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.     

独行冰人莱科宁

是继续奋战还是选择明年底退役这是最近困扰莱科宁的一个棘手的问题，因为在加拿大的围场里大家都在讨论莱科宁可能会真的选择在2010年后恢复自己自由的身份，也就是离开这个他视为职业所在的F1赛场.     

Deregulation of inter‐city coach services in Britain

Public transport in Britain has traditionally operated under conditions of regulation. The 1930 Road Traffic Act imposed controls upon the quantity and quality of transport regulations, with an abolition of the quantity controls associated with inter‐city coach services. The principal objectives of the Act were to eliminate restriction upon entry to the market and to promote competition between coach operators.

This paper is based on research which was undertaken to establish the impact of the 1980 Transport Act upon express (inter‐city) coach services in Britain. The effects of the legislation are examined in relation to the experience of various coach operators, British Rail, and the inter‐city traveller. This provides evidence of the way in which the supply of, and demand for, public transport behaves in a competitive, deregulated environment. It is shown that at least in net terms, the consumer has enjoyed short‐term benefits. Greater uncertainty surrounds the long‐term situation. The main competition has been confined to the principal trunk routes and has taken place between the state‐owned undertaking of National Express and British Rail. The outcome of deregulation for the private sector has been disappointing.

The paper identified similarities which exist between inter‐city and local public transport services. In this context, the lessons derived from express deregulation are employed to suggest likely developments in the deregulation of stage carriage (local) services in Britain.     

Evaluating Boating Safety Risk in Intracoastal Waterways

Growth in the number of recreational vessels that use inland and coastal waterways, coupled with the diversity of boating activities, results in increased boating-related conflicts, accidents, and fatalities. This situation has led to numerous requests from boaters, shorefront property owners, waterfront businesses, and local governments for the imposition and enforcement of boating safety speed zones within Florida's Intracoastal Waterways. A decision-support framework that incorporates Geographic Information Systems (GIS)–based risk assessment was developed to assist the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Division of Law Enforcement evaluate requests and applications for the establishment of boating safety zones, pursuant to the Florida Administrative Code Rule 68-D-23.105 “Criteria for Approval of Regulatory Markers.” The risk assessment uses geospatial data compiled from multiple government agencies, survey data from subject matter experts, and public input from participatory workshops. Relevant spatial data includes waterway features and marine infrastructure from field surveys, vessel traffic patterns observed and mapped from aerial reconnaissance, and indicators of boater behaviors extracted from accident and citation reports. The outcome is a characterization of waterway segments according to perceived risk to boating safety. The application was tested in two Florida counties and it helped guide the establishment of new, and the revision of existing, boating regulatory zones within their Intracoastal Waterways. The application design is such that it is adaptable to waterways beyond those in Florida.