Evaluation of progress in contractual terms: Two case studies of recent DBFO PPP projects in North America

With continuous demand for transportation infrastructure and chronic funding shortfalls, public-private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure provision have garnered attention in recent years in the U.S. and abroad. High profile concession deals in Chicago and Indiana have raised concerns about the protection of public interests in PPPs. Such concerns have ignited heated debates, partly driven by ideology and vested interests, but also by questionable decisions made previously. While public agencies at all levels are interested in identifying successful PPP arrangements, the variety and complexity of PPP deals, combined with local factors unique to each project, make the development of a universal evaluation framework practically infeasible.     

The regulatory function in public-private partnerships for the provision of transport infrastructure

A wide range of contractual arrangements are increasingly being used by the public sector to materialise the delegation of transport infrastructure provision tasks to the private sector, over long periods of time. This paper addresses the issue of transport infrastructure regulation in the specific context of public-private settings. Starting by the discussion on the concept of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) it is stressed that, despite the different meanings that can be found in the literature, it is possible to define a PPP by using a core group of characteristics, such as the bundling of services and the transference of a relevant part of the risks to the private sector on a long term basis. Regarding the action of the regulator, we look at three dimensions of efficiency that are expected to be pursued at the strategic level of regulatory action. However, it is acknowledged that the regulatory function is in practice rather complex since it requires balancing a multiplicity of other objectives or goals, which may vary according to specific economic conditions. In the domain of pricing, the review carried out suggests that since “first best” assumptions are not met in the “real world” it hardly seems possible that the short run marginal cost pricing “canon” could be directly used to shape pricing policies. Consequently, when considering the application of the standard neoclassical marginal cost pricing approach it is pertinent to ask whether the second best solutions can lead to efficient outcomes that might be accepted by the stakeholders. Bundling construction and maintenance tasks into a single long term contract, which is a typical characteristic of “standard” PPPs, could theoretically bring cost benefits since it allows for the possible internalization of any positive externalities that may be generated during the whole project life cycle. The economic rationale for the bundling of construction/maintenance with financing services is that it enhances the likelihood of submission of realistic bids at the procurement stage. In addition, the chances of the contractor sticking to the agreed contractual terms, after contract award, are potentially increased given the higher exposure to financial risk.     

基于PMI的Web安全访问控制系统设计

针对Web资源得安全控制问题,设计了一个基于授权管理基础设施PMI技术的安全访问控制系统。系统依据匿名证书对用户进行身份认证,使用属性证书为用户授予角色,通过角色访问策略控制对Web资源的访问。该系统对Web资源的安全访问控制提供了一种有效的解决方案。     

A detailed analysis of how an urban trail system affects cyclists’ travel

Transportation specialists, urban planners, and public health officials have been steadfast in encouraging active modes of transportation over the past decades. Conventional thinking, however, suggests that providing infrastructure for cycling and walking in the form of off-street trails is critically important. An outstanding question in the literature is how one’s travel is affected by the use of such facilities and specifically, the role of distance to the trail in using such facilities. This research describes a highly detailed analysis of use along an off-street facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The core questions addressed in this investigation aim to understand relationships between: (1) the propensity of using the trail based on distance from the trip origin and destination, and (2) how far out of their way trail users travel for the benefit of using the trail and explanatory factors for doing so. The data used in the analysis for this research was collected as a human intercept survey along a section of an off-street facility. The analysis demonstrates that a cogent distance decay pattern exists and that the decay function varies by trip purpose. Furthermore, we find that bicyclists travel, on average, 67% longer in order to include the trail facility on their route. The paper concludes by explaining how the distance decay and shortest path versus taken path analysis can aid in the planning and analysis of new trail systems.

When are subsidies to trans-European network projects justified?

The trans-European transport network (TEN-T) encompasses the major planned transport infrastructure in Europe, ranging from high speed rail to port infrastructure. Projects in this category are considered priority projects and receive European subsidies; but these have been insufficient to get these projects off the ground. This paper addresses two research questions. First, it sketches the basic economics of cross-boundary infrastructure projects: what pricing and investment policies can we expect, what is the role of through traffic and high fixed costs of infrastructure? Second, it examines briefly what lessons the EU could draw from the experience of other existing federal funding institutions like the US and Germany. These ideas are used to propose a new subsidy scheme for the TEN-T projects.     

