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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Pyddoke , Roger (VTI) |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this paper is to review the modelling used for the planning of infrastructure and design of policy instruments for transport in cities in Scandinavia, and to survey elasticities of transport demand with respect to policy instruments and important background variables. There are a number important objectives governing policy, maximizing welfare, reducing CO2 and other emissions, curbing congestion on roads and crowding in public transport in cities and improving the conditions for walking and cycling. The current transport demand models in Sweden and Norway were originally built to serve the purpose of forecasting for national infrastructure planning, primarily outside cities. They were not designed to represent the adaption of car use, congestion on roads or crowding in public transport or the effects of improving of conditions for walking and cycling. Therefore, recent discussions on the needs to develop planning for cities has raised these issues. The central results from the survey of effects are that, car use is shown to be more price sensitive in urban than in rural areas, and larger the larger the city. Although the benefits of a given congestion charging system are considerably and non-linearly dependent on initial congestion levels, traffic effects and adaptation costs are surprisingly stable across transport system modifications. car and energy use in many cross-sectional studies. The idea that density could induce |
| Keywords: | Traffic |
| JEL: | R40 |
| Date: | 2016–12–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2016_029&r=tre |
| By: | Coria, Jessica (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University); Zhang, Xiao-Bing (School of Economics, Renmin University of China.) |
| Abstract: | Road pricing can improve air quality by reducing and spreading traffic flows. Nevertheless, air quality does not depend only on traffic flows, but also on pollution dispersion. In this paper we investigate the effects of the temporal variation in pollution dispersion on optimal road pricing, and show that time-varying road pricing is needed to make drivers internalize the social costs of both time-varying congestion and time- varying pollution. To this end, we develop an ecological economics model that takes into account the effects of road pricing on integrated daily commuting patterns. We characterize the optimal road pricing when pollution dispersion varies over the day and analyze its effects on traffic flows, arrival times, and the number of commuters by car. |
| Keywords: | Air pollution; Road transportation; Road pricing; Pollution dispersion |
| JEL: | Q53 Q58 R41 R48 |
| Date: | 2016–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0682&r=tre |
| By: | Benoît Laine; Alex Van Steenbergen |
| Abstract: | This paper seeks to quantify the size and traffic effects of commuting subsidies in Belgium. To this end we implement the most recently available data on both the personal income tax treatment of commuting reimbursement and subsidies to rail commuters in the PLANET model. We find that subsidy rates by tend to differ strongly by mode and by type of reimbursement. Commuting by own car is generally subsidized at low levels, if it enjoys any subsidy at all. Commuting by company car, bike and public transport enjoy relatively high levels of subsidization. Policy simulations show the importance of commuting subsidies in steering the modal split. Both the exemptions for commuting reimbursements as well as subsidies for rail commuters moderately steer traffic away from private transport, while also lengthening the average commute. |
| JEL: | D62 H24 R41 |
| Date: | 2016–10–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpb:wpaper:1611&r=tre |
| By: | Lucas W. Davis; Christopher R. Knittel |
| Abstract: | Despite widespread agreement that a carbon tax would be more efficient, many countries use fuel economy standards to reduce transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions. We pair a simple model of the automakers' profit maximization problem with unusually-rich nationally representative data on vehicle registrations to estimate the distributional impact of U.S. fuel economy standards. The key insight from the model is that fuel economy standards impose a constraint on automakers which creates an implicit subsidy for fuel-efficient vehicles and an implicit tax for fuel-inefficient vehicles. Moreover, when these obligations are tradable, permit prices make it possible to quantify the exact magnitude of these implicit subsidies and taxes. We use the model to determine which U.S. vehicles are most subsidized and taxed, and we compare the pattern of ownership of these vehicles between high- and low-income census tracts. Finally, we compare these distributional impacts with existing estimates in the literature on the distributional impact of a carbon tax. |
| JEL: | H22 L5 L91 Q48 |
| Date: | 2016–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22925&r=tre |
