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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Davide Cerruti (ETH Zurich, Switzerland); Anna Alberini (University of Maryland,USA); Joshua Linn (Resources of the Future, USA) |
| Abstract: | Policymakers have been considering vehicle and fuel taxes to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions, but there is little evidence on the relative efficacy of these approaches. We examine an annual vehicle registration tax, the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), which is based on carbon emissions rates. The UK first adopted the system in 2001 and made substantial changes to it in the following years. Using a highly disaggregated dataset of UK monthly registrations and characteristics of new cars, we estimate the effect of the VED on new vehicle registrations and carbon emissions. The VED increased the adoption of low-emissions vehicles and discouraged the purchase of very polluting vehicles, but it had a small effect on aggregate emissions. Using the empirical estimates, we compare the VED with hypothetical taxes that are proportional either to carbon emissions rates or to carbon emissions. The VED reduces total emissions twice as much as the emissions rate tax but by half as much as the emissions tax. Much of the advantage of the emissions tax arises from adjustments in miles driven, rather than the composition of the new car sales. |
| Keywords: | CO2 emissions, vehicle registration fees, carbon taxes, vehicle excise duty, UK |
| JEL: | H23 Q48 Q54 R48 |
| Date: | 2017–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eth:wpswif:17-271&r=tre |
| By: | Musharraf Cyan (Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University); Michael Price (Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University); Mark Rider (Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University) |
| Abstract: | Urban areas require continuing investments not only to account for depreciation of infrastructure investments but to maintain infrastructure capacity to keep up with growth in population and in economic activity. Urban renewal often refers to investments in infrastructure in urban areas due to blight and decay. In post-conflict and post-crisis countries, urban renewal investments are required to repair infrastructure that has been damaged by conflict and to catchup with infrastructure investments that have been postponed by the crisis (conflict) period. In addition, maintaining the vitality of urban areas is important to sustaining economic growth, not only in the urban area itself but also in the hinterland. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Peshawar Uplift Program. Peshawar city has been under extreme stress because of the law and order situation. New investments are not forthcoming from the private sector, and many affluent Peshawarites have left the city. Therefore, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (GoKP) is making infrastructure investments to make the provincial capital Peshawar more environmentally friendly, people centered, and aesthetically pleasing. The purpose of these investments is to restore citizen trust, to attract residents who had moved away during the crisis period, and to attract private investment. This evaluation focuses on investments to improve the Grand Trunk Road, which is a major thoroughfare running through Peshawar. The evaluation consists of asking a random sample of individuals to answer a questionnaire that includes a number of statements about the effect of the GoKP’s investments on the appearance, traffic flow, and safety of the Grand Trunk Road. Respondents are asked to indicate on a 10 point scale whether they strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (10) with a given statement about the investments in the Grand Trunk Road. The sample consists of 1,028 respondents randomly drawn from 33 neighborhoods in the vicinity of the Grand Trunk Road. Since we were not able to take baseline measurements before the start of the Peshawar Uplift Program, we use a pair of statements about the governance system and infrastructure investments as benchmarks. Based on the analysis of the survey responses, we do not find strong evidence that respondents believe that the investments have improved the appearance, traffic flow, or safety of the Grand Trunk Road. In fact, individuals who report using the Grand Trunk Road most frequently (more than 10 times per week) are more likely to disagree with statements intended to measure satisfaction with these investments. There are several ways to interpret the results of the survey. First, people may not be aware that these investments were made by the GoKP. Second, a public information campaign describing the investments may have increased public awareness and satisfaction with the investments. In other words, the public information campaign may have created expectations that have not been delivered at the time of this writing. A major limitation of this evaluation is the lack of baseline measurements before the implementation of the Peshawar Uplift Program. The remainder of the report is organized as follows. The next section is a review of the literature on urban renewal. We find that there is an extensive literature on the impact of urban renewal in developed countries and developing countries alike. However, there is little evidence on the effect of urban renewal on citizens’ reported satisfaction of the type described in this report. Then, we describe the sample and questionnaire. Section 4 describes the results of the analysis of the survey responses. |