Short-term planning and policy interventions to promote cycling in urban centers: Findings from a commute mode choice analysis in Barcelona,Spain

BackgroundCycling for transportation has become an increasingly important component of strategies to address public health, climate change, and air quality concerns in urban centers. Within this context, planners and policy makers would benefit from an improved understanding of available interventions and their relative effectiveness for cycling promotion. We examined predictors of bicycle commuting that are relevant to planning and policy intervention, particularly those amenable to short- and medium-term action.MethodsWe estimated a travel mode choice model using data from a survey of 765 commuters who live and work within the municipality of Barcelona. We considered how the decision to commute by bicycle was associated with cycling infrastructure, bike share availability, travel demand incentives, and other environmental attributes (e.g., public transport availability). Self-reported and objective (GIS-based) measures were compared. Point elasticities and marginal effects were calculated to assess the relative explanatory power of the independent variables considered.ResultsWhile both self-reported and objective measures of access to cycling infrastructure were associated with bicycle commuting, self-reported measures had stronger associations. Bicycle commuting had positive associations with access to bike share stations but inverse associations with access to public transport stops. Point elasticities suggested that bicycle commuting has a mild negative correlation with public transport availability (−0.136), bike share availability is more important at the work location (0.077) than at home (0.034), and bicycle lane presence has a relatively small association with bicycle commuting (0.039). Marginal effects suggested that provision of an employer-based incentive not to commute by private vehicle would be associated with an 11.3% decrease in the probability of commuting by bicycle, likely reflecting the typical emphasis of such incentives on public transport.ConclusionsThe results provide evidence of modal competition between cycling and public transport, through the presence of public transport stops and the provision of public transport-oriented travel demand incentives. Education and awareness campaigns that influence perceptions of cycling infrastructure availability, travel demand incentives that encourage cycling, and policies that integrate public transport and cycling may be promising and cost-effective strategies to promote cycling in the short to medium term.     

铁路区间闭塞技术的发展与研究

区间闭塞技术是铁路行车安全保障和运输效率提高的重要手段,世界铁路从运营开始就诞生了行车闭塞法,对区间列车运行线路进行封闭,不准许其他列车驶入,防止列车相撞。区间闭塞由人工闭塞、半自动闭塞,逐步发展到自动闭塞、移动闭塞。区间闭塞研究不仅是保障行车安全,还是制约运输效率的最关键基础设备,改进区间闭塞制式是提升运输效率的有效措施。本文在回顾区间闭塞发展历程的基础上,对区间闭塞未来发展进行了展望,对各种闭塞制式的运输能力进行了对比分析。     

美海军DDG-1000全舰计算环境体系结构探析

作为美海军新型多任务驱逐舰DDG-1000的关键技术之一,全舰计算环境(TSCE)代表了舰船信息系统集成技术的先进水平,带来了舰船系统设计和集成方式的变化。在描述TSCE的项目背景、系统概况、技术架构、任务系统以及海军开放式体系结构(OA)等的基础上,分析全舰计算环境基础设施(TSCE-I)的结构和组成,包括数据处理、适配、人机接口、网络等基础设施,以及实现面向服务架构(SOA)的相关技术权衡,得出公共计算服务环境是未来舰船提高综合作战能力和信息化水平的有效手段。并根据分析研究,提出了开展TSCE研制必须突破的几项主要关键技术。     

Public transport policy in Canada and the United States: Developing political commitment from the federal government

The United States federal government has been involved in public transport funding for over 40 years, whereas in Canada the federal government has little history of urban public transport policy. In that context, over the past 10 years, Canada has made significant progress in developing new federal commitments for public transport. Critical as these developments have been, however, they do not represent a true National Transit Strategy, which needs to be permanent, predictable and comprehensive. This claim is supported by economic analysis which suggests that Canadian government investment in transit is significantly below the optimal level.     

西部交通基础设施影响评价指标体系研究

文章以交通基础设施为研究主体,以西部地区社会经济为研究对象,结合国内外基础设施评价的理论基础和西部地区的实际情况,分析主体和研究对象之间的影响因素,并在此基础上构建了交通基础设施评价指标体系,从区域经济影响、社会环境、自然环境3个方面评估交通基础设施对西部地区的影响,通过模糊综合评价模型的计算,得到分项评价结果和总体评价结果,并作出评价分析。