Understanding the impacts of a combination of service improvement strategies on bus running time and passenger’s perception

Transit agencies implement many strategies in order to provide an attractive transportation service. This article aims to evaluate the impacts of implementing a combination of strategies, designed to improve the bus transit service, on running time and passenger satisfaction. These strategies include using smart card fare collection, introducing limited-stop bus service, implementing reserved bus lanes, using articulated buses, and implementing transit signal priority (TSP). This study uses stop-level data collected from the Société de transport de Montréal (STM)’s automatic vehicle location (AVL) and automatic passenger count (APC) systems, in Montréal, Canada. The combination of these strategies has lead to a 10.5% decline in running time along the limited stop service compared to the regular service. The regular route running time has increased by 1% on average compared to the initial time period. The study also shows that riders are generally satisfied with the service improvements. They tend to overestimate the savings associated with the implementation of this combination of strategies by 3.5-6.0 min and by 2.5-4.1 min for both the regular route and the limited stop service, respectively. This study helps transit planners and policy makers to better understand the effects of implementing a combination of strategies to improve running time and passenger’s perception of these changes in service.     

A latent class accelerated hazard model of social activity duration

Over the past decade, activity scheduling processes have gained increasing attention in the field of transportation research. However, still little is known about the scheduling of social activities even though these activities account for a large and growing portion of trips. This paper contributes to this knowledge. We analyze how the duration of social activities is influenced by social activity characteristics and characteristics of the relationship between the respondent and the contacted person(s). To that end, a latent class accelerated hazard model is estimated, based on social interaction diary data that was collected in the Netherlands in 2008. Chi-square tests and analyses of variance are used to test for significant relations between the latent classes and personal and household characteristics. Findings suggest that the social activity characteristics and the characteristics of the relationship between the socializing persons are highly significant in explaining social activity duration. This shows that social activities should not be considered as a homogenous set of activities and it underlines the importance of including the social context in travel-behavior models. Moreover, the results indicate that there is a substantial amount of latent heterogeneity across the population. Four latent classes are identified, showing different social activity durations, and different effects for both categories of explanatory variables. Latent class membership can be explained by household composition, socio-economic status (education, income and work hours), car ownership and the number of interactions in 2 days.     

基于MapBasic的战时运输最优路径问题研究

战时运输最优路径问题是一个多目标多约束随机动态路网寻优问题。在分析战时运输最优路径问题特性前提下,着重研究战时运输路阻函数模型,求出时间阻抗、风险阻抗和费用阻抗,标定阻抗参数μ1,μ2和μ3,及确定函数模型的MapBasic表达,在给出最优路径模型基础上,利用改进的Dijkstra算法求解。实例验证表明研究成果满足实用要求。     

The use of demand correlation in the modeling of air carrier departure delays as first‐order autoregressive random processes

A method for modeling air carrier departure delays at commercial‐service airports as autoregressive random processes is presented. This method employs the correlation of a priori demand data to significantly reduce prediction error in the optimal least‐squares estimator for additive white noise. The reduction factor of the prediction error is demonstrated to be on the order of 10² over that of the unbiased estimator. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using Focus and NomiNal Group Techniques for a Better Understanding of the Transit Disadvantaged Needs

The research presented in this paper explores the context, method, and value of focus group research in transit needs assessments. Group participatory research can generate data that are not easily obtained by other methods. The paper focuses on lessons from three Nebraska communities whose transit disadvantaged rely on community-based paratransit services. Because of the size of the paratransit population and the inability to control who showed up to the focus group sessions, a modified group research protocol was adopted in order to garner information from whomever attended the session. The population parameters and the number of people at the meetings were anticipated by the researchers and mitigated by incorporating nominal group techniques. Research findings from the focus group sessions are discussed paying particular attention to the candid and policy-specific comments made by the focus group participants. The paper concludes with an application of focus group research in transit planning.     

基于社交网络的民航旅客偏好建模

从社会网络的视角，提出了一种旅客个体偏好与关系偏好相结合的建模方法．首先，从旅客的历史出行记录中，构建基于共同出行关系的旅客社会网络；然后，构建旅客个体偏好模型和旅客关系偏好模型；最后，基于旅客偏好模型给旅客推荐座位．在民航领域的一个真实的数据集上进行了实验，证明本文提出的偏好模型能够有机地将旅客个体偏好与关系偏好结合起来，较好地描述旅客对航班座位的偏好．     

Resolving the property right of transportation emissions through public–private partnerships

The application of public–private partnerships (P3’s) in the transportation sector has grown in popularity worldwide. Despite this important shift in the provision of transportation service, there are clear gaps in knowledge about the impacts of P3 projects, especially on emissions from transportation systems as a whole. Not only should policy makers evaluate the emissions impacts from P3 projects, but they should also think about innovative models that address or charge for emissions into P3 contracts. This addition to P3 contracts could provide a new solution to the long-existing property right paradox: who owns (is responsible for) emissions from transportation systems? This study attempts to fill the research gap by analyzing these innovative models. Using the road network of Fresno, California, as our case study, we offer a number of interesting insights for policy makers. First, average peak emissions costs range from 1.37 cents per mile (the do-nothing case) to 1.20 cents per mile (profit-maximizing cases) per vehicle. Although emissions costs from the P3 projects are lowest for the profit-maximizing cases, the system-wide emissions costs of these cases are highest because of spillover effects. Second, charging project owners for the emissions costs of P3 projects is not an effective way to reduce emissions or the total costs of travel, especially on a VMT basis. Instead, the public sector should implement emissions-included social cost-based price ceilings. When employing these limits, project owners could still be charged for the emissions costs. Finally, using total travel time as the only objective function for evaluating P3 projects can be misleading. Several P3 projects have shown better outcomes using total travel cost with the inclusion of emissions and fuel consumption costs, instead of using total travel time as the only objective function.     

基于Q-learning和BP神经元网络的交叉口信号灯控制

解决单交叉口信号灯最优控制问题。提出了基于强化学习的信号灯控制系统结构,应用强化学习中Q学习,将信号灯最优控制问题转变成是否切换运行相位的决策问题,提出了采用BP神经元网络实现Q学习的信号灯控制系统。应用微观交通仿真软件PARAMICS进行仿真分析,结果表明该系统能够感知交通流变化,并能够自适应地调整信号灯切换策略,以达到最优的控制效果,该方法是可行的,与定时控制相比具有明显的优势。     

基于浑沌神经网络的动态交通量预测方法研究

介绍了目前国内外道路交通量预测的方法、特点及实际的预测效果.由于城市道路交通的复杂性,使得一些现有交通量预测方法的预测精度不高.针对这些问题,应用混沌神经网络,建立了城市道路交叉口出口交通量的浑沌神经网络预测模型,并与传统的BP神经网络预测结果对比,表明此模型具有较好的预测效果.     

基于神经网络的车用汽油机过渡工况空燃比辨识

以HL495Q电喷汽油机为研究对象,提出了一种基于BP神经网络的空燃比辨识方法,比较了不同拓扑结构的神经网络对空燃比辨识精度的影响,得到了一种最优的空燃比模型。试验结果表明,空燃比模型能高精度地逼近空燃比的实际动态过程,模型的平均相对误差小于2%。