| By: | Azadeh, K.; Roy, D.; de Koster, M.B.M. |
| Abstract: | Autonomous vehicle-based storage and retrieval systems are commonly used in e-commerce fulfillment as they allow a high and flexible throughput capacity. In these systems, roaming robots transport loads between a storage location and a workstation. Two main variants exist: Horizontal, where the robots only move horizontally and use lifts for vertical transport and a new variant Vertical, where the robots can also travel vertically in the rack. This paper builds a framework to analyze the performance of the vertical system and to compare its throughput capacity with the horizontal system. We build closed-queueing network models for this that in turn are used to optimize the design. The results show that the optimal height-to-width ratio of a vertical system is around 1. As a large number of system robots may lead to blocking and delays, we compare the effect of two different robot blocking protocols on the system throughput: robot Recirculation and Wait-On-Spot. The Wait-On-Spot policy produces a higher system throughput when the number of robots in the system is small. However, for a large number of robots in the system, the Recirculation policy dominates the Wait-On-Spot policy. Finally, we compare the operational costs of the vertical and the horizontal transport system. For systems with one load/unload (L/U) point, the vertical system always produces a similar or higher system throughput, with a lower operating cost compared to the horizontal system with a discrete lift. It also outperforms the horizontal system with a continuous lift in systems with two L/U points. |
| Keywords: | internal transportation, robotic technology, queueing networks, performance analysis, blocking |
| Date: | 2016–12–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ems:eureri:94838&r=tre |
| By: | Cristiano Codagnone; Giuseppe Alessandro Veltri; Francesco Bogliacino; Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva; George Gaskell; Andriy Ivchenko; Pietro Ortoleva; Francesco Mureddu |
| Abstract: | This article presents the results of a laboratory experiment and an online multi-country experiment testing the effect of motor vehicle eco-labels on consumers. The laboratory study featured a discrete choice task and questions on comprehension, while the ten countries online experiment included measures of willingness to pay and comprehension. Labels focusing on fuel economy or running costs are better understood, and influence choice about money-related eco-friendly behaviour. We suggest that this effect comes through mental accounting of fuel economy. In the absence of a cost saving frame, we do not find a similar effect of information on CO2 emissions and eco-friendliness. Labels do not perform as well as promotional materials. By virtue of being embedded into a setting designed to capture the attention, the latter are more effective. We found also that large and expensive cars tend to be undervalued once fuel economy is highlighted. |
| Keywords: | Eco-label; Nudge; Willingness to pay; Fuel economy; Experiments; CO2 emission |
| JEL: | C9 D3 Q56 Q58 |
| Date: | 2016–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:68683&r=tre |
| By: | Vincent Viguié (CIRED) |
| Abstract: | Long term strategies, relying on city planning and travel demand management, are essential if deep GHG reduction ambitions are to be achieved in urban transport sector. However, how to precisely design such strategies remains unclear. Indeed, whereas there is a broad consensus that urban spatial structure is a key determinant in explaining travel pattern generation, the mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Especially, the interplay between commuting and localization choices leading to cross commuting in a polycentric city remains an open question, and cannot be easily explained using existing urban economics frameworks. In this study, we introduce a novel urban economic framework, fully micro-economic based, which describes land prices, population distribution and commuting travel choices in a polycentric city, with jobs locations exogenously given. It relies on the modeling of moving costs and market imperfections, especially housing-search imperfections. Using Paris as a case study, we show how this model, when adequately calibrated, reproduces available data on the internal structure of the city (rents, population densities, travel choices). A validation over the 1900-2010 period also shows that the model captures the main determinants of city shape evolution over this time. This suggests that this tool can be used to inform policy decisions. |
| Keywords: | urban economics, cross-commuting, urban planning, climate change mitigation |
| JEL: | Q5 R14 R4 |
| Date: | 2015–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fae:ppaper:2015.03&r=tre |
