|
on Transport Economics |
| By: | Fournier, Nicholas PhD; Patire, Anthony PhD; Skabardonis, Alexander |
| Abstract: | Transportation agencies are increasingly relying on tolls to raise revenue and to mitigate congestion, but conventional fixed tolls do not necessarily encourage offpeak use of infrastructure, and high tolls can dampen economic productivity. Dynamically adjusting pricing based on demand can incentivize travelers to avoid peak traffic periods and shift it to other modes, but given the unpredictable nature of traffic, travelers lack the information necessary to accurately predict congestion, so dynamic pricing has minimal effect on demand. Dynamic toll pricing also poses equity concerns for those who lack other travel options, such as access to transit. A simple “futures market” pricing mechanism has the potential to address these concerns—travelers can lock in a price for expected trips by prepaying for future tolls, with the future price increasing as more travelers book an overlapping time slot. To evaluate the effectiveness of a futures market to impact travel demand, trip density, traffic flow, and revenue, this research conducted a sensitivity analysis of elasticity and pricing constraints. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2024–04–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt9095n098&r= |
| By: | Soga, Kenichi PhD; Comfort, Louise PhD; Zhao, Bingyu PhD; Tang, Yili Kelly PhD; Han, Tianyu |
| Abstract: | Located within the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, California's transportation infrastructure, especially in the Bay Area, is susceptible to earthquakes. A review of current research and stakeholder interviews revealed a growing awareness of emergency preparedness among local jurisdictions and transit agencies in recent years. However, many have yet to formalize and publish their recovery plans. This study introduces an agent-based multimodal transportation simulation tool to enhance post-earthquake transportation resilience. Integrating a road network simulator with a metro system simulator, the tool employs an optimized Dijkstra-based algorithm to calculate optimal routes, travel times, and fares. A case study is conducted for the East Bay, using the simulator to gauge the impact of a compromised Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. The results suggested that original BART passengers could face either longer commute times or higher costs during the recovery phase of a major earthquake without appropriate policies. Such outcomes could disproportionately burden low-income riders, affecting their mobility and overall travel time. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Public transit, multimodal transportation, disaster resilience, earthquakes, evacuation, computer simulation |
| Date: | 2024–06–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt9s73f674&r= |
| By: | Rampazzo, Pietro |
| Abstract: | There is a gap in the study of mobility. The work done so far is not taking into account the changes the shared-mobility is bringing into our society. This research project aims to leverage shared-mobility data for a better understanding of new patterns in the human-mobility. These new services allow people to use a shared vehicle based on their needs, without the necessity to own one. Shared mobility is going towards users' needs and letting them reach their destination as close as possible. Sharing mobility is improving the data collected and at the same time reshaping the commuting patterns. Understanding travel behaviour is key to creating more resilient, sustainable urban transport networks and reducing carbon emissions. In this research, I start analysing data from Movi which focus on Padova. Movi (ex Mobike) is a free-floating bike sharing system active in Italy and Spain. The data collected by the this service is very detailed and rich. The data sets contain high-level detailed information that is related to service usage. For every trip made it is known: (1) anonymized user id and rental plan, (2) vehicle id, (3) origin (latitude, longitude), (4) destination (latitude, longitude), (5) start date and time (timestamp), (6) end date and time (timestamp), and (7) rounded meters/kilometres travelled. All the information is anonymized. The two research questions this paper is going to address are: (a) What is the profile of the active users? This information can be studied based on the usage data and socio-demographic information the service is collecting. (b) What are the effects of the weather and temperature on the usage of this service? Weather data were retrieved from the local authorities regarding temperature and precipitations. |
| Date: | 2024–06–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:bd8p4&r= |
| By: | Soga, Kenichi PhD; Comfort, Louise PhD; Zhao, Bingyu PhD; Tang, Yili Kelly PhD; Han, Tianyu |
| Abstract: | Located on the tectonic boundary with multiple active faults, the San Francisco Bay Area is highly vulnerable to earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated a 72% probability of an earthquakewith a magnitude of 6.7 or greater striking the region within the next 30 years. Historical seismic events have demonstrated the profound impact earthquakes can have on transportation systems. During the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, the closure of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a critical transit route for San Francisco commuters, left nearly 400, 000 commuters and approximately 245, 000 vehicles daily with limitedalternative routes. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2024–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt8949c3zd&r= |
