Can bus really be the new tram?

BRT appears to be less expensive to build and operate than tram systems but can it really approach the performance level of a tram system and what is the environmental performance of comparable systems?     

Multi-period Research Designs for Identifying Causal Effects of Built Environment Characteristics on Travel Behaviour

Abstract

To date, most empirical studies have applied cross-sectional designs to investigate the relationship between the built environment (BE) and travel behaviour (TB). Since these studies cannot identify causal influence, the use of designs that provide data on multiple moments in time seems necessary. This article classifies these designs and describes how they can be applied to identify causality in this relationship. We recommend the use of natural experiments to assess the impact of changes in land use/infrastructure and prospective longitudinal designs to assess the impact of residential or job moves. In addition, the role of the BE can be explored by assessing the impact of (1) deliberate TB change experiments and (2) changes in household circumstances across different spatial contexts over time. The use of randomised experimental designs is recommended for the former and prospective longitudinal designs for the latter. The article concludes with an outlook on future research.     

Optimal Control Model Applications and Field Measurements with Respect to Car Driving

The well-known optimal control model has been applied only rarely to car driving, although its structure suits the modelling demands of driving by allowing for a multitask application and providing possibilities for the evaluation of driving in terms of supervisory control. Two series of Supervisory Driver Model predictions are stated for lateral position control in a straight driving scenario with disturbances generated internally by the driver. The first series of model calculations predicts lateral position variations and the time that a driver's vision can be occluded during the observation and control of different combinations of display variables (lateral position, lateral speed, yaw rate, lateral acceleration and yaw acceleration). The second series of predictions concerns two extreme sets of display variables in relation to driving speed and driving experience. Model predictions for the observation and control of all display variables give occlusion times which correspond with data from instrumented car studies with experienced drivers. However, with exclusive observation and control of the lateral position cue, predicted occlusion times are less than found in experimental results of inexperienced drivers. It is suggested that inexperienced drivers are also controlling yaw rate and/or both acceleration cues.     

2003年美国汽车市场进口车型新技术透视

2003年美国汽车市场进口车型中呈现出了一些创新性的技术特征。这些创新性的技术特征,向非连锁经营的独立汽车维修厂提出了新的挑战。因为一般来说他们难于及时充分地获得相应的技术支持。这类创新性的技术特征当中,就包括了性能优良的无级变速器以及W8型发动机。     

Evaluating the pedestrian realm: instrumental rationality,communicative rationality and phenomenology

Following the passage of ISTEA, increased attention to pedestrian planning has led to the development of pedestrian plans, particularly at the metropolitan and municipal levels. This has raised the issue of how cities and metropolitan areas evaluate the walkability of the pedestrian realm and identify improvement projects. Three approaches to evaluating the pedestrian realm are examined: instrumental rationality, communicative rationality, and phenomenology. Case studies demonstrating the application of these approaches to the development of pedestrian plans are examined in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Portland, Oregon, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

150 mL以下摩托车达到欧Ⅲ排放标准面临的技术挑战和解决方案

中国摩托车市场中,排量150 mL及以下采用四冲程单缸发动机的车型占主导地位.这种车由于成本低,使用、维修便利,适合城乡使用,已成为非常流行的基本交通工具.欧洲将于2006年开始实行针对摩托车的欧Ⅲ排放标准,中国将在2008年实施等同该标准的第3阶段标准.摩托车生产企业和正在开发高技术含量摩托车的企业都面临着严峻的技术挑战--必须使他们的产品符合新排放标准要求,同时还必须在成本和功能上保持对顾客的吸引力.     

基于模糊逻辑的车辆侧偏角估计方法

提出了一种基于模糊逻辑的汽车侧偏角估计方法。它利用模糊逻辑和汽车运动学模型,将汽车转向盘转角、车轮转速、汽车加速度和横摆角速度信息相融合,进行车辆侧偏角估计。试验结果显示,该方法的鲁棒性和精确性较好,而且响应频率较高,可以满足ESP的控制需要。     

2010美国市场新车技术预览（下）

本文译自美国《MOTOR》杂志。上期介绍了美国国内汽车制造厂2010年推出的新款车型,本期将介绍国外汽车厂家2010年推向美国市场的主要新款车。     

Switching service types for multi-region bus systems

Conventional fixed-route bus services are generally preferred to flexible-route services at high demand densities, and vice versa. This paper formulates the problem of integrating conventional and flexible services that connect a main terminal to multiple local regions over multiple time periods. The system’s vehicle size, route spacing (for conventional services), service area (for flexible services), headways and fleet sizes are jointly optimized to minimize the sum of supplier costs and user costs. The route spacing for conventional bus services and service area for flexible bus services are also optimized for each region. The proposed solution method, which uses a genetic algorithm and analytic optimization, finds good solutions quickly. Numerical examples and sensitivity analyses confirm that the single fleet variable-type bus service may outperform either the single fleet conventional bus service or the single fleet flexible bus service when demand densities vary substantially among regions and time periods.     

Revisiting port pricing; a proposal for seven port pricing principles

A review of seven large landlord port authorities around the world reveals a notable diversity of pricing structures. While port authorities increasingly act as commercial undertakings, port pricing often seems to be not driven by commercial considerations. In this paper, we argue that ports can be regarded as “business ecosystems” with multiple users. This provides a valuable perspective on pricing and raises the question of whether ports can be regarded as two-sided markets. We argue this is not the case. The business ecosystem perspective provides a basis for deducing seven pricing principles for port authorities that are detailed in the paper and illustrated with cases these principles. These pricing principles are broadly follow a direct user pays approach; capture value from “non-core” tenants; price aggressively for activities with a high strategic value; differentiate pricing based on price elasticity and connectivity improvements; maximize revenue from long-term lease agreements, price port dues competitively; critically consider differentiation of charges based on environmental performance; and finally use incentives to align interests of terminal operators and shipping lines. We conclude that the ecosystem perspective is central to the understanding of pricing decisions of port authorities and that various pricing issues deserve more attention.