| By: | Adriana Ruiz (Departament d'Economia Aplicada, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona); Anna Matas (Departament d'Economia Aplicada, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona); Josep Lluís Raymond (Departament d'Economia Aplicada, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses the relationship between road infrastructure improvements and investment in capital assets. Using aggregate data at a provincial level for 1977-2008, an equation for machinery and equipment investment is estimated applying Panel Corrected Standard Errors. The results indicate that the long-term elasticities of investment in relation to market potential, GDP and average years of schooling are 0.90, 0.75 and 0.80, respectively. Additionally, the long run impact of a road infrastructure investment policy is assessed. We find that the elasticities of investment in machinery and equipment, capital stock and GDP in relation to travel time are 1.18, 0.33 and 0.11, respectively |
| Keywords: | Road infraestructure, Regional investment, Market potential, Travel time |
| JEL: | R4 R11 |
| Date: | 2016–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:xrp:wpaper:xreap2016-09&r=tre |
| By: | Alexandros Dimitropoulos; Walid Oueslati |
| Abstract: | The rebound effect is the phenomenon underlying the disproportionality between energy efficiency improvements and observed energy savings. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 76 primary studies and 1138 estimates of the direct rebound effect in road transport to synthesise past work and inform ongoing discussions about the determinants and magnitude of the rebound effect. The magnitude of rebound effect estimates varies with the time horizon considered. On average, the direct rebound effect is around 12% in the short run and 32% in the long run. Indirect and macroeconomic effects would come on top of these estimates. Heterogeneity in rebound effect estimates can mainly be explained by variation in the time horizon considered, the elasticity measure used and the econometric approach employed in primary studies, and by macro-level economic factors, such as real income and gasoline prices. In addition to identifying the factors responsible for the variation in rebound effect estimates, the meta-regression model developed in this paper can serve as a relevant tool to assist policy analysis in contexts where rebound effect estimates are missing. L'effet de rebond est un phénomène qui sous-tend la disproportionnalité entre les améliorations de l'efficacité énergétique et les économies d'énergie observées. Ce papier présente une méta-analyse de 76 études primaires et 1138 estimations de l'effet de rebond direct dans le transport routier pour synthétiser les travaux passés et informer les discussions en cours sur les déterminants et l'ampleur de l'effet de rebond. L'ampleur des estimations de l'effet de rebond varie selon l'horizon temporel considéré. En moyenne, l'effet de rebond est d'environ 12% à court terme et 32% à long terme. Les effets indirects et macroéconomiques viendront s'ajouter à ces estimations. L'hétérogénéité des estimations de l'effet de rebond s'explique principalement par la variation de l'horizon temporel considéré, la mesure d'élasticité utilisée et l'approche économétrique déployée dans les études primaires, ainsi que par des facteurs macroéconomiques tels que le revenu réel et les prix de l'essence. En plus de l'identification des facteurs responsables de la variation des estimations des effets de rebond, la méta-régression, développée dans ce papier, fournit un outil pertinent pour analyser les politiques en vigueurs dans les contextes où les estimations de l'effet rebond sont manquantes. |
| Keywords: | fuel efficiency, gasoline price, meta-analysis, Rebound effect, road transport |
| JEL: | D12 R48 Q48 Q58 R41 Q41 |
| Date: | 2016–12–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:envaaa:113-en&r=tre |
| By: | Aklilu, Abenezer Zeleke (Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) |
| Abstract: | Several studies have examined gasoline and diesel demand elasticities. These studies usually cover a single country or a group of countries that belong to a specific economic alliance such as the OECD. Even though consistent elasticities are necessary to analyze and forecast the effects of EU-level fuel policy, there has not yet been a study that provides consistent gasoline and diesel demand elasticity across the EU-28. This study sets out to address this literature gap by estimating price and income elasticities for gasoline and diesel. For this purpose, an ARDL Bounds testing approach was used to test the existence of a long-run relationship and estimate the elasticities. The estimation provided short and long-run price and income elasticities of gasoline and diesel demand for the EU-28 countries and showed the countries in which a long-run equilibrium relationship was confirmed. The results show that there was a high variation in elasticity estimates between the EU-28 countries. The estimated long-run elasticities were higher than their short-run counterparts, which was in line with expectations based on the existing literature. The short and long-run income elasticities of gasoline and diesel demand were both found to be more elastic than their price equivalents. This implies that if a charge on fuel is designed to decrease emissions by increasing the price, the charge needs to rise at a higher rate than income. An analysis of the EU’s long-term emission and fuel consumption reduction targets shows that, with the current tax scheme, it cannot be guaranteed that emission targets will be achieved and thus a more stringent fuel tax policy is essential. |
