Weekly activity-travel behaviour in rural Northern Ireland: differences by context and socio-demographic

Despite a wide variation in access to goods and services between rural areas, common policy interventions are often proposed in Northern Ireland. Questions remain as to the level and form of policy differentiation that is required, if any, both within and between different rural areas. This issue is investigated in this paper through the analysis of activity-travel patterns of individuals living in two rural areas with different levels of area accessibility and area mobility. Three focus groups, 299 questionnaires and 89 activity-travel diaries for 7 days were collected for individuals from these areas. Regression analyses were employed to explore the degree to which different factors influence activity-travel behaviour. The results indicate that individuals from rural areas with a higher level of accessibility are more integrated within their local community and as a result, are potentially less at risk of being excluded from society due to immobility. Differences, however, were also found between different groups within an area (e.g. non-car owning individuals who were more reliant on walking, and low-income individuals who made trips of a shorter distance). Based on the study findings and a review of existing policies, this research highlights the need to tailor policy responses to reflect the particular sets of circumstances exhibited in different areas.     

Exploring built environment impacts on transit use – an updated meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

The built environment (BE) is widely accepted to influence transit use (TU). Evidence to date suggests the relationship is dependent on many factors which can be difficult to account for in quantitative studies. This creates barriers to transferring research into practice. Considering many studies together can be useful for accounting for more of the factors impacting transit use. Yet, meta-analysis of research measuring these influences was last undertaken in 2010 based on 18 studies. Since then 90 new quantitative studies have been published. These recent studies use improved methodologies and are conducted in more diverse geographies. This paper reports an improved and updated meta-analysis of built environment impacts on transit use. It compares elasticity estimates from research published pre-and post-2010 and explores the impact of new methods and a more diverse geographical representation on findings. Updated meta-elasticities range from <0.01 to 0.26; a similar range to the 2010 study. However, at the individual indicator levels, more recent results are different. Elasticities for urban density, including population, employment and commercial density, have increased significantly in studies published since 2010, as did that of land use mix. However, measures of local access, design and jobs-housing balance decreased in post-2010 studies. These results confirm the small but imprecise relationship between the BE and TU. Results also suggest that while the range of elasticity impacts is relatively consistent, new study methodologies, notably those that control for regional accessibility and self-selection, and the increasing geographical diversity in study applications, is acting to change BE-TU findings at the indicator level. Research setting and context are important to consider when using empirical results to design BE strategies to promote transit use.     

The applicability of hydrofoils as a ship control device

Centrifugal forces are commonly created when ships turn, which may cause a ship to capsize in a critical situation. A mathematical model has been developed to optimize the stability coefficients for ship, with the aim to prevent capsizing and to increase ship maneuverability in high-speed water craft. This model can be used to develop algorithms for control system improvement. The mathematical model presented in this paper optimized the use of multipurpose hydrofoils to reduce heeling and the trimming moment, maintaining an upright ship’s position and lessening the resistance via transverse force. Conventionally, the trimming and heeling of a ship are controlled using ballast water; however, under variable sea conditions it is sometimes difficult to control a ship’s motion using ballast water. In this case, a hydrofoil would be more stable and maneuverable than a ballast tank controlled vessel. A movable hydrofoil could theoretically be adapted from moveable aerofoil technology. This study proves the merit of further investigation into this possibility.     

Analysis of hydrodynamic characteristics for arbitrary multihull ships advancing in waves

Multihull vessels have emerged as popular alternatives to conventional monohull ships for high-speed crafts. However, the bridging structures connecting the hulls are vulnerable to various wave actions and the wave impact on the bottom of them is the most serious problems associated with multihulled vessels. In this study, prediction of relative wave elevations under the bridging structures is investigated for multihull ships traveling with forward speed in waves. A computer code YNU-SEA using the three-dimensional (3D) Green function method with forward speed has been developed and used to analyze the hydrodynamic radiation and diffraction forces and motion responses for high-speed catamarans in waves. The results of the present calculations are compared with those of previous calculations as well as with experimental results. The numerical results reveal that the present computer code can be used as a powerful tool for the accurate numerical computation of seakeeping problems for multihull ships advancing in waves. Numerical calculations of wave pattern are also carried out including wave interactions between the hulls to analyze the effects of hull form on the free surface flow around catamarans advancing in waves. The analysis of the wave pattern allows the determination of relative wave height including radiation and diffraction waves. Finally, some discussions are included based on these numerical results which may be helpful for the accurate prediction of relative wave height and wave breaking load on the deck associated with multihull ships.     