| By: | Pan, Alexandra; Deakin, Elizabeth PhD; Shaheen, Susan PhD |
| Abstract: | Suburban areas have lower density development than urban areas, which may make them less accessible for the growingpopulation of low- and moderate-income suburban residents, particularly those without a personal vehicle. This research examines factors that lead these households to move to suburban areas and identifies accessibility barriers they face. We use a mixed-methods approach with Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data from the U.S. Census, online/in-person surveys (n=208), and interviews conducted in English and Spanish (n=25) with households in Contra Costa County with an income of less than $75, 000. To understand key differences in housing and transportation choices between urban and suburban residents, these data were compared to survey and interview data from low-income Oakland residents from 2020-2021. We found that low- and moderate-income households choose to live in suburbs due to rising rents and otherrequirements (e.g., credit score, rental history) in urban areas, and a desire for home ownership and safer environment for children. Yet lack of tenant protections is leaving them vulnerable to rising rents in suburban areas. Transportation costs are higher in suburbs due to longer commutes and higher reliance on personal vehicles. Despite higher levels of carownership in the suburbs, households often go without a car due to maintenance issues or inability to make car payments. When faced with the lack of an automobile, suburban households have few quality transportation alternatives. |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Suburbs, housing, tenants, accessibility, automobile ownership, middle income groups, low income groups, travel costs |
| Date: | 2024–06–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt2gv2h5vr&r= |
| By: | Ewald & Wasserman Research |
| Abstract: | The 2024 California Traffic Safety Public Opinion Study was conducted on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center of UC Berkeley (SafeTREC), using an online self-administered survey. Similar to previous years of the study, the survey panelists were provided through Marketing Services Group, a commercial sample and panel vendor. To ensure a comparable sample disposition to previous years of data collection, six quota groups were set for age and gender groups based on the California census and previous waves of the Traffic Safety Study. The eligibility criteria for participating in the study included a valid California driver’s license, living in California and being 18 years or older. Screened and eligible respondents were forwarded to a brief 10-minute online survey programmed and managed by E&W. A total of 2, 507 responses were collected in May and June, 2024. The survey findings of the 2024 Traffic Safety Public Opinion Study, together with a comparison to previous years of data collection are outlined in this report. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2024–06–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt4st304h2&r= |
| By: | Horn, Julian |
| Abstract: | The worsening climate crisis calls for restructuring mobility systems and urban infrastructure. One goal of the socio-ecological transformation in the mobility sector is to promote walking. Measurements of pedestrian friendliness are summarised under the term walkability or walkability index, but they mostly lack the perspectives of people with disabilities. To address this gap, five mobile interviews with disabled people in Berlin were conducted to identify specific barriers, perceived safety risks, and well-being, which have remained unconsidered in recent measurements. Curb ramps, ground conditions, tacticle walking surface indicators, parking cars, other road users, and noise were the most important factors that should be integrated into further concepts of walkability indices. The study also shows how disabled people are discriminated against by urban infrastructure and how this affects their mobility and well-being. |
| Keywords: | Walkability, Walkability Indices, Inclusion, Mobility of disabled people, Barriers, Urban Infrastructure |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:wzbdms:299230&r= |
| By: | Cohen D'Agostino, Mollie; Michael, Cooper E.; Venkataram, Prashanth S. PhD |
| Abstract: | This project convened a series of meetings and workshops to prioritize listening to multi-sector stakeholders from local government, advocacy, and industry in US cities where autonomous vehicles are operating. The objective was to listen and learn from all stakeholders, raise issues surrounding accessibility and equity, and to solicit responses. Key findings from the workshops include a consensus across the three sectors on the need for good channels of multi-stakeholder communication, and voices across all sectors agreed on the importance of disability access and serving diverse populations. Many parties, representing voices from all sectors, recognized that federal regulatory activities appear to be moving too slowly. Preventing any roadway incidents is a priority for many stakeholders, and some suggest a playbook for handling day-to-day roadway issues and common standards for first-responder interactions. Disability access is a high priority across all sectors, and there many see nearer term to accommodations for blind, hearing-impaired riders, but the timeline for providing service to people with non-folding wheelchairs is less clear. There is also ongoing debate surrounding the limits of regulatory purview, the role for cities, and how to actualize equitable expansion into rural areas. There is more work to do to advance a multi-sector dialogue around the role for local governments and community-based organizations in shepherding a safe, equitable and sustainable expansion of autonomous vehicles. |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Autonomous vehicles, stakeholders, community engagement, regulation, persons with disabilities, transportation equity, data collection, data sharing |
