Time taken for residents to adopt a new public transport service: examining heterogeneity through duration modelling

When a new public transport service is introduced it would be valuable for public authorities, financing organisations and transport operators to know how long it will take for people to start to use the service and what factors influence this. This paper presents results from research analysing the time taken for residents living close to a new guided bus service to start to use (or adopt) the service. Data was obtained from a sample of residents on whether they used the new service and the number of weeks after the service was introduced before they first used it. Duration modelling has been used to analyse how the likelihood of starting to use the new service changes over time (after the introduction of the service) and to examine what factors influence this. It is found that residents who have not used the new service are increasingly unlikely to use it as time passes. Those residents gaining greater accessibility benefits from the new service are found to be quicker to use the service, although the size of this effect is modest compared to that of other between-resident differences. Allowance for the possibility that there existed a proportion of the sample that would never use the new service was tested using a split population model (SPD) model. The SPD model indicates that 36% of residents will never use the new service and is informative in differentiating factors that influence whether Route 20 is used and when it is used.

The accuracy of proxy responses in a stated choice setting: A re-examination and some controversial conclusions

Data is typically gathered from an individual respondent who represents the group or the household. This individual is often identified as the “primary decision maker” and is asked to provide responses as a proxy for the group given that the cost of interviewing each member individually is impractical and/or expensive. The collection of joint preferences is rarely undertaken, with the use of proxy responses not uncommon in travel behaviour research. Under such a framework, there exists an assumption that the primary decision maker has perfect knowledge of other group member preferences, and bargaining behaviour, and is able to synthesise this information when providing a response on their behalf. The validity of such an assumption however remains an open question, with recent research calling the reliability of proxy responses into account (Bateman and Munro, 2009). In this paper, using three models estimated in willingness to pay space, we examine the accuracy of proxy responses in a stated choice experiment. We find that there is overlap between a proxy response and the own preferences of the individual providing the proxy choice, but while the proxy responses fail to represent the full preference heterogeneity that exists in the actual choices made by individuals, the proxy responses in aggregate provide a suitable replacement for actual data, subject to a number of caveats.     

Tradable credits for managing car travel: a review of empirical research and relevant behavioural approaches

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in Tradable Credits (TC) as an alternative measure to manage the growth of personal car use. This paper summarises the results and methodologies of studies that have sought to anticipate the behavioural responses to several proposed TC schemes that target personal travel. In a critical reflection on this work and in an attempt to inspire future research, we argue that future empirical studies on TC behaviours can greatly benefit from insights from the fields of behavioural economics and cognitive psychology. Therefore, in the second part of the paper, we bring together behavioural concepts from these fields that are relevant in a TC decision-making context. Based on observations from current TC studies and the behavioural mechanisms identified in the second part of the paper, we propose promising directions for future research on understanding the impact of TC on personal car travel.     

The “field of safe travel” revisited: interpreting driving behaviour performance through a holistic approach

The present paper proposes a conceptual framework for the driver’s visual–spatial perceptual processes. Based on a theoretical analysis of driving proposed by Gibson and Crooks [(1938). A theoretical field-analysis of automobile-driving. The American Journal of Psychology, 51, 453–471. doi:10.2307/1416145], the developed field of safe travel (FoST) framework suggests that at any moment the driver constructs a “field” by integrating two perceptual entities: (i) the possible available spatial fields for locomotion and (ii) the driver’s mental image of ego-vehicle outer-line and motion dynamics. This framework is used to reinterpret in a unified way a number of disparate research findings reported in the literature concerning specific driving sub-tasks (e.g. lane keeping and car following). It is argued that the FoST framework may be used to predict drivers’ behaviour in various traffic/situation environments based on their prioritisation between the above two perceptual entities. Implications of the proposed framework at a theoretical and practical level, in view of the future of driving with multiple levels of automation, are also discussed.     

