Transit assignment under crowded conditions

This paper presents a transit assignment algorithm for crowded networks. Both congestion in vehicles and queuing at stations are explicitly taken into account in predicting passenger flows for a fixed pattern of origin-destination trip demands. The overflow effects due to insufficient capacity of transit lines are considered to be concentrated at transit stations, while the in-vehicle congestion effects (or discomforts) are considered to be dependent on in-vehicle passenger volume. Overflow delay at a transit station is dependent on the number of excess passengers required to wait for the next transit car. We use a logit model to determine the split between passengers that chose to wait for the next transit car and passengers that chose to board on the alternative transit lines. The proposed algorithm predicts how passenger will choose their optimal routes under both queuing and crowded conditions.     

A study of passenger discomfort measures at the Hong Kong mass transit railway system

This note investigates the important attributes relating to the crowding effects at the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations in Hong Kong. Data was collected at two sets of three MTR stations to study the responses of the passengers due to the discomfort at crowded vehicles and platforms. Stated preference surveys were used to study the effects of passenger discomfort measures.     

Analysis of Driver's Decelerating Strategy in a Car-following Situation

This report describes a decelerating driver-model expressed by driving mode transition in car-following situations. The assumptions for constructing the model are that decelerating strategy of a driver is classified into several simple driving modes and that a driver changs his driving modes based on his perceptible characteristics and experiential rules. Deceleration action is divided into three states; following, standing and braking, which are applied to the model. The model has two paths for driver's decelerating action, one of which is selected by the driver based on the perceptible characteristics and experiential rules. The suitability of the model has been experimentally verified.     

Driver requirements and road traffic informatics

Initially the driver's role as a link in the driver-vehicle-road-traffic control-chain is discussed in a historical perspective. The gradual changes and the advantages and problems arising from these changes are discussed from behavioural point of view.Then the driver tasks are analyzed. A separation is made between trip planning, navigation, road following, traffic interaction, rule compliance, other than traffic tasks, car handling and speed choice. The relations between and the weights of these subtasks are discussed. Some existing driver behaviour models are reviewed in relation to the above mentioned tasks.Finally an effort is made based on the analyses of driver tasks and driver models to specify some general and some more specific potential advantages and problems with expected future RTI-systems.     

The design of bus route systems — An interactive location-allocation approach

An interactive modelling approach is developed to solve the practical problem of bus route network design. Possible bus routes are identified with facilities which can be located. Zones or pairs of zones in the urban area are identified with customers who will be allocated to the established facilities. It is shown that the classical Set Covering Problem is useful under the assumption of fixed demand; the Simple Plant Location Problem is effective under the assumption of demand which is sensitive to the level of bus service provided.     

Determinants of the property damage costs of bulk barge accidents

This study investigates determinants of the vessel, cargo, and other-property damage costs of bulk barge accidents in US inland waterways. Tobit estimation of a three-equation recursive model suggests that, in bulk barge accidents: (1) vessel damage cost is greater for collision, fire/explosion, and material/equipment failure accidents than for groundings; (2) cargo damage cost is greater at night and when the weather is foggy and increases with barge age; and (3) otherproperty damage cost is greater for multi-vessel accidents, but decreases with barge size. A dollar of vessel damage cost increases other-property damage cost by $1.38, while a dollar of cargo damage cost increases this cost by $6.90. An important result for formulating bulk barge accident cost-reduction policies is that a given determinant might have a negative effect on one type of damage cost but a positive effect on another.     

Biologically induced differences in erodibility and aggregation of subtidal and intertidal sediments: a possible cause for seasonal changes in sediment deposition

This study was carried out to describe the difference in erodibility and aggregation in a tidal basin including both subtidal and intertidal study sites and to use these results to explain the shifting erosion/deposition cycles at the sites. Erosion thresholds, erosion rates and settling velocities of the eroded material were measured at a mudflat transect and at sediment cores taken from a nearby tidal channel during surveys made in May 2000 and March 2002. Surface samples were analysed for grain-size, chl. a content, faecal pellet content, dry bulk density and organic content. Additionally, surface samples were taken at eight occasions in the period January 2002 to May 2003 from shallow tidal channels in the area. These samples were analysed for mud content and showed that major shifts in sediment distribution occurred in the period. The erodibility of the mudflat was generally high due to pelletization by the mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae but close to the salt marsh much lower erodibility was found, probably due to stabilisation by microphytobenthos. In contrast, the erodibility of the channel bed seemed to be very little influenced by biological activity and the relatively low erodibility found here was caused by physical characteristics of the sediment. The sediment eroded from the mudflat was generally strongly pelletized and showed high settling velocities whereas less aggregation and lower settling velocities were found for the channel bed sediments. Temporal variations of the mudflat stability and hydrodynamics resulted in temporal variations of deposition and erosion and the changing stability at the mudflat is likely to be one of the main reasons for a general transport of fine-grained sediment from the mudflat to the channel in the cold seasons and vice versa during the rest of the year.     

Comment Some reflections on port competition in the United States and western Europe

'Port competition' is a rather puzzling expression. This paper approaches it literally, searching for precise meanings. In seaports that contain complex and changeable mixtures of public and private enterprise, who competes and why? The answers to these questions are not conclusive but suggestive indications are found in the US, UK and northwestern Europe. Finally, we discuss what seem to be the key influential factors which may impact on the competitiveness of a port.     

台北公共交通月及无车日活动回顾与展望

台北国际无车日自2002年起举办了5次,由最早的骑自行车活动扩大至包含“走路上学日”与“公共交通月”丰富多彩的系列活动,渐渐获得民众认同。无车日活动的目标是通过活动的倡导和社会参与来改变民众使用交通工具的行为,潜移默化的效应可促使形成可持续交通政策,当可持续交通政策与基础设施建设落实后又可具体改变交通环境,形成良性的循环机制。首先说明了“无车日”的由来,并回顾台北都会区过去5年来举行无车日系列活动的内容与经验,同时基于活动的发展与成果归纳出无车日活动的成功要素,最后提出未来活动将扩大举办的内容、方式与展望,以期能为其他城市作参考。     

Elemental composition, biochemical composition and caloric value of Antarctic krill.: Implications in Energetics and carbon balances

Samples of Antarctic krill were analyzed for elemental composition, biochemical composition, weight and caloric content. Sexes and maturity stages were separated. Mature females showed the highest caloric values (Joules) and juveniles the lowest in a per animal basis. On unit of wet weight per animal basis, spent females showed the lowest caloric values. For the caloric values by animal, a significant difference was found between males, mature females, spent females and juveniles, either on a per animal basis or in the basis of 1 g of wet weight, showing a real difference between the groups, regardless of their individual size. Significant differences were found for carbon, nitrogen and lipids, but not for proteins, analyzed in % of dry weight. Carbon was lowest for spent females and highest for mature females. On the contrary, nitrogen values were lowest for mature females and highest for males. Mature females had the highest lipid content and males the lowest. All variables were significantly correlated. For the linear regression analysis, the best correlation found was between Joules and carbon, followed by carbon vs. dry weight and Joules vs. dry weight. In an analysis with two independent variables, the best correlation was found for Joules vs. lipids and dry weight, followed by Joules vs. carbon and nitrogen, and Joules vs. lipids and proteins. The results obtained were used to make an analysis of the energy and carbon fluxes through the food chain in the sampled area, showing higher energetic and carbon “densities” in frontal areas, the POM calorific values showed an opposite pattern than that of krill.