Labour market effects in assessing the costs and benefits of road pricing

Traffic congestion and the policies used to combat it have been studied extensively. One area which has received less attention is the secondary impacts of such policies. This paper uses a micro-simulation framework to study the effect on labour markets of road pricing. The key benefit of our chosen methodology is that it allows a simultaneous consideration of both commuting and migration decisions. We show that while welfare gains can be achieved through optimal charging, this may come at the price of decreased integration. This may manifest through either greater centralisation tendencies in population, or through unemployment disparities between regions.     

海上溢油微型跟踪浮标研究与应用

文中介绍了海上溢油微型跟踪浮标的技术特点和研究情况,通过水动力学研究,优化了微型跟踪浮标技术参数,采用卫星定位通讯方式实现海上溢油的全天候全过程监测,海上试验效果良好,为海上溢油事故应急快速反应提供了一种有效技术手段。     

The tax treatment of company cars, commuting and optimal congestion taxes

In Europe, the preferential tax treatment of company cars implies that many employees receive a company car as part of their compensation package. In this paper, we consider a model in which wages and the decision whether or not to provide a company car are the result of direct negotiation between employer and employee. Using this framework, we theoretically and numerically study first- and second-best optimal tax policies on labour and transport markets, focusing on the role of the tax treatment of company cars. We obtain the following results. First, higher labour taxes and a more favourable tax treatment of company cars raise the fraction employees that receives a company car; congestion and congestion tolls reduce it. Second, in countries that provide large implicit subsidies to company cars, eliminating the preferential tax treatment of company cars may be an imperfect but quite effective substitute for currently unavailable congestion tolls. The numerical illustration, calibrated using Belgian data, suggests that it yields about half the welfare gain attainable through optimal congestion taxes. Third, the favourable tax treatment of company cars justifies large public transport subsidies; the numerical results are consistent with zero public transport fares. Finally, we find that earlier models that ignored the preferential tax treatment of company cars may have substantially underestimated optimal congestion tolls in Europe. The numerical illustration suggests that about one third of the optimal congestion toll we obtain can be attributed to the current tax treatment of company cars.     

Managing network mobility with tradable credits

A system of tradable travel credits is explored in a general network with homogeneous travelers. A social planner is assumed to initially distribute a certain number of travel credits to all eligible travelers, and then there are link-specific charges to travelers using that link. Free trading of credits among travelers is assumed. For a given credit distribution and credit charging scheme, the existence of a unique equilibrium link flow pattern is demonstrated with either fixed or elastic demand. It can be obtained by solving a standard traffic equilibrium model subject to a total credit consumption constraint. The credit price at equilibrium in the trading market is also conditionally unique. The appropriate distribution of credits among travelers and correct selection of link-specific rates is shown to lead to the most desirable network flow patterns in a revenue-neutral manner. Social optimum, Pareto-improving and revenue-neutral, and side-constrained traffic flow patterns are investigated.     

Nonlinear pricing on private roads with congestion and toll collection costs

Nonlinear pricing (a form of second-degree price discrimination) is widely used in transportation and other industries but it has been largely overlooked in the road-pricing literature. This paper explores the incentives for a profit-maximizing toll-road operator to adopt some simple nonlinear pricing schemes when there is congestion and collecting tolls is costly. Users are assumed to differ in their demands to use the road. Regardless of the severity of congestion, an access fee is always profitable to implement either as part of a two-part tariff or as an alternative to paying a toll. Use of access fees for profit maximization can increase or decrease welfare relative to usage-only pricing for profit maximization. Hence a ban on access fees could reduce welfare.     

襄樊汉江一桥交通拥堵原因与解决方案分析

襄樊汉江一桥紧接樊城中心与襄城中心,承载主要城区间交通联系.伴随地区经济发展,机动车保有量逐年上升,交通拥堵成为过江交通的主要特征.从交通中心、医疗资源中心、商业中心分布等角度探讨了交通拥堵原因.最后从交通组织与控制,职能外迁及路面工程角度提出了改善拥堵行为的解决方案.     

基于水面机器人的溢油回收处理装置搭载平台的建模与分析

通过基于水面机器人的溢油回收处理装置搭载平台的摆动模型的建立,运用Matlab数值仿真的方法,分析在波浪影响下船摆动时,影响吊重摆角变化的因素.结果表明,吊重做复杂的规律变化,摆角随绳长变短而变大,随回收船摆动角速度变大而变大.据此我们可以综合考虑,设计出合理的结构,有效的保证平台工作的平稳性以及安全性.     

Quantitative analysis of probe data characteristics: Coverage,speed bias and congestion detection precision

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing desire for the use of probe vehicle technology for congestion detection and general infrastructure performance assessment. Unlike costly traditional data collection by loop detectors, wide area detection using probe-based traffic data is significantly different in terms of the nature of data collection, measurement technique, coverage, pricing, and so on. Although many researches have studied probe-based data, there remains critical questions such as data coverage and penetration over time, or the influential factors in the accuracy of probe data. This research studied probe-sourced data from INRIX, to profoundly explore some of these questions. First, to explore coverage and penetration, INRIX real-time data was illustrated temporally over the entire state of Iowa, demonstrating the growth in real-time data over a 4-year timespan. Furthermore, the availability of INRIX real-time and historical data based on type of road and time of day, were explored. Second, a comparison was made with Wavetronix smart sensors, commonly used sensors in traffic management, to explore INRIX’s speed data quality. A statistical analysis on the behavior of INRIX speed bias, identified some of the influential factors in defining the magnitude of speed bias. Finally, the accuracy and reliability of INRIX for congestion detection purposes was investigated based on the road segment characteristics and the congestion type. Overall, this work sheds light onto some of the less explored aspects of INRIX probe-based data to help traffic managers and decision makers in better understanding this source of data and any resultant analyses.     

Traffic management project in Phnom Penh

Traffic congestion and accidents are major issues in Phnom Penh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Cambodia. An inefficient signal system and lack of traffic discipline contributed to the unfavorable traffic conditions. A comprehensive traffic management project was recently implemented. An area traffic control system that controls traffic signals in the city based on the traffic conditions was introduced, and other traffic management improvement works such as pavement markings, traffic signs, and median dividers were installed. The project is making a positive impact on road users. Efficient operation and maintenance are key factors for the project to sustain its benefits.     

溢油对海洋生态系统的损害研究进展

海上溢油污染规模不断扩大,造成了严重的生态破坏和巨大的经济损失,研究者在溢油事故发生后利用实验研究溢油对各种海洋生物的影响,主要集中于对海洋生物种群的致死和致突变机理的研究。文章在对这些研究进行综述的基础上,对溢油海洋生物损害研究的实用性进行阐述,并提出了溢油实验室研究的发展方向和建立毒性数据库的必要性。