| Date: | 2017–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ays:ispwps:paper1709&r=tre |
| By: | ITF |
| Abstract: | This report analyses Dublin’s attractiveness as a cruise port and assesses the impacts of cruise shipping on the city. It evaluates policies in place and provides recommendations to increase the positive impacts of cruise shipping for the city of Dublin. Over the last decade, Dublin has grown as an important port of call for cruises in Northern Europe. Cruise tourism generates significant economic benefits for the city of Dublin. The value cruise tourism brings could be further increased by developing Dublin into a cruise home port, that is a port from which cruises start and where they end. Under which conditions could this be achieved? Which policy measures would be needed? Which stakeholders would need to be involved? This report is part of the International Transport Forum’s Case-Specific Policy Analysis series. These are topical studies on specific issues carried out by the ITF in agreement with local institutions. |
| Date: | 2017–01–23 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:28-en&r=tre |
| By: | Philippe Gagnepain (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics); David Martimort (PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - ENS Paris - École normale supérieure - Paris - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | We propose merger guidelines for bidding markets through the construction of a simple test. It is applied in the particular context of the French urban transport industry. It designs the optimal auction and captures two opposite forces at stake: on the one hand, the optimal auction is biased against a merger due to a loss of competition; on the other hand, potential efficiency gains bias the optimal allocation towards the merger firm. The two effects can be nested in a single equation condition which determines whether the merger improves the consumer net surplus. We suggest that the merger between Transdev and Veolia is consumer surplus improving if the efficiency gains from the merger allow both firms to decrease their initial costs inability by at least 17.9% and 17.8% respectively. |
| Keywords: | transports publics urbains |
| Date: | 2016 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:pseose:hal-01314036&r=tre |
| By: | Gehrsitz, Markus (University of Strathclyde) |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the effects of temporary driver's license suspensions on driving behavior. A little known rule in the German traffic penalty catalogue maintains that drivers who commit a series of speeding transgressions within 365 days should have their license suspended for one month. My regression discontinuity design exploits the quasi-random assignment of license suspensions caused by the 365-days cut-off and shows that 1-month license suspensions lower the probability of recidivating within a year by 20 percent. This is largely a specific deterrence effect driven by the punishment itself and not by incapacitation, information asymmetries, or the threat of stiffer future penalties. |
| Keywords: | crime, speeding, deterrence, regression discontinuity |
| JEL: | I12 K42 R41 |
| Date: | 2017–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10707&r=tre |
| By: | Fabiano Mezadre Pompermayer |
| Abstract: | Este Texto para Discussão apresenta uma simulação de parceria público-privada para a manutenção e a operação de todas as rodovias federais pavimentadas. Para tanto, avalia a distribuição de benefícios e custos entre contribuintes, governo e usuários das rodovias como forma de definir valores de pedágio que sejam bancáveis pelos usuários, aliviando o peso fiscal sobre todos os contribuintes com relação aos gastos com as rodovias. Propõe-se, então, o uso de modelo de concessão em que parte da receita do concessionário vem da cobrança de pedágio e outra parte por disponibilidade pelo governo. Além disso, o concessionário deve pagar ao governo um valor de outorga por cada veículo que pagar pedágio, de forma que o valor total seja variável com a demanda. Tal mecanismo, além de reduzir o risco de demanda alocado ao concessionário, permite subsídio cruzado das rodovias com alto volume de tráfego para as de baixo volume. Considerando os custos médios de operação e manutenção de rodovias concedidas, avaliou-se se a arrecadação com os pedágios propostos seria suficiente para cobrir os custos. Os resultados indicam que mesmo considerando apenas as rodovias ainda não concedidas, em geral de baixo tráfego, os custos fiscais de tal modelo seriam menores que a média de gastos executados pelo Departamento Nacional de Infraestrutura de Transportes (DNIT) com manutenção e operação das rodovias federais. Garantir-seia, ainda, nível de qualidade superior ao atual, com benefícios diretos aos usuários e indiretos a toda a sociedade. This article presents a simulation of Public-Private Partnership for the maintenance and operation of all paved federal highways. To do so, we evaluate the distribution of benefits and costs between taxpayers, government and road users as a way to set toll values bankable by users, easing the tax burden on all taxpayers with regard to spending on highways. Then, we propose the use of a concession model in which part of the concessionaire’s revenue comes from toll collection and part from payment for availability by the government. In addition, the concessionaire must pay the government a grant value per vehicle, so that the total amount of the grant is variable with the demand. Such a mechanism, in addition to reducing the demand risk allocated to the concessionaire, allows cross-subsidization of highways with high traffic volume for the low volume ones. Considering the average costs of operation and maintenance of highways under concession, we evaluate if the collection with the proposed tolls would be sufficient to cover the costs. The results indicate that even considering only the roads not conceded yet, generally low traffic, the fiscal costs of such a model would be smaller than the average expenditures executed by DNIT with maintenance and operation of federal highways. And also ensure higher level of quality, with direct benefits to users and indirect ones to the whole society. |
