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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Fosgerau, Mogens; Lindsey, Robin |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes traffic bottleneck congestion when drivers randomly cause incidents that temporarily block the bottleneck. Drivers have general scheduling preferences for time spent at home and at work. They independently choose morning departure times from home to maximize expected utility without knowing whether an incident has occurred. The resulting departure time pattern may be compressed or dispersed according to whether or not the bottleneck is fully utilized throughout the departure period on days without incidents. For both the user equilibrium (UE) and the social optimum (SO) the departure pattern changes from compressed to dispersed when the probability of an incident becomes sufficiently high. The SO can be decentralized with a time-varying toll, but drivers are likely to be strictly worse off than in the UE unless they benefit from the toll revenues in some way. A numerical example is presented for illustration. Finally, the model is extended to encompass minor incidents in which the bottleneck retains some capacity during an incident. |
| Keywords: | Departure-time decisions, bottleneck model, traffic incidents; congestion; scheduling utility; morning commute; evening commute |
| JEL: | C61 D62 R41 |
| Date: | 2013 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:48708&r=tre |
| By: | Ypsilantis, P.; Zuidwijk, R.A. |
| Abstract: | Maritime container terminal operating companies have extended their role from node operators to that of multimodal transport network operators. They have extended the gates of their seaport terminals to the gates of inland terminals in their network by means of frequent services of high capacity transport modes such as river vessels (barges) and trains. These network operators face the following three interrelated decisions: (1) determine which inland terminals act as extended gates of the seaport terminal, (2) determine capacities of the corridors, i.e. capacity of the transport means and frequency of service, and (3) set the prices for the transport services on the network. We propose a bi-level programming model to jointly design and price extended gate network services for profit maximization. The network operator does so while anticipating the decisions of the customers who choose minimum cost paths to their final destinations, and who always have the option to choose direct trucking offered by the competition. The model in this paper extends existing bi-level models in a multimodal format by including service time constraints and economies of scale. Considering the special structure of our problem, we propose a heuristic that provides near optimal solutions to our problem in substantially less time. Through experimental results in some realistic instances, we study optimal network designs while comparing sea port-to-door and sea port to inland port services and situations where transit time requirements do and do not apply. Our results show that when demand is relatively low, there are significant differences in the optimal network design for port-to-door versus port-to-port services. In the case of port-to-door services, the prices of services are determined by the competition and not by the design of the network, so the network is designed against minimum costs, and economies of scale are achieved by consolidating flows through a limited number of extended gates. The case of port-to-port services is different, i.e. revenues are enhanced not so much by reducing costs through the exploitation of economies of scale, but by exploiting the possibilities to dedicate extended gates to market segments for which the competition leaves room for higher port-to-port tariffs. |
| Keywords: | pricing;design;bi-level programming model;intermodal port - hinterland network services |
| Date: | 2013–07–23 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:eureri:1765040670&r=tre |
| By: | Mao Xianqiang (Institute of Environmental Sciences, Beijing Normal University); Yang Shuqian (Institute of Environmental Sciences, Beijing Normal University); Liu Qin (Institute of Environmental Sciences, Beijing Normal University) |
| Abstract: | The transportation sector in China has joined the power generation and the steel and iron industries as a major CO2emission contributor. To determine which policy instrument(s) would be effective in reducing CO2emissions, various policy instruments which have been or are likely to be implemented in the near future in China are examined and compared in this study. These instruments include carbon tax, energy tax, fuel tax, clean energy vehicle subsidy, and a reduction on ticket prices. The CIMS model system is employed as the simulation vehicle to predict the emission dynamics of CO2and local air pollutants under business-as-usual and policy scenarios for the transportation sector of China from 2008 to 2050. The 2020 CO2 reduction target is also set according to the national carbon intensity reduction pledge of China. The policy instruments proposed in this research study can all help mitigate the CO2emission intensity of the Chinese transportation industry to different extents and bring about the co- benefits of local air pollutant reduction. Among these policy instruments,energy and fuel taxes, with the tax rates set, are the two most promising instruments for CO2emission intensity reduction to reach the 2020 carbon intensity reduction targets while subsidies are the least promising options. CO2tax could be an effective policy tool, but with the low tax rate considered in China, there is no way that the transportation sector would significantly contribute to achieving a desirable carbon intensity reduction. The CIMS model is applied to simulate and determine how CO2, energy, and fuel taxation can stimulate technology competition and substitution in the transportation sector of China and to ascertain how these taxes will influence energy consumption and pollutant emissions reduction. |
| Keywords: | pollution, CO2 emission, China |
| Date: | 2013–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eep:report:rr2013036&r=tre |
| By: | Admasu Shiferaw (Department of Economics, The College of William and Mary); Dominik Noe (Courant Research Centre-PEG, University of Goettingen) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates firm level responses to a large scale public investment program on road infrastructure in Ethiopia during 1997 to 2010. Firms' location choices and average start-up size are examined by combining town level panel data on road accessibility with a panel of manufacturing firms for the period 1996 to 2009. We find econometric results showing that better road access increases a town's attractiveness for manufacturing firms. While towns with initially large number of firms continue to attract more firms, there has been a tendency toward convergence in the distribution of firms, reducing their geographic concentration. Average startup size in isolated locations is also smaller relative to firms entering well connected markets in terms of road access. We conclude that improved road infrastructure has a favorable impact on the entry patterns and structure of the manufacturing sector in Ethiopia. |
