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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Burke, Andrew; Miller, Marshall |
| Abstract: | California has a number of programs intended to encourage the introduction of zero- and near-zero emission vehicle (ZEV) technologies into the medium- and heavy-duty truck markets. Meeting the goals of these programs will require the sale of large numbers of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell transit buses and trucks by 2025 and beyond. However, several barriers to widespread adoption of these technologies will need to be addressed, including their purchase price, utility, durability and reliability, as well as the cost of energy and the availability of refueling infrastructure. Policies such as mandates or incentives will likely be necessary to overcome these barriers and the uncertainty of adopting a new, unproven technology. These policies must make economic sense to both the bus and truck manufacturers and the vehicle purchasers if they are to be successful in the long term. To gain a better understanding of the financial barriers for ZEV bus and truck adoption, researchers at UC Davis conducted technology and cost assessments for batteryelectric and fuel cell vehicles in the medium- and heavy-duty truck sector. High-level findings and the policy implications of this research are summarized in this brief. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Zero emission vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, heavy duty vehicles, medium trucks, buses, operating costs, incentives, policy analysis |
| Date: | 2020–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt37m8p885&r=all |
| By: | Tal, Gil PhD; Chakraborty, Debapriya PhD; Jenn, Alan PhD; Lee, Jae Hyun PhD |
| Abstract: | The public sector and the private sector, which includes automakers and charging network companies, are increasingly investing in building charging infrastructure to encourage the adoption and use of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and to ensure that current facilities are not congested. However, building infrastructure is costly and, as with road congestion, when there is significant uptake of PEVs, we may not be able to “build out of congestion.” We modelled the choice of charging location that more than 3000 PEV drivers make when given the options of home, work, and public locations. Our study focused on understanding the importance of factors driving demand such as: the cost of charging, driver characteristics, access to charging infrastructure, and vehicle characteristics. We found that differences in the cost of charging play an important role in the demand for charging location. PEV drivers tend to substitute workplace charging for home charging when they pay a higher electricity rate at home, more so when the former is free. Additionally, socio-demographic factors like dwelling type and gender, as well as vehicle technology factors like electric range, influence the choice of charging location. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Electric vehicle charging, electric vehicles, energy consumption, costs, demand, workplaces, dwellings, choice models, energy storage systems |
| Date: | 2020–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt1jh8127j&r=all |
| By: | Burke, Andrew PhD; Miller, Marshall PhD |
| Abstract: | This report assesses zero emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicle technologies, their associated costs, projected market share, and possible policy mandates and incentives to support their adoption. Cost comparisons indicate that battery-electric transit buses and city delivery trucks are the most economically attractive of the zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) based on their break-even mileage being a small fraction of the expected total mileage. These ZEVs using fuel cells are also attractive for a hydrogen cost of $5/kg. The most economically unattractive vehicle types for ZEV adoption are long-haul trucks and inter-city buses. Developing mandates for buses and trucks will be more difficult than for passenger cars for several reasons, including the large differences in the size and cost of the vehicles and the ways they are used in commercial, profit-oriented fleets. The best approach will be to develop separate mandates for classes of vehicles that have similar sizes, cost characteristics, use patterns, and ownership/business models. These mandates should be coupled to incentives that vary by vehicle type/class and by year or accumulated sales volume, to account for the effects of expected price reductions with time. |
| Keywords: | Education, Zero emission vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, heavy duty vehicles, medium trucks, buses, operating costs, incentives, policy analysis |
| Date: | 2020–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt7n68r0q8&r=all |
| By: | Kauhanen, Antti; Riukula, Krista; Metsäranta, Heikki |
| Abstract: | Abstract The labor market impacts of transport system, as well as other so-called wider economic benefits, are debated widely. The discussion revolves around the question whether the transport appraisal frameworks capture all pertinent economic benefits. In this brief, we discuss how changes in accessibility caused by changes in the transport system affect the labor market and how to incorporate these effects to the transport appraisal framework. International research shows that traditional cost-benefit analysis largely captures the labor market impacts of transport system changes. However, there may still exist some wider economic impacts, including labor market impacts, that should be incorporated to the appraisals. The appraisal of the labor market impacts of transport system should be developed to provide research-based evaluations of the magnitude and incidence of the labor market impacts. We propose a four-level framework to assess the impacts of transport infrastructure changes on the labor market. Comprehensive appraisal demands the development of a nationwide transportation model and empirical research using Finnish individual level panel data with detailed geographical information. |
