nep-tre New Economics Papers
on Transport Economics
Issue of 2013‒09‒25
nine papers chosen by
Erik Teodoor Verhoef
VU University Amsterdam

  1. Public attitudes towards motorcyclists’ safety: a qualitative study from the United Kingdom By Musselwhite, Charles B.A.; Avineri, Erel; Susilo, Yusak O.; Bhattachary, Darren
  2. Comparing rail passengers’ travel time use in Great Britain between 2004 and 2010 By Lyons, Glenn; Jain , Juliet; Susilo , Yusak O.; Atkins, Steve
  3. An exploration of shoppers travel mode choice in visiting convenience stores in the United Kingdom By Susilo, Yusak O.; Hanks, Nathan; Ullah, Mahmud
  4. Rail passengers’ time use and utility assessment: 2010 findings from Great Britain with multivariate analysis By Susilo, Yusak O.; Lyons, Glenn; Jain, Juliet; Atkins, Steve
  5. On the other half of the story: allowing for discrete penalties for excessive travel times in scheduling models By Wang , Qian; Sundberg, Marcus; Karlström , Anders
  6. The impacts of household structure on the individual stochastic travel and out of-home activity time budgets By Susilo, Yusak O.; Avineri, Erel
  7. Empirical analysis of moral hazard: a study of a vehicle insurance tax reform By Yarmukhamedov, Sherzod
  8. Scheduling choices under rank dependent utility maximization By Wang, Qian; Sundberg, Marcus; Karlström , Anders
  9. Développement des espaces logistiques urbains. CDU et ELP dans l'europe du sud-ouest By Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu; Nicolas Malhéné; Eleonora Morganti; Anna Trentini

  1. By: Musselwhite, Charles B.A. (University of the West of England); Avineri, Erel (Afeka); Susilo, Yusak O. (KTH); Bhattachary, Darren (TNS BMRB)
    Abstract: The aim of the reported research was to examine the perceptions of road user safety amongst different road users and examine the link between attitudes, empathy and skill in motorcycle safety behaviour. Motorcyclists were perceived by the study participants, members of the public at four different locations at the UK (including motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists), as a group be at a high risk of accidents on the road. This was due to perceived behavioural characteristics of motorcyclists – who were viewed as ‘thrill seekers’ – as well as observed behaviours on the road. This, coupled with the physical vulnerability and excessive speeds, meant that motorbike driving was considered by the study participants as the least safe form of road use. There was broad agreement that motorcycling was dangerous as a whole, but not all motorcyclists were necessarily risky riders. The issue of ‘competitive space’ emerged between car drivers and motorcyclists in particular and it was suggested that there was a lack of mutual awareness and considerations between the two groups. Generally, greatest empathy comes from drivers who are motorcyclists themselves. Engineering, education, enforcement interventions were investigated. These were aimed at two main areas: normalising safer driving behaviours for motorcyclists and increasing awareness of bikes for motorists—particularly in relation to reducing speed limits at urban junctions. Finally, the idea of risk mapping and reduced speed limits on rural roads was seen as potentially effective—particularly as certain motorcyclists highlighted that they changed their riding behaviours by increasing speed and taking greater risks on these roads.
    Keywords: Attitudes; Risk; Motorcycle; Qualitative; Shared space; Empathy
    JEL: R41
    Date: 2013–09–23
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_021&r=tre
  2. By: Lyons, Glenn (University of the West of England); Jain , Juliet (University of the West of England); Susilo , Yusak O. (KTH); Atkins, Steve
    Abstract: This paper provides a unique insight into aspects of stability and change regarding the travel time use of rail passengers in Great Britain between 2004 and 2010. Empirical evidence is presented on how rail passengers spend their time, how worthwhile they consider their time use to be, the extent of advance planning of their time use and how equipped for time use they are in terms of the items they have to hand when they travel. The results reveal a consistent dominance of reading for leisure, window gazing/people watching and working/studying as favoured travel time activities. Over the six year period the availability and use of mobile technologies has increased. Listening to music in particular has doubled in its incidence suggesting an increasing capacity for travellers to personalise the public space of the railway carriage. Most notably the analysis reveals a substantial increase in the proportion of travellers overall making very worthwhile use of their time.
