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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Wang, Junhua |
| Abstract: | The seminar will begin with a brief overview of the Chinese road safety situation, including current safety problems, and then move on to discuss safety research including driver behavior, freeway operational safety, and infrastructure development. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2015–03–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt3pq3q86h&r=tre |
| By: | David Newbery; Goran Strbac |
| Abstract: | Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could be key to decarbonizing transport, but are heavily subsidized. Most assessments of BEVs use highly taxed road fuel prices and ignore efficient pricing of electricity. We use efficient prices for transport fuels and electricity, to judge what battery costs would make BEVs cost competitive. High mileage, low discount rates and high oil prices could make BEVs cost competitive by 2020, and by 2030 fuel costs are comparable over a wider range. Its contribution lies in careful derivation of efficient prices and the concept of a target battery cost. |
| Keywords: | - |
| Date: | 2014–04–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cam:camdae:1446&r=tre |
| By: | Arthur (Yan) Huang; David Levinson (Nexus (Networks, Economics, and Urban Systems) Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota) |
| Abstract: | Based on in-vehicle GPS travel data in the Minneapolis - St. Paul Metropolitan Area, this research investigates how land use, road network structure, and route fa- miliarity influence home-based single-destination choice. We propose a new choice set formation approach which combines survival analysis and random selection. Our empirical findings reveal that: (1) Walkable opportunities and diversity of services at the destination influence destination choice. (2) Route-specific network measures such as turn index and speed discontinuity display statistically significant effects on destination choice. (3) The familiarity factors reflected by distance to home, work, and downtown also plays a role. A destination closer to home and work, all else equal, is more likely to be selected. A destination farther away from downtown is more attractive for auto users. This research contributes to methodologies in modeling des- tination choice using GPS data. The results enhance our understanding of non-work travel behavior and have implications for transportation and land use planning. |
| Keywords: | GPS data, non-work trips, land use, axis of travel, destination choice |
| JEL: | R14 R41 R42 |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nex:wpaper:axisoftravel&r=tre |
| By: | Brazil, John |
| Abstract: | The City of San Jose's Active Transportation Program is in the midst of a ten-year plan to complete a 400-mile on-street bikeway network. With more than 250 miles implemented to date, most of the easier projects have been completed. Increasingly, remaining projects are faced with constrained right-of-way without enough space to accommodate a quality bicycle facility. To create space for new bikeways, San Jose has turned to the use of road diets (removal of a travel lane to create space for other features) and/or removal of on-street parking. Â These projects create a number of challenges including design, outreach, environmental clearance, and funding. John Brazil will share lessons learned from several recent projects including Hedding Street, Lincoln Avenue, Park Avenue, and Monterey Road. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, bikeways, road diet, parking removal |
| Date: | 2015–04–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt7zz6812v&r=tre |
| By: | Wyant, Jennifer D |
| Abstract: | Post-war suburban communities were designed for efficient vehicle travel with little consideration for walking and bicycling. Developing master plans for these communities requires a context-sensitive approach, a large toolbox, and broad outreach strategies. Jennifer Donlon Wyant will talk about recent master plan developments in California communities and the lessons learned. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2015–02–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt3z57705g&r=tre |
| By: | Rafael Henrique Moraes Pereira; Frederico Rosa Borges de Holanda; Valério Augusto Soares de Medeiros; Ana Paula Borba Gonçalves Barros |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the potentials of applying Space Syntax methodology to analyze the effects of urban configuration on cities’ transport performance. The empirical analysis takes as a case study the Federal District (Brazil) and its 19 administrative regions considering its urban road system. Based on Simple Linear Regressions, the paper analyzes the effects that urban configuration with different integration degrees have on the average time spent in car trips. Integration measures are calculated using traditional configurational variables as well as topo-geometric variables. The results indicate that traditional topological measures are of little use in studies on the effects of road configuration on urban transportation performance. In addition, topo-geometric measures have shown much better results. Finally, preliminary findings suggest that more integrated and compact road systems (in topological and geometrical terms) tend to provide an urban configuration more efficient for the performance of urban motorized transportation. O presente estudo explora o potencial de aplicação da sintaxe espacial (SE) para se analisar os efeitos da configuração urbana sobre o desempenho do transporte nas cidades. Tomou-se como estudo de caso a configuração urbana dos sistemas viários do Distrito Federal (Brasil) e de suas 19 regiões administrativas (RAs), além da informação sobre o tempo médio despendido nos deslocamentos realizados em automóveis nesses sistemas. Com análises de Regressão Linear Simples, se buscou avaliar o efeito que o grau de integração das diferentes configurações urbanas – mensurado por variáveis configuracionais tradicionais e variáveis topo-geométricas – teria sobre o tempo médio despendido nesses deslocamentos. Os resultados encontrados sugerem que existe baixo potencial para a aplicação das medidas topológicas mais tradicionais em estudos acerca dos efeitos da configuração viária sobre o desempenho do transporte urbano, que este potencial pode ser largamente ampliado ao se utilizar medidas topo-geométricas para caracterização da configuração urbana e que sistemas viários mais integrados e mais compactos – em termos topológicos e geométricos – tendem a proporcionar uma configuração urbana mais eficiente para o desempenho do transporte urbano motorizado com menores tempos de deslocamento. |
| Date: | 2015–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipe:ipetds:0188&r=tre |
| By: | Sapovadia, Vrajlal; Patel, Sweta; Patel, Akash |
| Abstract: | The present study aims to understand the prevailing under current, forces, strategies, policies & challenges faced by various stakeholders. The conversion of entire fleet of auto rickshaws to CNG was successful in the 5 years. Along with other measure of clean energy, Ahmedabad made remarkable make over. In 2011, Ahmedabad received Sustainable Transport Award, which is given annually by the Institute for Transportation Development and Policy (ITDP) in recognition of progress in increasing mobility for all residents while reducing transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions and improving safety and access for cyclists and pedestrians. For launching three pronged strategy, Ahmedabad transportation received Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Special Mention in 2012. |
| Keywords: | Clean Energy, Air Pollution, Auto Rickshaw, Ahmedabad, Political Economy |
| JEL: | Q53 R48 |
| Date: | 2015–04–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:63582&r=tre |
| By: | Pande, Swati M.S., MPP; Martinez, Martin MPP |
| Abstract: | This paper describes how regional funding guidelines can affect local adoption of Complete Streets projects. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization for the nine-county Bay Area region in California, has developed a funding approach called the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) for the allocation of funds for the 2012-2016 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Program (STP) across the Bay Area. Each jurisdiction receiving funding through OBAG was required to demonstrate compliance with Complete Streets (CS) policies either by passing a resolution or by certifying that its general plan circulation element was compliant with California’s Complete Streets Act of 2008. This analysis examines the extent and manifestation of this compliance. The OBAG framework allocated significantly more funding to County Congestion Management agencies than was provided during the prior CMAQ/STP cycle (Cycle 1 CMAQ). It also gave counties increased flexibility in decision making by removing program specific silos that were present in Cycle 1 CMAQ. This increased flexibility resulted in an increase in the number of multi-modal projects funded through OBAG. OBAG’s regional funding requirements for Complete Streets compliance through policy have the potential to influence Complete Streets implementation by local agencies in the long term and to serve as a model for other state or local planning agencies seeking to increase investments in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, san francisco, complete streets |
| Date: | 2014–11–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt49w1v7wz&r=tre |
| By: | Claire Papaix; Ariane Dupont-Kieffer |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we develop a proxy measure to appraise equity in urban mobility policy by applying the theoretical framework of Martens (2011). Using the commuting trips database of 2006 on the large Lille urban area, and geo-localized employment data from the French Census of 2010, we compute an indicator of the spatial accessibility to work by public transport (PT) at the municipal level, as the “good to redistribute”. This allows to identify the municipalities the most lagging behind in terms of PT travel time to reach the average “potentially accessible job market”. Then, starting from general observations on social differences among commuters for accessing to the labor market, we aggregate this indicator at the scale of commuter groups – by gender, educational background, socio-professional category, immigration status and household structure. Lastly, we simulate the reduction of PT travel times to work by successively 20% and 40% from the least served communes and we analyze the effects at the stage of travelers groups (i.e. “members of the society”). Interpreting results in the light of the sufficiency approach (i.e.the retained “yardstick rule”), we conclude that only transport-oriented policy is not the panacea to address equity and that cross-sectoral solutions are needed. |
