boat. The tow path is concurrently recorded by a GPS receiver, and a layback model is applied to more accurately map the data. Percent cover of salient benthic categories is quantified by whole-image analysis of still frames sampled at 30-s intervals. The results of 15 towed-diver surveys at Midway Atoll in the Hawaiian Archipelago during a mass coral bleaching event are presented to exemplify the method and are compared to results derived from conventional methods. Towed-diver surveys bridge a gap between large-scale mapping efforts using satellite data and small-scale, roving diver assessments, providing a mesoscale spatial assessment of reef habitats. The spatial coverage of towed-diver surveys provides comprehensive data to managers concerning the extent, intensity, differential taxonomic response, and bathymetric correlates of bleaching.     

Local public support for an innovative transit system

Little is known about the sources of public support for transit systems even though the perceptions of transit users and potential users have been extensively documented. Research reported here examines dimensions of public support for the first U.S. downtown people mover during three critical phases in the system's life: construction, shakedown, and operations. The method employed was a community sample survey with home interviews. Data analysis showed that the public—who were virtually all nonusers—were largely favorable toward the system during the construction phase. During the shakedown phase, when system reliability was extremely low, many attitudes toward the system became less favorable, especially perceptions of performance and direct community impacts. Later, reliability improved, and attitudes which had become less favorable tended to grow more favorable once again. It is suggested that a system's performance can influence many aspects of public support for a transit system, even among nonusers. This pattern has implications for system planners who must depend on public good will for continuing support of transit systems. In particular, extensive pretesting of new systems should occur before the fare gates are opened to patrons.     

Modeling access to public transport in urban areas

It is important to measure public transport accessibility to help improve the sustainability of transport systems in metropolitan areas. Although many studies have defined different approaches for measuring public transport accessibility, there have been limited methods developed for measuring accessibility levels that incorporate spatial aspects. Population density is an important distributional indicator that has also been ignored in previous methods developed for quantifying accessibility. This paper outlines the research context for measurement of public transport accessibility and then describes a methodology developed as well as an application the Public Transport Accessibility Index in Melbourne area, Australia. Using the Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity dataset, we applied separate‐ordered logit regression models to examine how the new index performs with a series of predictor variables compared with two existing approaches. Key findings indicate that there is a higher probability of public transport patronage in areas with higher levels of accessibility. Furthermore, it was found using statistical modelling that the new index produces better results compared with previous approaches. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crew in the West Coast Groundfish Catch Share Program: Changes in Compensation and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Catch share programs can have far-reaching effects on coastal communities and the people that rely on fishing income, including crew members. Analysis of management actions affecting crew wages and well-being is often limited due to a dearth of available data. We examine crew-related outcomes during the first six years of the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program using two unique datasets – a mandatory economic survey and a voluntary social science study. We find that impacts on crew compensation differ from other catch share programs due to prior conditions of the fishery and also vary by the target species within the program. The median number of crew positions per vessel increased slightly, annual crew days decreased, and crew wage as a percentage of revenue was nearly unchanged, even with the introduction of new costs. Median daily crew compensation increased from $514 per day to $776 after implementation of catch shares and annual compensation increased from $33 thousand to $39 thousand. Many crew members expressed a lack of support for the program and job satisfaction did not rise with increased wages and fewer days at sea, indicating that job satisfaction is likely influenced by more than compensation and effort.     

Warming Seas in the Coral Triangle: Coral Reef Vulnerability and Management Implications

The highest diversity coral reefs in the world, located in the Coral Triangle, are threatened by a variety of local stresses including pollution, overfishing, and destructive fishing in addition to climate change impacts, such as increasing sea surface temperatures (SSTs), and ocean acidification. As climate change impacts increase, coral reef vulnerability at the ecoregional scale will have an increasingly important influence on conservation management decisions. This project provides the first detailed assessment of past and future climatic stress, thermal variability, and anthropogenic impacts in the Coral Triangle at the ecoregional level, thus incorporating both local (e.g., pollution, development, and overfishing) and global threats (increasing SSTs). The development of marine protected area (MPA) networks across the Coral Triangle is critical for the region to address these threats. Specific management recommendations are defined for MPA networks based on the levels of vulnerability to thermal and local stress. For example, coral reef regions with potentially low vulnerability to thermal stress may be priorities for establishment of MPA networks, whereas high vulnerability regions may require selection and design principles aimed at building resilience to climate change. The identification of climate and other human threats to coral reef systems and ecoregions can help conservation practitioners prioritize management responses to address these threats and identify gaps in MPA networks or other management mechanisms (e.g., integrated coastal management).     

Transport in Romania—a British perspective

Abstract

Railways restructuring takes place under very different circumstances and with very different goals in Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and Russia. There are some improvements in productivity associated with the reforms in the European Union (among others access to infrastructure and vertical separation). But they are not certain to be replicated following similar restructuring in transition economies, especially if one takes account of the much higher shadow price on government subsidies in the latter. The current and proposed reforms in the railways of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia are described in detail; the likely outcomes of reforms in the special economic, regulatory and legal environments of these countries are analysed; and an alternative proposal for restructuring in Russia is presented.     

Simulating Demand-responsive Transportation: A Review of Agent-based Approaches

Abstract

In light of the need to make better use of existing transport infrastructure, demand-responsive transportation (DRT) systems are gaining traction internationally. However, many systems fail due to poor implementation, planning, and marketing. Being able to realistically simulate a system to evaluate its viability before implementation is important. This review investigates the application of agent-based simulation for studying DRT. We identify that existing simulations are strongly focused on the optimisation of trips, usually in favour of the operator, and rarely consider individual preferences and needs. Agent-based simulations, however, permit incorporation of the latter, as well as capture the interactions between operators and customers. Several areas of future research are identified in order to unify future research efforts.