    Keywords: Travel time use; Multitasking; Rail travel; Value of time; Mobile technologies
    JEL: R40 R42
    Date: 2013–09–23
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_017&r=tre
  3. By: Susilo, Yusak O. (KTH); Hanks, Nathan (Transport Planning Associates (UK)); Ullah, Mahmud (University of the West of England)
    Abstract: Using data from 2,096 convenience store customers within and outside the Greater London Metropolitan Area, this paper explores how individuals access their convenience stores and how significant the influence of their socio-demographics, shopping types and trip chaining is to their mode choice in visiting the stores. Trip chaining is found to be very crucial in influencing customers’ mode choice and their visit frequency to the stores. The models also show that frequent shoppers (people who visit the stores at least a few times a week) are the ones most likely to visit the stores on foot. Interestingly, the estimation results also show that the location’s density, shopping types and the day of the week are not significant in influencing the travel modes. Customers who live at the most deprived areas are less likely to use a private car in visiting the stores.
    Keywords: The use of local stores; Shift in travel mode; Shopping trip pattern; London
    JEL: O18 R41
    Date: 2013–09–23
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_020&r=tre
  4. By: Susilo, Yusak O. (KTH); Lyons, Glenn (University of the West of England); Jain, Juliet (University of the West of England); Atkins, Steve (University of the West of England)
    Abstract: Using data from Great Britain’s National Passenger Survey 2010 this paper examines the travel time use of rail passengers and their indicative assessment of its utility. The paper explores the impacts of individuals’ socio demographic characteristics, types of activity undertaken and the perceived difficulties that may be faced by the travellers on their assessment of travel time use utility. The study shows that only 13% of travellers considered their travel time as wasted. However, this varies by journey purpose, travelling class (first/standard class), gender and journey length. The study shows that the positive or negative appreciation by passengers of their journey time is not only a result of various combinations of on-board activity engagements, but also the smoothness of overall journey experience. Being able to work/study on the train most significantly increases individual appreciation of time use. However, a delay on an individual’s train journey also has a major influence in reducing his/her perceived value of travel time spent. ICT devices that enable travellers to watch film/video or play games or check emails are more appreciated than those providing access to music/podcast or access to social networking sites. The paper joins others in questioning assumptions made in economic appraisal that travel time is unproductive. It concludes with a call for more substantive and targeted data collection efforts within travel behaviour research devoted to further unravelling the phenomenon of the positive utility of travel.
    Keywords: Travel time use; Rail passenger; Journey satisfaction; Great Britain
    JEL: R40 R42
    Date: 2013–09–23
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_018&r=tre
  5. By: Wang , Qian (KTH); Sundberg, Marcus (KTH); Karlström , Anders (KTH)
    Abstract: In this paper, we introduce a discrete penalty for excessive travel times into scheduling models whose maximal expected utilities have attractive theoretical features of linearity in standard deviation or variance. The extended models maintain the properties of linearity, and its maximal expected utility depends on the shape of the travel time distribution. The value of travel time and its variability could be measured indirectly by the scheduling preferences. The results from empirical data reveal that the extended models, with such a discrete penalty, provide a highly significant better goodness of fit to the data. Furthermore, introducing the penalty for excessive travel time has a strong effect on the estimates of the other scheduling parameters, thus affecting the valuations of travel time. Our findings indicate that, apart from the mean and standard deviation (or variance), individuals value other characteristics of travel time distribution, in particular the probability of excessive travel time.