| Keywords: | Public transport policy, Potential accessibility to work, Social equity, Conservation area, Sufficiency approach. |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cec:wpaper:1506&r=tre |
| By: | Proulx, Frank |
| Abstract: | Abstract:Â In this talk, an overview of the recently completed National Cooperative Highways Research Program project 07-19 will be presented. In NCHRP 07-19, research was conducted on a variety of methods and technologies for collecting bicyclist and pedestrian volume data. Research included a practitioner's survey, in-depth interviews with count program managers, and field testing and accuracy evaluation of six counting technologies. Counters were installed at roughly 15 different sites and evaluated for precision and reliability. The main product of this project is a guidebook on conducting counts of pedestrians and bicyclists, to be published in early 2015. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, NCHRP |
| Date: | 2014–12–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt0bj1w7w2&r=tre |
| By: | Ferrir, Richard |
| Abstract: | The most significant value added by Euro 2012 is undoubtedly the infrastructural changes. The event became a catalyst for the execution of more than two hundred projects for an amount of ca. PLN 100 billion. This paper focuses on the key projects, including above all the road construction projects, as well as those connected to road and rail infrastructure. Considering such significant outlays, the funding the preparation, particularly in a division into private and public sources, becomes an especially important issue. It is the predominant commitment of public funds that creates the need to justify their allocation, chiefly in the case of the sports venues, usually utilised by private sports clubs after the end of the event. Euro 2012 has been compared in this respect with other events of this rank, staged in Europe since the beginning of the 21st century. |
| Keywords: | Euro 2012, Mega sport's event |
| JEL: | E22 H41 |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:63280&r=tre |
| By: | Lengyel, Tess |
| Abstract: | Tess Lengyel, Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Deputy Director of Planning and Policy, will discuss development of the local sales tax measure and the context within which it was developed; what it funds overall, including the significant amount of funding for bicycle and pedestrian investments, including safety educational programs; information about other long-range planning efforts that also support safety; information about BPAC and PAPCO – both of these community advisory committees address walking and biking and safety needs; what some of the differences were between the 2012 plan and the 2014 plan; and how the 2014 plan passed in November 2014. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2014–12–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt2tt6v76x&r=tre |
| By: | Foti, Fletcher |
| Abstract: | UrbanSim(link is external) is a software-based simulation system for supporting planning and analysis of urban development, incorporating the interactions between land use, transportation, the economy, and the environment. It is the result of over 15 years of active research, and has been applied to planning processes of over a dozen regional governments and large cities. Recent improvements to UrbanSim include an accessibility engine to compute walking-scale accessibility metrics over a metropolitan area in less than a second, and the ability to run real estate pro formas on the complete set of parcels in a region to understand real estate development feasibility the way a developer might. The new methodology has also received interest from the travel modeling community, and a consortium of regions has funded a pilot to create an activity-based travel model using the same core framework. Synthicity(link is external) will be releasing UrbanCanvas publicly in spring 2015. UrbanCanvas is a 3D urban design platform that allows the editing of proposed developments which can be used to create scenario inputs to UrbanSim, as well as to view UrbanSim outputs as prototypical buildings. Synthicity hopes that UrbanCanvas can become a transformative technology that allows planners and citizens to weigh in on proposed developments early enough in the process to positively affect social, economic, environmental, and aesthetic outcomes of future population and economic growth. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, UrbanSim, Synthicity, UrbanCanvas |
| Date: | 2015–03–13 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt6mz1h0bj&r=tre |
| By: | Rafael Henrique Moraes Pereira; Tim Schwanen |
