Marginal costs of freeway traffic congestion with on-road pollution exposure externality

The health cost of on-road air pollution exposure is a component of traffic marginal costs that has not previously been assessed. The main objective of this paper is to introduce on-road pollution exposure as an externality of traffic, particularly important during traffic congestion when on-road pollution exposure is highest. Marginal private and external cost equations are developed that include on-road pollution exposure in addition to time, fuel, and pollution emissions components. The marginal external cost of on-road exposure includes terms for the marginal vehicle’s emissions, the increased emissions from all vehicles caused by additional congestion from the marginal vehicle, and the additional exposure duration for all travelers caused by additional congestion from the marginal vehicle. A sensitivity analysis shows that on-road pollution exposure can be a large portion (18%) of marginal social costs of traffic flow near freeway capacity, ranging from 4% to 38% with different exposure parameters. In an optimal pricing scenario, excluding the on-road exposure externality can lead to 6% residual welfare loss because of sub-optimal tolls. While regional pollution generates greater costs in uncongested conditions, on-road exposure comes to dominate health costs on congested freeways because of increased duration and intensity of exposure. The estimated marginal cost and benefit curves indicate a theoretical preference for price controls to address the externality problem. The inclusion of on-road exposure costs reduces the magnitudes of projects required to cover implementation costs for intelligent transportation system (ITS) improvements; the net benefits of road-pricing ITS systems are increased more than the net benefits of ITS traffic flow improvements. When considering distinct vehicle classes, inclusion of on-road exposure costs greatly increases heavy-duty vehicle marginal costs because of their higher emissions rates and greater roadway capacity utilization. Lastly, there are large uncertainties associated with the parameters utilized in the estimation of health outcomes that are a function of travel pollution intensity and duration. More research is needed to develop on-road exposure modeling tools that link repeated short-duration exposure and health outcomes.     

杭州市交通状况及车联网市场前景的调研与分析

作为物联网在交通领域的应用,车联网可有效缓解当前的城市交通问题.为更好地把握车联网的市场前景,2012年底在杭州市开展了一次大规模随机抽样调查活动,在汽车4S店、二手车市场、高校、政府机关和企业内随机发放问卷共800份.根据对问卷结果的统计分析,绝大部分驾驶员对杭城交通状况十分不满意,造成交通问题的主因是车辆增长过快,大多数驾驶员对车联网应用及相关产品十分感兴趣,并愿意为之支付一定费用.由此可以推断车联网市场前景非常广阔.     

Using the revenues from congestion pricing

The economic theory behind congestion pricing relies on using the revenues to help compensate highway users. But can practical methods of using revenues come close to achieving this compensation, and still have salient appeal to important political groups? This paper investigates the possibilities for designing a package of revenue uses that can achieve these twin goals. The suggested approach returns two-thirds of the revenues to travelers through travel allowances and tax reductions, and uses the rest to improve transportation throughout the area, including affected business centers. By replacing regressive sales and fuel taxes, this approach offsets the tendency of the prices alone to have a regressive distributional impact. By lowering taxes, funding new highways, improving transit, and upgrading business centers, the package provides inducements for support from several key interest groups. The potential amounts of money involved are discussed using nationwide data, and in more detail using a case study of ubiquitous facility pricing throughout the Los Angeles region. Illustrative calculations of the effects on various individuals confirm that such a package can create net benefits for a wide spectrum of people and interest groups.     

城市路网交通拥堵H-Fuzzy评判方法研究

根据城市路网交通拥堵的空间分布特点将路网交通拥堵划分为路段拥堵和交叉口拥堵,参考城市道路和交叉口服务水平的划分标准将路网交通拥堵度划分为堵塞、拥堵、较拥堵、较畅通、畅通5个等级,选取了路网交通拥堵的判定指标,运用层次分析法建立了路网交通拥堵的二级评判指标体系及相应的H-Fuzzy综合模糊评判模型,最后对一典型路网交通拥堵状况进行了判定,研究成果对于评估城市交通网络拥堵提供了一种有效的定量分析方法。     

城市道路交通拥挤识别方法研究

界定了交通拥挤的概念及属性,总结了交通拥挤的识别方法和流程,介绍了识别交通拥挤的主要算法和模型。     

如何把握和处理安检中碰到的几个问题

船舶安检是一项专业性很强的工作,如何准确把握和处理船舶缺陷,是安检员的一大难点。例举实际工作中出现的老旧船舶,应急发电机及处所,通风筒、空气管、门槛高度,船舶吨位丈量等问题,如何把握和处理进行了分析和探时,以便促进安检水平的提高。     

模糊神经网络在桥梁结构等级评估中的应用

针对模糊综合评判在确定权重上的不精确性，用模糊神经网络方法对桥梁进行等级评估。通过大量输入数据的训练得出实用的判决系统，不仅消除了权向量选取仅靠经验的缺憾，而且加快了判决结果的得出。通过各次权值对比与误差分析，证明了神经网络的有效收敛及该方法的精确性。     

Bridge and tunnel toll elasticities in New York

In 1992, the authors carried out a statistical analysis of Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) crossings in New York City, to determine the impact of toll increases on traffic volumes and revenue. Using twelve years of monthly time-series data, we developed a set of multiple regression models that estimated traffic volumes on each TBTA bridge and tunnel as a function of the toll level and other explanatory variables. In most cases, the estimated toll elasticities were negative and much less than 1.0 in absolute value; the median toll elasticity for automobiles was found to be –0.10. Our finding that automobile travel demand is highly inelastic with respect to toll rates is consistent with most previous travel demand studies.     

中外岸坡抗强震设计方法对比

天然岸坡以及工程岸坡(如防波堤、驳岸、航道等)在众多海外项目中普遍存在,并往往因为强震作用而产生显著的位移变形。国内外技术规范以及参考指南针对这一问题,分别提出拟静力法、Newmark滑块位移法、时程位移分析法等设计方法。针对不同方法以及判别标准,依托海外某回填陆域工程的岸坡稳定及位移分析结论,分别采用滑弧稳定分析、地震位移经验公式以及时程位移分析,进行方案的综合分析论证。结果表明,中外不同分析方法的判别标准稍有差别,但均能较好地依托实际,在总体安全储备方面相符。     

基于VISSIM仿真的间断流设施交织区组织研究

将快速路和城市常规道路不合理衔接造成的城市道路拥堵问题作为一种典型的间断流设施交织区问题,研究其拥堵机理,提出＂以时间换空间＂的理念,采用路段信号控制方法来实现2个交通流在时间上的分离,减少交织的优化方案,最后利用VISSIM仿真软件对其效果进行验证,并找出其适用范围。