| Date: | 2017–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipe:ipetds:2275&r=tre |
| By: | ITF |
| Abstract: | This report reviews experiences with strategic infrastructure planning with a view to identifying international best practices. Governments play a critical role in providing the framework for investment in the transport, energy and water infrastructure on which economies depend. Long asset lives and large sunk costs make such investments particularly subject to risk and uncertainty. A long-term strategic plan that integrates specific projects reduces such risks by setting out a stable set of the priorities for future investment. This report is the product of a roundtable organised by the International Transport Forum at the OECD and the UK National Infrastructure Commission. This report is part of the International Transport Forum’s Case-Specific Policy Analysis series. These are topical studies on specific issues carried out by the ITF in agreement with local institutions. |
| Date: | 2017–03–23 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:29-en&r=tre |
| By: | Popovici, Ioana (Nova Southeastern University); Maclean, J. Catherine (Temple University); French, Michael (University of Miami) |
| Abstract: | Each year, 10,000 individuals die in alcohol-impaired traffic accidents in the United States, while psychoactive drugs are involved in 20% of all fatal traffic accidents. We investigate whether state parity laws for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment have the unintended benefit of reducing fatal traffic accidents. Parity laws compel insurers to cover SUD treatment in private insurance markets, thereby reducing the financial costs of and increasing access to treatment for beneficiaries. We employ over 20 years of administrative data from the national Fatal Accident Reporting System coupled with a differences-in-differences research design to investigate the potential spillover effects of parity laws to traffic safety. Our findings indicate that passage of a state parity law reduces fatal traffic accident rates by 4.1 to 5.4%. These findings suggest that government regulations requiring insurers to cover SUD treatment can significantly improve traffic safety, possibly by reducing the number of impaired drivers on roadways. |
| Keywords: | traffic fatalities, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, traffic safety, health insurance parity laws |
| JEL: | I1 I13 I18 |
| Date: | 2017–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10746&r=tre |
| By: | ITF |
| Abstract: | The port of Gothenburg is the incontestable gateway to Sweden. The most important challenge for Gothenburg is to keep attracting direct calls from ocean-going vessels, considered of utmost importance by Swedish industry. These direct calls are carried out by ever larger ships. What is needed to continue attracting them in the future? And what are the impacts of very large ships that will have to be taken into account? This report brings more clarity to these issues by assessing the various impacts the arrival of mega-ships has in Gothenburg. It analyses policies in place and provides recommendations on how to deal effectively with mega-ships in Sweden’s largest port. This report is part of the International Transport Forum’s Case-Specific Policy Analysis series. These are topical studies on specific issues carried out by the ITF in agreement with local institutions. |
| Date: | 2017–01–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:27-en&r=tre |
| By: | Osmar Coelho Filho; Nilo Luiz Saccaro Junior |
| Abstract: | A demanda por uma mobilidade sustentável é impulsionada no Brasil pelo progressivo crescimento das cidades, causando aumento do tempo de deslocamento nos diferentes modais de transporte, crescimento do número de mortes de motociclistas que migram dos modos ativos de transporte movidos pelo crescimento da renda familiar, maior incidência de acidentes em geral e mais danos à saúde, provocados pela poluição do ar vinculada aos motores de combustão. O Brasil tem mais bicicletas que carros, respectivamente 50 milhões contra 41 milhões. Em torno de 7% do total de viagens é feita por bicicletas, com potencial de atingir 40%. Esta é uma pesquisa qualitativa que buscou entender quais os cenários de futuro e os fatores de sustentabilidade para as redes cicloviárias que são capazes de guiar as políticas cicloviárias e de mobilidade sustentável no Brasil. Utilizou-se a metodologia de pressão-estado-resposta (PER), associada à metodologia do pensamento de ciclo de vida (PCV) para compreender as percepções dos stakeholders (atores-chaves) sobre as redes cicloviárias. Os entrevistados pertencem a academia, governo, associações de cicloativistas e associações empresariais. Os cenários de curto prazo indicaram a necessidade de uma base de dados que apoie a formação de indicadores sociais, econômicos e ambientais, além do fortalecimento da participação dos atores sociais no processo de institucionalização da política cicloviária. Os