| Keywords: | Transport system, Labour market, Wider economic impacts |
| JEL: | R42 H43 J68 H54 |
| Date: | 2020–02–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rif:briefs:85&r=all |
| By: | Ioannou, Petros; Monteiro, Fernando Valladares |
| Abstract: | The lack of appropriate and convenient truck parking locations has been identified as a major safety, cost, and environmental issue in both the United States and the European Union. Without access to appropriate parking locations, drivers might be forced to either drive while tired, increasing the risk of accidents, or park illegally in unsafe locations, posing a potential safety hazard to themselves and other drivers. The parking shortage also impacts shipment costs and the environment, since drivers burn more fuel while looking for places to park or idling their engines to provide cab power when parked in inappropriate locations. This research brief summarizes findings from the associated project, the objective of which was to generate parking assist algorithms that can help truck drivers better plan their trips. By providing information about parking availability, the researchers hope to induce truck drivers to better distribute themselves among existing rest areas. This would decrease the peak demand in the most popular truck stops and attenuate the problems caused by the parking shortage. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Algorithms, Intelligent transportation systems, Mathematical prediction, Parking, Parking facilities, Traffic forecasting, Truck stops, Trucking |
| Date: | 2020–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt7js0f595&r=all |
| By: | Mogens Fosgerau (University of Copenhagen) |
| Abstract: | This paper reiterates the basic principles and rationale for valuing travel time savings. It explains the type of impacts that the valuation of travel time savings intends to capture and discusses whether and how those fundamental principles continue to hold with automation and increased possibility of productive time use while travelling. The paper also discusses implications for traffic management and urban form that follow from increased in-vehicle productivity. |
| Date: | 2019–10–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaab:2019/10-en&r=all |
| By: | Simon Berrebi; Taylor Gibbs; Sanskruti Joshi; Kari E Watkins |
| Abstract: | In 2018, bus ridership attained its lowest level since 1973. If transit agencies hope to reverse this trend, they must understand how their service allocation policies affect ridership. This paper is among the first to model ridership trends on a hyper-local level over time. A Poisson fixed-effects model is developed to evaluate the ridership elasticity to frequency using passenger count data from Portland, Miami, Minneapolis/St-Paul, and Atlanta between 2012 and 2018. In every agency, ridership is found to be elastic to frequency when observing the variation between individual route-segments at one point in time. In other words, the most frequent routes are already the most productive. When observing the variation within each route-segment over time, however, ridership is inelastic; each additional vehicle-trip is expected to generate less ridership than the average bus already on the route. In three of the four agencies, the elasticity is a decreasing function of prior frequency, meaning that low-frequency routes are the most sensitive to frequency change. This paper can help transit agencies anticipate the marginal effect of shifting service throughout the network. As the quality and availability of passenger count data improve, this paper can serve as the methodological basis to explore the dynamics of bus ridership. |
| Date: | 2020–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2002.02493&r=all |
| By: | Shilling, Fraser |
| Abstract: | Wildlife-vehicle conflict (WVC) occurs when traffic coincides with a place where animals decide to cross the surface of a roadway. State departments of transportation have a consistent need to understand rates and locations of WVC but inconsistent access to tools to measure statistical significance of clusters of WVC which could need mitigation. This research brief summarizes the findings from the associated project, the objective of which was to develop a standard method for analyzing WVC “hotspots” (areas of concern) that any state could use to identify potential locations for WVC mitigation. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Life Sciences, Databases, High risk locations, Road kill, Traffic conflicts, Web applications, Wildlife, Wildlife crossings |
| Date: | 2020–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt2r67g2wr&r=all |
| By: | Joanna Piechucka |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of different regulatory designs on the cost efficiency of operators providing a public service, exploiting data from the French transport industry. The distinctive feature of the study is that it considers regulatory regimes as endogenously determined choices, explained by economic, political, and institutional variables. Our approach leans on a positive analysis to study the determinants of regulatory contract choices, which, in turn, affect the costs of operating urban public transport. Our results show that given similar network characteristics, networks operated under fixed-price contracts exert lower costs than those regulated under cost-plus contracts. This finding is in line with the theoretical prediction of new regulatory economics that fixed-price contracts provide more incentives for efficiency. Importantly, ignoring the endogeneity of contractual choices would lead to significantly underestimating the impact of contract type on cost efficiency. Our findings provide useful policy implications suggesting that the move toward more high-powered incentive schemes is indeed associated with significant cost efficiencies. Moreover, they highlights the importance of accounting for the endogeneity of regulatory contract choices. |