| Date: | 2024–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt5rk148nr&r= |
| By: | Gao, Longfei; Tang, Yao |
| Abstract: | In a multi-product Melitz model, we demonstrate that after a drop in domestic trade costs, the cost savings on the shipping of domestic intermediate inputs dominate the pressure from increased competition, thus aiding surviving domestic firms in increasing the number of export varieties. The response of export revenue at the product level is heterogeneous; revenue from a firm’s low-markup varieties will increase, while that from high-markup varieties will decrease. Total export revenue of a firm increases if its export varieties or its exports of low-markup products expand significantly. Using 2SLS regressions, we test this theory with data on Chinese manufacturing firms from 2000 to 2007 and find supportive evidence. As access to domestic intermediate inputs improves with the expansion of the railway network, the number of export varieties of domestic firms increases. Meanwhile, revenue per product drops. Because the positive effect on varieties dominates the negative effect on revenue per product, the total export revenue of firms increases on average. Furthermore, the entry of new firms also increases, lending additional support to our theoretical model. |
| Keywords: | export performance, domestic transportation infrastructure, access to intermediate inputs, railway network, Chinese manufacturing firms |
| JEL: | F10 F15 R40 |
| Date: | 2024–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:121155&r= |
| By: | Mehic, Adrian (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the electoral impact of increased foreign tourism, using data from Croatia. Exploiting exogenous variation in travel times to coastal municipalities from improved road infrastructure, I show that foreign tourism reduces nationalist voting and increases the center-left vote share. This effect is partly due to manufacturing spillovers and demographic shifts within municipalities. Further complementing these findings, individual-level survey data indicates that workers within the hospitality sector are more likely to hold left-wing views. I further show that this is likely driven by economic concerns, rather than the diffusion of socially liberal views. |
| Keywords: | Infrastructure; Tourism; Voting; Nationalism |
| JEL: | D72 F63 L83 O18 Z32 |
| Date: | 2024–06–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1490&r= |
| By: | Kim, C.K. (Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade) |
| Abstract: | Advancements in production technology have significantly improved automobile performance and lifespan, nearly doubling the average useful life of a vehicle in Korea to 16 years in 2021, up from just 8.3 in 2000. However, a consumer survey by a secondhand vehicle sales company in 2023 found that Koreans typically change their vehicles every three to six years. This suggests that most vehicles are traded several times over their lifecycle, and in Korea, this includes export abroad. Used vehicle exports extend the vehicle’s life and contribute to the formation of a circular economy, and also minimize the amount of resource waste generated in the scrapping process. In this paper I explore the rapidly evolving used vehicle market, focusing on exports, and provide a suite of policy recommendations based on my findings to improve the competitiveness of Korea’s used vehicle exports. |
| Keywords: | used vehicles; used cars; secondhand vehicles; used vehicle exports; circular economy; export regulations; SMEs; used vehicle inspection; used vehicle quality certification; Korean used vehicles; Hyundai; Kia; Genesis; automotive industry; Automobile Management Act; Korea; KIET |
| JEL: | F10 F13 L62 |
| Date: | 2024–04–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:kieter:2024_006&r= |
| By: | Steven Cassimon; Antonella Liberatore; Andres Fiallos |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the 2024 version of the OECD International Transport and Insurance Cost of Merchandise Trade (ITIC) database, offering insights into bilateral international transport and insurance costs across more than 200 countries and their trading partners. Covering over 1 200 products from 1995 to 2022, the database combines officially reported information with estimates based on a gravity model. The model operates at a detailed six-digit Harmonised System (HS) product code level, subsequently aggregated into four-digit HS product code categories for analysis. The findings of ITIC 2024 indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic had a more significant impact on international transport and insurance costs for trade between countries located in different continents compared to trade between partners within the same continent. Additionally, they confirm that trade costs have exhibited a declining trend during the study period, and that the CIF/FOB margins vary among different reporting entities, trading partners, and products. |
| Keywords: | CIF-FOB margin, gravity model, International Trade, Transport and Insurance costs |
| JEL: | C23 F14 L91 |
| Date: | 2024–06–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stdaaa:2024/05-en&r= |