cenários de médio prazo indicaram a construção de uma política de alianças estratégicas e o fortalecimento da bicicultura ou onda bike por meio de eventos e geração de informação que atenda aos atores em diferentes escalas territoriais (local, nacional e internacional). Os fatores de sustentabilidade para o fortalecimento das políticas cicloviárias foram: o tempo de implementação da política; o tipo de abordagem de mobilidade utilizada para orientar a política cicloviária; os níveis de incentivos econômicos e fiscais; a utilização de metodologias de participação; a formação de banco de dados sobre o número e a localização dos conflitos entre ciclistas, motoristas e pedestres; o grau de integração das políticas cicloviárias com outras políticas públicas; e a área de espaço urbano disponível para a expansão das redes cicloviárias. Além disso, a metodologia do PCV indicou a necessidade de uma avaliação de ciclo de vida (ACV) que modele os impactos da presença de cada modal (pedestre, bicicleta, metrô, trem e ônibus) no território urbano. Esta ACV pode produzir indicadores para apoiar um sistema integrado de mobilidade sustentável em que a bicicleta pode ter um papel múltiplo: modal de transporte, veículo de integração entre modais e símbolo de sustentabilidade. The demand for sustainable mobility in Brazil is driven by the Brazilian cities growing urban density, the increased travel time in different transportation modes, the increasing number of motorcyclists deaths who migrated from active modes driven by household income growth as well as drivers, pedestrians and cyclists deaths, and the worsening air pollution level linked to combustion engines which has serious consequences for health. Brazil has more bikes than cars, respectively 50 million to 41 million. Around 7% of all trips are made by bicycle with a potential to reach 40%. This qualitative research tried to understand what are the cycling networks future scenarios and sustainability factors that can guide the empowering of cycling policies and the sustainable mobility in Brazil. It used the pressure-state-response methodology associated with life cycle thinking methodology (PCV) to understand the cycling networks stakeholder perceptions from academia, government, cycling associations and business associations. Short-term scenarios indicated a database construction to support the development of social, economic and environmental indicators, and the empowering of the social actors’ participation in the cycling policy institutionalization. Medium-term scenarios indicated the construction of strategic alliances among stakeholders and the strengthening of bicycle culture or “bike wave” through events and production of information to social actors in different territory scales (local, national and international). The sustainability factors to empower cycling policies were: the policy implementation timing; the mobility approach strand used to guide the cycling policy; the levels of economic and tax incentives; the participatory methodologies use; the database on number and location conflicts among drivers, pedestrians and cyclists; the level of cycling policy integration with other public policies; and the urban space available area for the expansion of cycling networks. Moreover, the Life Cycle Thinking methodology indicated the development of a life cycle assessment (LCA) that models the impacts on each transportation mode and its available urban space (pedestrian, bicycle, subway, train, and bus). This LCA can produce indicators that support an integrated sustainable mobility where the bicycle may have multiple roles: transportation mode, integration vehicle among modes and sustainability symbol. |
| Date: | 2017–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipe:ipetds:2276&r=tre |
| By: | Harker, Patrick T. (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia) |
| Abstract: | The labor market is “more or less at full health,” said Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick T. Harker today during an urban infrastructure conference at Drexel University. He also discussed the importance of infrastructure and how transportation and housing must evolve to meet the demands of a changing population. |
| Keywords: | Infrastructure; labor market; urban landscapes |
| Date: | 2017–05–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedpsp:132&r=tre |
| By: | Roar Adland (NHH - Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Economics - Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration); Pierre Cariou (KEDGE Business School [Talence] - M.E.N.E.S.R. - Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche); François-Charles Wolff (LEMNA - Laboratoire d'économie et de management de Nantes Atlantique - UN - Université de Nantes) |
| Abstract: | We estimate a hedonic pricing regression to generate a market index from heterogeneous fixture data in the Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) market. We consider a fixed effect framework where we control for vessel characteristics and contract-specific variables. Applied to a dataset of more than 30,000 transactions from 1989 to 2015, estimates show that around 70%-80% of variation in dayrates is explained by the time fixed effects used to estimate the market index. Spot freight rates increase with engine power and transport capacity. The volatile market index is seasonal and is positively correlated to both oil prices and production volumes. |
| Keywords: | offshore support vessel,spot freight rate,hedonic price regressions,fixture data |
| Date: | 2017–04–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-01513364&r=tre |