    Keywords: Scheduling preferences; Travel time variability; Asymmetric travel time distribution; Excessive travel time
    JEL: R40
    Date: 2013–09–19
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_015&r=tre
  6. By: Susilo, Yusak O. (KTH); Avineri, Erel (Afeka)
    Abstract: The amount of time individuals and households spend in travelling and in out-of-door-activities can be seen as a result of complex daily interactions between household members, influenced by opportunities and constraints which vary from day to day. Extending the deterministic concept of travel time budget to a stochastic term, and applying a Stochastic Frontier Model to a dataset from the 2004 UK National Travel Survey, this study examines the hidden stochastic limit and the variations of the individual and household travel time and out-of-home activity duration– concepts associated with travel time budget. The results show that most individuals may not have reached the limit of their ability to travel and may still be able to spend further time in travel activities. The analysis of the model outcomes and distribution tests show that among a range of employment statuses, only full-time workers’ out-of-home time expenditure has reached its limit. Also observed is the effect of having children in the household: children reduce the flexibility of hidden constraints of adult household members’ out-of-home time, thus reducing their ability to be further engaged with out-of-home activities. Even when out-of-home trips are taken into account in the analysis, the model shows that the dependent children’s in-home responsibility reduces the ability of an individual to travel to and to be engaged with out-of-home activities. This study also suggests that, compared with the individual travel time spent, the individual out-of-home time expenditure may perform as a better budget indicator in drawing the constraints of individual space-time prisms.
    Keywords: Travel time budget; Household structure; Stochastic frontier model; UK national travel survey
    JEL: O18 R41
    Date: 2013–09–23
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_019&r=tre
  7. By: Yarmukhamedov, Sherzod (VTI)
    Abstract: This paper uses discrete choice and count data models to analyze the effects of a tax on vehicle insurance levied in Sweden in 2007. The analysis is based on a large set of micro-level panel data on individual insurance holders at the largest insurance company in Sweden for the period 2006-2010. Two questions are addressed: How did the tax reform influence the choice of insurance coverage, and how did changes in coverage affect the incidence of claims? The results show that, on average, the tax reform increased the odds of choosing lower insurance coverage by 47 percent, and that the tax reform had more impact on older drivers. However, switching to lower coverage due to the tax reform has not resulted in significant changes in claim distributions, though the incidence of claims decreased by 20 percent for switchers aged 35-44 in the pre-reform period, indicating a mitigation of ex ante moral hazard in vehicle insurance.
    Keywords: Vehicle insurance; Moral hazard; Traffic safety; Tax reform
    JEL: C33 C54 D82 H20 L51
    Date: 2013–09–19
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_014&r=tre
  8. By: Wang, Qian (KTH); Sundberg, Marcus (KTH); Karlström , Anders (KTH)
    Abstract: Rank dependent utility maximization is applied in maximizing a linear and a quadratic scheduling model considering a subjective weighting over uncertain outcomes. The optimal departure time and maximal utility are different from that under expect utility maximization in the transformed travel time density function. Probability weighting is found when estimating the linear model and the estimated weighting function suggests optimism behaviour of respondents. The results also reveal the evidence of heterogeneity in scheduling preferences. Moreover, evidence for the variable of excessive travel time beyond the traditional scheduling model specification is found even with controlling for probability weighting. Our results also show no empirical equivalence between the scheduling model and its derived forms.
    Keywords: Scheduling models; Rank dependent utility; Risk attitudes; Heterogeneity
    JEL: R40
    Date: 2013–09–19
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2013_016&r=tre
  9. By: Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - CNRS : UMR5593 - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État [ENTPE] - Université Lumière - Lyon II); Nicolas Malhéné (EIGSI - EIGSI - EIGSI); Eleonora Morganti (IFSTTAR/AME/SPLOTT - Systèmes Productifs, Logistique, Organisation des Transports et Travail - IFSTTAR - PRES Université Paris-Est); Anna Trentini (EIGSI - EIGSI - EIGSI)
    Abstract: Dans cet article, nous étudions l'organisation de plusieurs plateformes logistiques implantées en zone urbaine pour tenter de caractériser les facteurs clés de ces infrastructures. Nous focalisons notre attention sur les Centres de Distribution Urbaine (CDU) et les Espaces Logistique de Proximité (ELP) et analysons les stratégies de coopération mises en œuvre pour assurer leur pérennité.
    Keywords: Centres de Distribution Urbaine; Espaces Logistiques de Proximité; stratégies de coopération; jeu d'acteurs.
    Date: 2013
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-00862009&r=tre

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