Optimizing fare and headway to facilitate timed transfer considering demand elasticity

Fare and service frequency significantly affect transit users’ willingness to ride, as well as the supplier's revenue and operating costs. To stimulate demand and increase productivity, it is desirable to reduce the transfer time from one route to another via efficient service coordination, such as timed transfer. Since demand varies both temporally and spatially, it may not be cost-effective to synchronize vehicle arrivals on all connecting routes at a terminal. In this paper, we develop a schedule coordination model to optimize fare and headway considering demand elasticity. The headway of each route is treated as an integer-multiple of a base common headway. A discounted (reduced) fare is applied as an incentive to encourage ridership and, thus, stimulate public transit usage. The objective of the proposed coordination model is used to maximize the total profit subject to the service constraint. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model. The results show that the optimized fare and headway may be carefully applied to yield the maximum profit. The relationship between the decision variables and model parameters is explored in the sensitivity analysis.     

An exploratory analysis of observed and latent variables affecting intercity train service quality in developing countries

Transportation - Service quality (SQ) and customer satisfaction as perceived by 1037 passengers on intercity train services in Bangladesh were examined using structural equation modeling to explain...     

Changing household car ownership level and life cycle events: an action in anticipation or an action on occurrence

This paper analyzes households’ decision to change their car ownership level in response to actions/decisions regarding mobility issues and other household events. Following recent literature on the importance of critical events for mobility decisions, it focuses on the relationship between specific events (e.g. childbirth and buying an extra car), rather than trying to explain the status of car ownership from a set of stationary explanatory variables. In particular, it is hypothesized that changes in household car ownership level take place in response to stressors, resulting from changed household needs or aspirations. The study includes a broad range of events. Apart from changes in work status, employer and residential location, it analyzes demographic events such as household formation and childbirth. Also, it scrutinizes the temporal sequence in which chains of related events are most likely to occur. To this end, data from a retrospective survey that records respondents’ car ownership status, as well as residential and household situation over the past 20 years are used. A panel analysis has been carried out to disentangle typical relationships. The results suggest that strong and simultaneous relationships exist between car ownership changes and household formation and dissolution processes. Childbirth and residential relocation invoke car ownership changes. Changes are also made in anticipation of future events such as employer change and childbirth. Childbirth is associated with increasing the number of cars, whereas the effect of employer change goes the opposite way. Job change increases the probability of car ownership change in the following year.     

An investigation of tour generation models combining two waves of household travel surveys through pooled models

This paper presents a study that examines two waves of travel survey data through a pooled model structure. The pooled model structure provides a means to take advantage of multiple data sources which will lead to a better estimate and understanding of travel behavior. In particular, it accounts for the difference in data variance and therefore allows for the comparison of the true impacts of the model parameters on travelers’ tour-making behavior. Larger variance is found in the 1998 data than in the 2010 data. Comparison between model parameters reveals significant behavioral changes among several socio-economic and demographic groups. In terms of common variables, the magnitude of the coefficient values has generally decreased, which conforms to the overall decreasing trend in traveling. Overall, the model equality tests indicate that the models developed based on the two data sources do not have equal taste parameters, thus the transferability hypothesis is rejected. The results of this study are expected to have implications for the application of models based on cross-sectional data, especially over long time periods.     

Real-time traveler information for urban arterials: a method for selecting metropolitan routes of significance

Although multi-criteria analysis (MCA) has been commonly used to guide transportation decisions related to traditional infrastructure, limited applications are reported for intelligent transportation systems. The objective of this study is to apply MCA for selecting arterial routes for real-time traveler information, to conform with recent US federal regulations. This study applies the method in two metropolitan areas and the paper describes which criteria were chosen and how important each were considered. In all, this study guided the selection of seven arterial routes for deployment of real-time traveler information collection and dissemination. This study demonstrates how a transportation agency can apply MCA for traveler information planning and the method provides value for other agencies seeking to come into compliance with traveler information regulations.     

Micro-simulation modelling for traffic safety: A review and potential application to heterogeneous traffic environment

This paper critically reviews micro-simulation modelling applications for traffic safety evaluation with respect to the use of different simulation tools, the application of surrogate safety indicators under different aspects of road environments and crash considerations. General input variables used to develop the models; key parameters for crash prediction; and calibration and validation approaches are explored in the paper. The strengths and weaknesses of used simulation packages for traffic safety evaluation are also pointed out. Moreover, recent advancements in the development and application of traffic safety micro-simulation model for safety assessment are also discussed.Despite having a number of studies, there is still a significant void in the development and application of simulation model to evaluate traffic safety of non-lane based heterogeneous traffic environments that predominate in many developing countries. The paper assessed the potential application of traffic safety micro-simulation model in heterogeneous traffic environments. Finally, a number of potentially fruitful future research directions are highlighted.