Factors influencing travel mode choice among families with young children (aged 0–4): a review of the literature

Life events, such as the birth of a child, disrupt habitual travel behaviour and provide a valuable opportunity to influence the adoption of sustainable transport practices. However, in order for sustainable travel practices to be adopted, an understanding is required of the factors that influence travel mode choice among families with young children. Research in this field is particularly timely given many in the millennial generation, a comparably large cohort, are approaching this life stage. This comprehensive literature review develops a framework of factors influencing travel mode choice among families with young children. The findings reveal a multitude of factors influence decisions about mode choice, and, in particular, encourage travel by car, when travelling with young children. The paper concludes with an agenda for future research about travel among families with young children, a largely overlooked group of transport users.     

荷载场和氯离子扩散场共同作用下的钢筋混凝土构件分析

为讨论荷载场与氯离子扩散场的共同作用,引入考虑荷载作用下的混凝土损伤影响函数Fd,采用ABAQUS有限元软件的USDFLD子程序开发功能,在内置的Mass Diffusion模块中考虑荷载作用和力学损伤对氯离子扩散的影响,实现钢筋混凝土构件层次荷载场和氯离子扩散场的多物理场共同作用分析。结果表明:有限元计算结果和试验结果吻合良好;随着荷载比的增大,氯离子在混凝土中的扩散速度逐渐加快,且拉应力对氯离子扩散的促进作用远大于压应力。为探究氯离子在混凝土中的扩散规律提供了一种新方法。     

囊式空气弹簧机械阻抗特性研究

根据小幅振动的线性叠加原理将囊式空气弹簧分成几个简单的可解析计算的规则区域,结合线性空气波动理论求解出空气弹簧内部声压场的分布。根据弹性薄壳无矩理论推导出旋转壳体状态向量的一阶常微分矩阵方程,利用齐次扩容精细积分法推导出壳体的传递矩阵,结合动力平衡方程求出空气弹簧在位移谐波激励下所受到的激励力,进而得出其机械阻抗。算例结果表明该方法合理可行,为运用近似解析法分析空气弹簧的阻抗特性提供了一种新的思路。     

景洪水力式升船机机械系统设计

结合景洪升船机的设计,对水力式升船机机械系统各子系统及部件的功能进行论述,对其结构和设计参数进行研究,并给出水力式升船机卷筒及同步系统、浮筒及动滑轮装置、钢丝绳组件和下水式承船厢的主要结构和设计参数。对水力式升船机浮筒的配重进行探讨,特别针对无间隙同步系统、承船厢充压对接密封装置提出新颖的结构,为同类工程设计提供参考。     

路基拓宽工程中桩承式加筋路堤处理的数值分析

为掌握拓宽路堤荷载作用下桩承式加筋路堤的工作特性及其处理效果,建立了三维有限元分析模型,采用土水耦合单元模拟地基土,三维薄膜单元模拟土工格栅,并基于接触单元考虑桩土界面的状态非线性,从土拱效应、土工格栅的拉膜效应以及桩土作用等方面验证了桩承式加筋路堤的工作机理。计算结果表明:土工格栅最大拉力发生在原坡脚位置的桩帽边缘处,外侧桩帽边缘的格栅应力逐渐减小;桩承式加筋路堤可使地表不均匀沉降由50.0 cm减小为8.3 cm,超孔隙水压力由63.7 kPa下降为11.0 kPa,并避免了老路基顶面出现的反坡现象,但在老路基处仍出现了较大的地基沉降和超孔隙水压力,故应充分重视老路边坡位置的地基处理。     

级配碎石基层沥青路面力学响应的灰关联分析

文章采用美国KENPAVE软件对比分析了2种典型级配碎石基层路面结构在不同厚度条件下的路表弯沉、沥青层底拉应变、土基顶面压应变等力学指标,并采用灰关联法分析了各力学指标对结构影响的显著程度。研究表明:倒装路面结构形式优于柔性基层路面结构形式,且碎石夹层厚度为15cm左右时,结构形式最优。