| Keywords: | Armed conflict, investment, firms, Ethiopia, GIS data |
| JEL: | D22 O12 |
| Date: | 2013–07–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cwm:wpaper:141&r=tre |
| By: | Sylvain Leduc; Daniel Wilson |
| Abstract: | We examine how state governments adjusted spending in response to the large temporary increase in federal grants under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). We concentrate our analysis on ARRA highway grants, which were especially likely to crowd out states’ own highway funding given the lack of matching requirements and according to past research on federal highway grants. The mechanism used to apportion ARRA highway grants to states allows us to isolate exogenous changes in these grants. In addition, we show that the original 1944 proposed layout of the interstate highway system strongly predicts the cross-state distribution of the ARRA highway grants and we use this layout as an alternative instrument. We find that states increased highway spending in 2010 nearly dollar-for-dollar with their apportioned grants, implying little if any crowd-out. Moreover, we find that over the entire 2009-2011 period, ARRA highway grants crowded in highway spending, resulting in roughly two dollars in spending for each dollar in grants. We show that our results are not unique to the ARRA period, but rather are consistent with a strong effect from grants dating back at least to the early 1980s. This latter result contrasts with earlier research (Knight 2002) and we document the sources of the difference. |
| Keywords: | Public investments ; Infrastructure (Economics) ; Roads ; State finance ; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 |
| Date: | 2013 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedfwp:2013-16&r=tre |
| By: | Odile Andan (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - CNRS : UMR5593 - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État [ENTPE] - Université Lumière - Lyon II); Bruno Faivre D'Arcier (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - CNRS : UMR5593 - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État [ENTPE] - Université Lumière - Lyon II); Charles Raux (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - CNRS : UMR5593 - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État [ENTPE] - Université Lumière - Lyon II); Jean-Michel Cusset (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - CNRS : UMR5593 - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État [ENTPE] - Université Lumière - Lyon II) |
| Abstract: | Ce rapport est le dernier volet d'une analyse sur les mobilités résidentielles et quotidiennes de trois cent ménages résidant dans cinq communes de la périphérie lyonnaise. Il traite plus particulièrement de la mobilité liée aux activités des enfants, des espaces d'activités et des comportements de déplacements des adultes, ainsi que des difficultés de transport et des possibilités de mise en œuvre d'une politique de transports collectifs dans ces communes. |
| Keywords: | Zone périurbaine ; mobilité quotidienne ; mobilité des ménages ; comportement de mobilité ; motif des déplacements ; localisation des activités ; enquête ménages ; Région lyonnaise (France) |
| Date: | 2013–07–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-00848784&r=tre |
| By: | Fosgerau, Mogens; Frejinger, Emma; Karlstrom, Anders |
| Abstract: | This paper considers the path choice problem, formulating and discussing an econometric random utility model for the choice of path in a network with no restriction on the choice set. Starting from a dynamic specification of link choices we show that it is equivalent to a static model of the multinomial logit form but with infinitely many alternatives. The model can be consistently estimated and used for prediction in a computationally efficient way. Similarly to the path size logit model, we propose an attribute called link size that corrects utilities of overlapping paths but that is link additive. The model is applied to data recording path choices in a network with more than 3,000 nodes and 7,000 links. |
| Keywords: | discrete choice; recursive logit; networks; route choice; infinite choice set |
| JEL: | C25 C5 |
| Date: | 2013–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:48707&r=tre |
| By: | Kossov, Vladimir; Kossova, Elena |
| Abstract: | The gasoline price transform into the social phenomenon by its role in economy. For the state, it is a source of budget revenue through indirect taxes, which in majority of countries make up most of the price. The upper bound of a gasoline price is limited by risk of mass protests. For the citizens a gasoline price affects the cost of living. The lower bound of this price is limited to possibility of the authorities to subsidize it. Balances of interests of the authorities and citizens are estimated for the gasoline prices deviating from the normal. Normal gasoline prices are offered as standard, with respect to which of the actual prices can distinguish high and low. We propose an econometric model for the estimation of the normal price. The analysis of the results of estimation is presented for 97 countries and the data for 2000, 2004 and 2006. Showing the problems emerging in Russia |
| Keywords: | gasoline price; normal price; budget revenue; oil rent; benefits and loses; mass protests |
| JEL: | C2 C23 D4 D49 E31 H2 H21 |
| Date: | 2013–07–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:48720&r=tre |
| By: | Youngsub Chun; Manipushpak Mitra; Suresh Mutuswami |
| Abstract: | We investigate the problem of reordering agents starting from an existing queue. First, we introduce four important axioms of the problem, budget balance (BB), outcome efficiency (OE), strategyproofness (SP), and individual rationality (IR). Unfortunately, it is easy to show that these four axioms are incompatible in the current setup. Given this negative result, we examine the consequences of relaxing BB, OE and SP, one at a time. Our results are as follows: (i) There is no mechanism satisfying OE, SP and IR which runs a nonnegative surplus at all profiles. (ii) When there are two agents, the only non-trivial mechanisms satisfying BB, SP and IR are Fixed price trading mechanisms but there are additional mechanisms when there are more than two agents. We identify an intuitive mechanism which we call the median price exchange mechanism and characterize its maximal level of inefficiency. (iii) By weakening SP to `one-sided' strategyproofness, we identify two mechanisms, the buyers' mechanism and the sellers' mech- anism, and characterize them on the basis of independence axioms. |
| Keywords: | Queueing problem with an initial order, budget balance, outcome efficiency, strateyproofness, individual rationality |
| JEL: | C72 D63 D82 |
| Date: | 2013–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lec:leecon:13/15&r=tre |