| Keywords: | Cost-efficiency; Endogenous contract choices; Transport industry |
| JEL: | L51 L92 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1851&r=all |
| By: | Barbour, Elisa; Grover, Salvador; Lamoureaux, Yulia; Chaudhary, Gyanendra; Handy, Susan |
| Abstract: | This report provides research findings from the first year of a two-year research project on patterns of local policymaking in California to support transit-oriented development (TOD), transit, and active transport. The project aims to assess motivations, perceived obstacles, and priorities for development near transit, in relation to patterns of local policy adoption, from the perspective of city planners in the state’s four largest regions: the San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento metropolitan areas. This first-stage report discusses research and policy context that informed the methodology, findings from the analysis of results from an online survey of city planning directors administered in the spring of 2019, and findings from two case studies of TOD policymaking in urban central cities, namely Los Angeles and Sacramento. A sampling methodology for conducting further case studies of TOD policymaking during the upcoming second phase of the project is also described, based on findings from the first year of the research. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Transit-oriented development, transit, land-use planning, policy adoption |
| Date: | 2020–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt7j37k8ms&r=all |
| By: | Antoine Kauffmann (NIMEC - Normandie Innovation Marché Entreprise Consommation - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - IRIHS - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Homme et Société - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université) |
| Abstract: | The governance of common goods is centered around a key notion : the tragedy of the commons. This paper proposes to examine the nature of this tragedy in a particular case : the transport and logistics infrastructure grouped around gateway corridors. After having characterised logistic infrastructure as a common good, this paper stucied the adaptation of Ostrom's (2010) common goods governance model to infrastructural common goods involved in the main French gateway corridors. |
| Abstract: | La gouvernance des biens communs s'articule autour d'une notion clé : la tragédie des biens communs. Cet article propose d'examiner la nature de cette tragédie dans un cas particulier : les infrastructures de transport et de logistique regroupées au sein des corridors logistico-portuaires. Après la caractérisation des infrastructures logistiques en tant que bien commun, ce papier étudie la transposabilité du modèle de gouvernance des biens communs de Ostrom (2010) au cas des communs infrastructurels mobilisés dans le transport fluvial sur les principaux corridors logistico-portuaires français. |
| Keywords: | Corridor,port,communs,infrastructure,fluvial,gouvernance |
| Date: | 2018–04–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02429522&r=all |
| By: | Sanfilippo Marco; Fiorini Matteo |
| Abstract: | We look at how improving roads can affect jobs and structural transformation.We use a novel geocoded dataset covering the universe of Ethiopian roads and match this information with individual data to identify the effects of improvements in road infrastructure on the creation, quality, and sectoral distribution of jobs over the period 1994–2013.We find that, at the district level, higher market potential due to better roads contributes to the creation of new jobs, reduces the share of agricultural workers, and increases that of workers in the services sector but not in manufacturing. The latter experiences a relative increase in the share of informal workers.Finally, investigating the underlying mechanisms, we show that patterns of internal migration and changes in economic opportunities can help to rationalize our findings. |
| Keywords: | infrastructure,Road transportation,Roads,Structural transformation,Ethiopia,Transportation |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2019-116&r=all |
| By: | Fan, Yueyue; Zhang, Yunteng |
| Abstract: | This research brief summarizes the findings from the associated study, which examined the potential to improve transportation system efficiency by reevaluating and redefining the role of public transit and its design principles in the new context of technology and shared mobility. Specifically, it evaluated the financial feasibility of an integrative, multimodal transportation system where public and private mobility services coexist to maximize economic and environmental benefits and free up public transit resources to be reallocated more efficiently. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Demand responsive transportation, Mobility applications, Paratransit services, Public transit, Ridership, Ridesourcing, Systems engineering |
| Date: | 2020–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt74n7r6zh&r=all |
| By: | Jaller, Miguell PhD; Qian, Xiaodong PhD; Zhang, Xiuli |