| Abstract: | This study analyzes trends in average commute times in Brazil between 1992 and 2009. It distinguishes between the nine largest metropolitan areas plus the Federal District of Brasília and describes how differences among these areas vary according to income levels and gender. This paper is based on the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), a source of data hitherto little used for transportation studies in Brazil. PNAD data is not conceived strictly for transport planning but is the only large-scale survey in Brazil with annual information since 1992 on commute time at national and subnational levels (states and metropolitan areas). Five main findings are stressed. First, travel to work trips tend to be 31% longer in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two largest metropolitan areas (MAs) in the country, than the in the other MAs. Second, workers in the poorest population segment (1st income decile) spend on average 20% more time on commuting than the wealthiest decile; 19% of the former make home-towork trips longer than 1 hour against only 11% in the wealthiest group. Third, this gap in commute time between rich and poor is spatially contingent; it is large in Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Federal District but almost nonexistent in Salvador, Recife,Fortaleza and Belem. Fourth, the data reveal worsening conditions for urban transport since 1992 as reflected in longer average commuting times. However, these worsening conditions have been more pronounced in the 1st income decile and especially the 7th-10th deciles. As a result, the overall differences across income groups have actually weakened during the period 1992-2009. Finally, the gender gap in average commutingtimes has been reduced considerably over the period considered with only small gaps remaining in the extreme income groups. The present study highlights that trends in average commute times in emerging economies, such as Brazil, need not follow the same trajectories as in the Global North. It also shows the importance of not focusing on national trends only; this will obscure important differences between urbanregions. From a policy perspective, the paper shows the usefulness of the PNAD data for monitoring urban mobility conditions in Brazilian major MAs. Yearly variations in commuting time can among others be used to assess the effects of mass transport investments on urban transport conditions. Este texto tem como objetivo analisar o tempo que a população gasta em deslocamentos urbanos casa-trabalho no Brasil no período compreendido entre 1992 e 2009. A análise enfatiza as diferenças encontradas entre as nove maiores regiões metropolitanas (RMs) do país mais o Distrito Federal (DF), além de destacar como estas diferenças variam de acordo com níveis de renda e sexo. O estudo se baseia nos dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domícilios (PNAD), gerados pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), uma fonte de dados até hoje pouco explorada em estudos sobre transporte urbano no Brasil. A PNAD não é uma pesquisa desenhada com o propósito de investigar a fundo o tema do transporte urbano; no entanto, esta é a única pesquisa amostral de larga escala feita no país com informações sobre o tempo de deslocamento casa-trabalho disponíveis anualmente – desde 1992 – tanto para o nível nacional quanto para o subnacional (estados e regiões metropolitanas). Destacam-se cinco principais resultados: i) o tempo de deslocamento casa-trabalho, que no ano de 2009 era 31% maior nas RMs de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro se comparado às demais RMs; ii) os trabalhadores de baixa renda (1o decil de renda) fazem viagens, em média, 20% mais longas do que os mais ricos (10o decil), e 19% dos mais pobres gastam mais de uma hora de viagem contra apenas 11% dos mais ricos; iii) esta diferença de tempo de viagem entre ricos e pobres varia entre as RMs, sendo muito maior em Belo Horizonte, Curitiba e no DF, e quase nula em Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza e Belém; iv) os dados apontam para uma tendência de piora nas condições de transporte urbano desde 1992, aumentando os tempos de deslocamento casa-trabalho; no entanto, esta piora tem sido mais intensa entre as pessoas do 1o decil de renda e especialmente entre a população mais rica (entre 7o e 10o decil), diminuindo as diferenças de tempo de viagem entre faixas de renda no período analisado; e v) a diferença do tempo médio gasto nos deslocamentos casa-trabalho entre homens e mulheres diminuiu consideravelmente desde 1992, com pequenas diferenças ainda presentes nos grupos extremos de renda. Observa-se neste trabalho que as tendências observadas no Brasil não seguem necessariamente aquelas observadas em países desenvolvidos. Destaca-se também que análises que se concentram nas tendências nacionais tendem a ocultar importantes diferenças regionais. Sob uma perspectiva de política pública, este texto aponta o potencial de utilização dos dados da PNAD para o monitoramento das condições de mobilidade nas principais regiões metropolitanas do Brasil, uma vez que as variações anuais nos tempos de viagem casa-trabalho podem contribuir para a avaliação dos efeitos de determinadas políticas e investimentos sobre as condições de transporte. |
| Date: | 2015–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipe:ipetds:0192&r=tre |
| By: | Schneider, Nicole |