| Keywords: | fuel demand; income and price elasticities; EU countries; ARDL bounds testing |
| JEL: | Q42 Q48 |
| Date: | 2016–12–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:slueko:2016_012&r=tre |
| By: | Michael Gelman; Yuriy Gorodnichenko; Shachar Kariv; Dmitri Koustas; Matthew D. Shapiro; Dan Silverman; Steven Tadelis |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates how overall consumer spending responds to changes in gasoline prices. It uses the differential impact across consumers of the sudden, large drop in gasoline prices in 2014 for identification. This estimation strategy is implemented using comprehensive, daily transaction-level data for a large panel of individuals. The estimated marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is approximately one, a higher estimate than estimates found in less comprehensive or well-measured data. This estimate takes into account the elasticity of demand for gasoline and potential slow adjustment to changes in prices. The high MPC implies that changes in gasoline prices have large aggregate effects. |
| JEL: | E21 Q41 Q43 |
| Date: | 2016–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22969&r=tre |
| By: | M Rouhani, Omid |
| Abstract: | In this article, I will examine the social welfare effects of implementing High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, and Managed Lanes in general. HOT lanes, in contrast to existing general purpose (GP) lanes, allow motorists to use these express lanes if they either pay a toll or have a certain minimum number of occupants in their vehicle. HOT lanes are often implemented by either converting existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to HOT lanes or by constructing new managed lanes (MLs) in the median strip of an existing highway. They offer two major benefits over HOV lanes: (i) mitigating inefficiencies arising from the underutilization of HOV and GP lanes; and (ii) generating new revenue while preserving user satisfaction. Despite such potential benefits from HOT lane conversions and ML adoption, a comprehensive study rigorously estimating social welfare benefits and costs has not yet been undertaken. This paper reviews and provides a guideline for HOV to HOT lane conversions, form the social welfare perspective. |
| Keywords: | Value of time, Road pricing, Congestion pricing, Optimal toll, Profits, System-wide costs. |
| JEL: | D6 D60 D61 R4 |
| Date: | 2016–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:75816&r=tre |
| By: | James Bond (Centennial Group International) |
| Date: | 2016–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:emf:glpapr:2016africainf&r=tre |
| By: | Dauth, Wolfgang (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany]); Haller, Peter (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany]) |
| Abstract: | "We analyze the causal effect of commuting on wages, using a large sample of German job changers. Information on their home and workplace addresses in combination with road navigation software allows us to calculate exact door-to-door commuting distances with an unprecedented degree of precision. We use a theoretical model on spatial job search to motivate our empirical strategy. By focusing on job moves, we can use panel data techniques and control for unobserved individual heterogeneity. We find an asymmetric valuation of distance changes. Job changers value a reduction of their commuting distance higher than an increase. Apparently, individuals are not able to capitalize the full costs of commuting in their wages. A large part of this effect can be explained by sorting into certain firms at different distances and the rest by individual wage bargaining." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) |
| JEL: | J31 J64 R12 R40 |
| Date: | 2016–12–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iab:iabdpa:201643&r=tre |
| By: | Haucap, Justus; Heimeshoff, Ulrich; Siekmann, Manuel |
| Abstract: | We use a novel data set with exact price quotes from virtually all German gasoline stations to empirically investigate how a temporary variance in local market structure - induced by restricted opening hours of specific players - affects price competition. We focus on stations selling gasoline as a by-product and find that, during their exogenously determined hours of opening, they have a significant negative price effect on nearby major-brand competitors. Applying a difference-in-difference framework with hourly average prices, our findings explicitly account for counterfactual market scenarios. |
| Keywords: | Gasoline Markets,Intraday Pricing,Supermarkets,Difference-in-Difference |
| JEL: | L11 L71 |
| Date: | 2016 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:dicedp:240&r=tre |