Decision Support Systems for Public Transport Management: The Athens Public Transport Authority Project

This article reports on an implementation study of a computerised decision support system for public transport management for the Athens Public Transport Authority (APTA). The study analysed the current situation, specified user requirements, determined system functionality, designed the system architecture, organised the project and, finally, planned dissemination activities. The decision support system covers the main public transport management activities of APTA - transport service provision, economic and financial planning, passenger complaints and suggestions, and personnel management - offering its users the possibility to study the potential effects of their decisions before implementation. To achieve this, the system will consist of a data warehousing system, for the integrated management of a wide variety of data sources, and of online analytical processing tools, for information analysis and scenario testing. The system architecture has been designed to offer robustness, flexibility, rich functionality and open connectivity. The system aims to help APTA reduce operational costs and provide a better transport service, attracting more passengers to public transport and reducing, in the process, congestion and pollution.     

Sociological perspectives on travel and mobilities: A review

There is increasing interest in understanding and achieving changes in travel behaviour, but a focus on individual behaviour change may overlook the potential for achieving change via transformation at the levels of institutions, cultures and societies – the domains of sociological inquiry. In this paper, we review sociological contributions to the literature on travel and ‘mobilities’. We summarise four key themes which supplement or contradict arguments made in mainstream transport debates on behaviour change. The first involves focusing on travel ‘practices’ as social entities with dynamics of their own, rather than on individual behaviours. The second relates to the changing natures of societies, and the implications for travel. The third explores and interprets the issue of car dependence in ways which highlight the ethical, experiential and emotional dimensions associated with car use, its symbolic role in societies increasingly concerned with consumption, and its differing roles within different cultures. Finally, the ‘new mobilities paradigm’ highlights issues such as the increasing links between travel and new technologies, and the primacy of social networks in influencing travel decisions. These themes emphasise the importance of understanding the broader contexts in which travel choices are made. In particular, the implication is that the creation of more sustainable travel patterns will require changes at a range of social levels, not simply in individual behaviours, and that changes to transport will inevitably be linked with, and influenced by, broader changes in the values and practices developed by societies as a whole.     

Unraveling the evacuation behavior of the medically fragile population: Findings from hurricane Irene

Despite the widely recognized importance of evacuation planning for residents with special needs – in this paper referred to as the medically fragile population – there is virtually no research available to guide such planning, as opposed to the numerous empirical research studies on the evacuation behavior of the general population. In this paper, we provide these long-overdue insights using data from a large-scale phone survey (over 7000 samples) conducted in the aftermath of hurricane Irene in the Hampton Roads region in Virginia. Via aggregate and disaggregate analyses, we start to unravel the behavior of this heavily understudied, and potentially vulnerable population group. Special emphasis will be placed on the differences between the medically fragile and non-medically fragile population. Two alternative definitions for what constitutes medically fragile are examined in this paper. Using the broader definition, it was found that a key difference between these two groups relates to the importance of having a strong network of family members in the area. When considering a more narrow definition, we found that being a single parent household, likelihood of neighborhood flooding and knowing most of the names of one’s neighbors have significantly different impacts on the two population groups.     

Engaging disadvantaged populations in transport studies: Linking modal use and perceptions of safety to activity patterns

Accessibility measures are important tools in planning. However, if the data are not available to adequately capture the mobility and accessibility challenges of disadvantaged populations, than the results of the model provide little to no direction for policy makers. This paper explores data collection techniques that have the potential to address the “why” underlining the activity behavior, especially linking personal safety perceptions to activities. The first study comes from a series of focus groups with low-income women in Quebec City, Canada. Self-mapping of individual spaces creates a framework to address spatial and temporal challenges that negatively impact transit dependent populations. The second study focuses on the activity patterns of low-income immigrant youth in Providence, RI. A technique is presented to elicit formatted responses concerning perceptions of personal safety. With the help of GIS, this technique has the potential to link together activities and perceptions of safety for activity modeling.     

铁路客货列车分摊线路使用费比例的研究

客货列车均对线路造成损伤,但因运行速度、轴重和运量不同,则对线路损伤的程度不同,所承担线路使用费不同。从工务维修角度出发,以对线路使用费有决定性作用的钢轨抽换成本和轨道状态维修成本作为研究对象,建立客货列车线路使用费分摊比例的工程模型,对我国铁路进行大量现场调研,并用所建立的工程模型对现场调研数据进行处理,得到我国客运货运分摊线路使用费的比例。     

城乡结合部交通与枢纽规划研究

文章从城乡结合部和交通与枢纽的基本内涵出发,指出了城乡结合部存在的一些交通问题,同时针对城乡结合部已成为交通瓶颈,阻碍城市的对外经济联系和乡村经济发展等问题,提出了结合部交通与枢纽规划的优化设想。     

交通信息服务系统建设和发展新模式

在新一代信息技术环境下,探讨交通信息服务系统建设和发展的新模式.针对现有交通信息服务系统发展的特点,分析了交通信息服务系统现有建设模式以及移动互联网、智能手机的发展现状,探讨了其中存在的问题.分析结果显示:数据资源整合难度大、后期运维资金不足等问题,严重影响了交通信息服务系统的服务水平以及可持续发展的能力.通过对新形势下的交通信息服务系统发展进行分析,指出当前人们对交通信息服务系统的需求发生了变化,移动互联网的发展也有了新的特点和趋势,原有的以政府为主导、以政府职能为核心的交通信息服务系统建设模式已经不能适应移动互联网技术环境下交通信息服务系统可持续发展的要求,并由此得出结论:面向新技术、新需求,交通信息服务系统必将转变为社会多方力量合作的、以用户需求为核心的建设模式.     

网络电话技术及应用

网络电话技术完全不同于传统的通信技术,是新的、纯粹的网络技术的应用,与IP电话也有本质的区别.概述当前的网络电话技术及相关的技术协议、标准,介绍3种网络电话应用软件特点及使用方法,并对网络电话的未来发展进行展望.     

铁路客运专线动车段检修信息系统需求分析与网络构建

分析了客运专线动车组检修作业信息流程,并从检修作业信息的建立、信息交换、信息处理、监控系统、网络系统5个方面,论述了检修信息系统的需求。