| Abstract: | Many of San Francisco’s streets are dangerous by design. Each day in the city, at least three people walking are hit by cars. In 2013, a near-record number of people were killed while walking and biking: 21 pedestrians and four bicyclists were victims of lethal traffic crimes–including six year-old Sofia Liu(link is external) and an 86 year old man who were both killed in crosswalks–the highest number since 2007. In response to increasing number of traffic-related injuries and deaths, Walk SF, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and a coalition of over 30 community organizations called on City leaders and agencies to formally adopt Vision Zero policies that include funding and implementing critical engineering, enforcement, and education efforts. This presentation will tell the story of year one of Vision Zero in San Francisco and where the City is headed in year two. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, San Francisco, Street, Walk SF, Vision Zero |
| Date: | 2014–11–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt9n18r3td&r=tre |
| By: | Ancor Suárez-Alemán; Javier Morales Sarriera; Tomás Serebrisky; Lourdes Trujillo |
| Abstract: | This paper develops a port productivity and efficiency analysis of all developing regions between 2000 and 2010, using both parametric and nonparametric approaches. From a unique dataset -our sample covers 70 developing countries, 203 ports, and 1,750 data points-, we carry out an analysis of the evolution and drivers of productivity and efficiency changes across developing regions. We show that productivity growth rates between 2000 and 2010 vary significantly and that this heterogeneity is explained by pure efficiency changes rather than scale efficiency of technological changes. Therefore, we carry out a detailed efficiency analysis to determine the drivers of port efficiency. Time series results show an upward trend for port efficiency in developing regions, as it increased from 47 percent in 2000 to 57 percent in 2010. Our analysis indicates that private sector participation, the reduction of corruption in the public sector and improvements in liner connectivity and the existence of multimodal links increase the level of port efficiency in developing regions. |
| Keywords: | Trade Facilitation, Ports & Waterways, Productivity, Container traffic, Container terminals, Technical efficiency, Port efficiency |
| Date: | 2015–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:87913&r=tre |
| By: | Carlos Henrique Ribeiro de Carvalho; Rafael Henrique Moraes Pereira |
| Abstract: | The public policies on mass transit and other economic policies have been unable to avoid increasing mass transit costs and urban bus fares, which places a burden on a majority of the population depending on public transit. This study analyzes the variations in urban bus fares and households income, as well as their effects on the demand of paying commuters in 9 large Brazilian cities between 1995 and 2008. The study shows that a gap between the rise of urban bus fares and the population’s income led to a decrease of more than 30% of the paying demand between 1995 and 2003. According to the price elasticity estimated in this study, the demand for bus services has exhibited elastic behavior since 2001. Since then, the gradual increase observed in population income seems to buffer against the persistent fare increases. The recovery of the average household per capita income since then seems to support a reversal of downward trends in the number of paying passengers and an increase access to public bus services. The number of paying passengers increased about 9.5% between 2003 and 2008.The evolution of the sector’s main costs complement the study, permitting an analysis of the many factors that have caused the continuous increases of bus fares in metropolitan Brazil during this period. The study concludes highlighting some public policies that could provide a better economic environment for the provision of efficient and affordable transit services. Este estudo analisa as variações nas tarifas de ônibus urbanos e na renda das famílias entre 1995 e 2008, avaliando seus efeitos sobre a demanda de passageiros pagantes nas nove maiores cidades brasileiras. Observou-se que o aumento dos preços de alguns dos principais itens que compõem a estrutura de custos do setor contribuiu para um aumento das tarifas em cerca de 60% acima da inflação medida pelo Índice Nacional de Preços ao Consumidor (INPC). Ao longo desse período, o aumento no preço das tarifas foi absorvido com diferentes intensidades pela demanda de passageiros pagantes, podendo-se destacar dois períodos: o primeiro, quando houve aumento das tarifas acompanhado por uma depreciação da renda das famílias, entre 1995 e 2003, culminando com a queda de mais de 30% da demanda de transporte público urbano (TPU); e o segundo, ocorrido desde meados de 2003, quando o aumento dos custos permaneceu, mas houve certo amortecimento dos seus efeitos sobre a demanda devido ao crescimento da renda da população. Isso refletiu na estabilização da demanda do TPU e, mais recentemente, na inversão da tendência de queda observada anteriormente. O estudo busca reacender o debate sobre políticas de melhoria e redução dos custos do transporte público de forma a aproveitar o atual contexto econômico do país em que se faz possível aproveitar as condições gerais da economia para dar uma trajetória mais sustentada à recuperação do transporte público. |
| Date: | 2015–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipe:ipetds:0187&r=tre |