| By: | Jérôme Massiani (UNIMIB - Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca = University of Milano-Bicocca) |
| Abstract: | This paper reviews the contribution of experts to the appraisal of large infrastructures, looking at the evaluation performed in 2019 in Italy by the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports on the Lyon-Turin railway project. This evaluation had been initiated in a particular context, linked to a visible policy agenda and while the construction of the tunnel had already begun. The appraisal has produced surprising results, mostly counterintuitive and heavily criticized. We analyse these results and show how they can be valid, in that they would not result from inconsistency in the method but from the peculiar features of the project (low initial demand, high mode transfer compared with initial traffic, high road tax and toll levels). We also check the validity of some paradoxical results of the assessment. Moreover, the public debate has been made more difficult due to an inconsistency in EU evaluation Guidelines. Also, we analyse mechanisms that affect the credibility of experts and we find that the influence of experts in the public debate has little to see with the inherent consistency of the methods used. |
| Abstract: | Cet article examine la contribution des experts à l'évaluation économique des grands projets à la lumière de l'évaluation du Lyon-Turin réalisée en Italie en 2019. Cette évaluation est née dans un contexte particulier caractérisé par une commande politique manifeste et pour un chantier entamé. L'évaluation, globalement négative, a produit des résultats inattendus, contre-intuitifs et fortement critiqués. Nous analysons ces résultats et mettons en évidence qu'ils apparaissent valides et dépendent des caractéristiques extrêmement particulières du projet : faible trafic initial, forte hypothèse de report modal, fiscalité et péages routiers élevés. Nous expliquons aussi certains résultats paradoxaux de l'analyse. En outre, le débat technique a été rendu particulièrement difficile en raison d'une incohérence dans les modalités de calcul préconisées par le Guide méthodologique de l'Union Européenne. Nous analysons ensuite les mécanismes de légitimation et de délégitimation de l'expertise économique à l'œuvre dans cet épisode. Une conclusion est que ce n'est pas la qualité du calcul économique qui en détermine l'acceptation et l'influence dans le débat public. |
| Keywords: | Cost Benefit Analysis, infrastructures, mega projects, analyse coûts-avantages, mégaprojets, analyse couts avantages |
| Date: | 2023–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04159527&r= |
| By: | Lee, Sangwon (Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade) |
| Abstract: | Annual global production of end-of-life tires (ELTs) is estimated to be approximately one billion units, or 17 million tons, and production is on an upward trajectory. This trend is driven by population growth, economic expansion, and advancement in the transportation industry, all of which have led to an increasing number of vehicles on the roads, especially in developing regions. South Korea alone generates an average of 389, 000 tons of ELTs are generated each year (as of 2023). Of this figure, 307, 000 tons of ELTs are produced when individuals and businesses replace their tires; the rest (82, 000 tons) comes from scrapped vehicles. This makes the effective management of this waste resource is a public concern and major policy imperative. As ELT volumes continue to rise, collection and recycling management have become increasingly important. In Korea, the Korea Tire Manufacturers Association (KOTMA) collaborates closely with tire manufacturers and importers to help meet recycling obligations and establish agreements with ELT collection and transportation companies. ELTs collected from tire shops, service centers, and scrapyards are typically directed to cement production facilities and power plants, as well as to materials recycling firms specializing in rubber powder and rope production, where they are repurposed. In this paper, I evaluate the current state of ELT recycling in Korea and abroad, and identify a handful of important policy implications carried by the results of the analysis. |
| Keywords: | tires; rubber; recycling; recycling industry; tire recycling; rubber recycling; end-of-life tires; ELTs; chemical recycling; pyrolysis; Nexen; Kumho; Hankook; tire industry; Korea; KIET |
| JEL: | Q50 Q53 Q58 |
| Date: | 2024–04–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:kieter:2024_007&r= |
| By: | Avila-Uribe, Antonio (London School of Economics); Roth, Sefi (London School of Economics); Shields, Brian (London School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper evaluates the impact of London's Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) on test scores among elementary school students in England. Utilising administrative data for the years 2005-2015, we employ a difference-in-differences approach to assess the LEZ's effect on standardised Key Stage 2 results (age 11). Our analysis reveals a statistically and economically significant improvement of 0.09 standard deviations in test scores for students within the LEZ compared to those in other urban control areas. Importantly, we also find that the LEZ policy has larger positive effects in low-performing schools, demonstrating its potential to significantly reduce educational disparities. |
| Keywords: | air pollution, education, low emission zone |
| JEL: | Q53 I20 I24 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17020&r= |