| Abstract: | This work addresses the distribution of warehouses and distribution centers (W&DCs) influenced by e-commerce, through spatial analysis and econometric modelling. Specifically, this work analyzes the concentration of W&DCs in various metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in California between 1989 and 2016-18; and studies the spatial relationships between W&DC distribution and other demographic and environmental factors through econometric modeling techniques. The work conducts analyses to uncover common trends in W&DC distribution. The analyses used aggregate establishment, employment, and other socio-economic information, complemented with transportation related variables. The results: 1) confirm that the weighted geometric centers of W&DCs have shifted slightly towards city central areas in all five MPOs; 2) W&DCs show a non-decreasing trend between 2008 and 2016; and 3) areas with more serious environmental problems are more likely to have W&DCs. A disaggregate analyses of properties sold and leased in one of the study regions shows a trend where businesses are buying or leasing smaller facilities, closer to the core of consumer demand. Among other factors, the growth of e-commerce sales, and expedited delivery services, which require proximity to the customers, may explain these trends. The study results provide insights for planners and policy decision makers, and will be of interest to practitioners, public and private entities, and academia. Caltrans, MPOs, and affiliated institutions of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation will directly benefit from the results as they want to avoid equity issues brought by the fast development of e-commerce, and its potential impact on W&DC distribution. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Warehouses, freight terminals, logistics, e-commerce, freight traffic, urban sprawl, social equity, disadvantaged communities |
| Date: | 2020–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt1pv6t7q9&r=all |
| By: | Marco Kouwenhoven (Significance); Gerard de Jong (Significance) |
| Abstract: | This paper compares the survey results of three value of travel time (VTT) surveys conducted in the Netherlands since the late 1980s. It discusses the method used in the Dutch studies for estimating VTT for business travel; the importance of travel time reliability; and the impacts of distance and productive or pleasant use of travel time on VTT. By comparing how VTT has evolved over time, this paper discusses potential impacts of technological changes on VTT and the use of VTT in project appraisals in the future. |
| Date: | 2019–11–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaab:2019/11-en&r=all |
| By: | Elbert, R.; Müller, J. P. |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:119221&r=all |
| By: | Fisker Peter; Sohnesen Thomas; Malmgren-Hansen David |
| Abstract: | Using convolutional neural networks applied to satellite images covering a 25 km x 12 km rectangle on the northern outskirts of Greater Maputo, we detect and classify buildings from 2010 and 2018 in order to compare the development in quantity and quality of buildings from before and after construction of a major section of ring road.In addition, we analyse how the effects vary by distance to the road and conclude that the area has seen large overall growth in both quantity and quality of housing, but it is not possible to distinguish growth close to the road from general urban growth.Finally, the paper contributes methodologically to a growing strand of literature focused on combining machine-learning image recognition and the availability of high-resolution satellite images. We examine the extent to which it is possible to exploit these methods to analyse changes over time and thus provide an alternative (or complement) to traditional impact analyses. |
| Keywords: | Impact evaluation,infrastructure,remote sensing,Mozambique |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2019-111&r=all |
| By: | Serhan Cevik |
| Abstract: | The widespread availability of internet search data is a new source of high-frequency information that can potentially improve the precision of macroeconomic forecasting, especially in areas with data constraints. This paper investigates whether travel-related online search queries enhance accuracy in the forecasting of tourist arrivals to The Bahamas from the U.S. The results indicate that the forecast model incorporating internet search data provides additional information about tourist flows over a univariate approach using the traditional autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and multivariate models with macroeconomic indicators. The Google Trends-augmented model improves predictability of tourist arrivals by about 30 percent compared to the benchmark ARIMA model and more than 20 percent compared to the model extended only with income and relative prices. |
| Date: | 2020–01–31 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:20/22&r=all |
| By: | Poland, Michelle (University of Otago); Sin, Isabelle (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Trust); Stillman, Steven (Free University of Bozen/Bolzano) |
| Abstract: | Research consistently finds more workplace injuries occur on Mondays than on other weekdays. One hypothesis is that workers fraudulently claim that off-the-job weekend sprains and strains occurred at work on the Monday in order to receive workers' compensation. We test this using data from New Zealand, where compensation is virtually identical whether or not an injury occurs at work. We still find that work claims, especially sprains and strains, occur disproportionately on Mondays, although less than in other jurisdictions. This suggests fraudulent claims in other countries are just one part of the story. Furthermore, we find work claims remain high on Tuesdays, and that workers' sprains and strains that occur off-the-job also disproportionately fall on Mondays. Sprains and strains treated at hospitals, which are not closed over the weekend, are also elevated on Mondays. However, Monday lost-time injuries are less severe than injuries on other days. Our findings are consistent with a physiological mechanism contributing to elevated Monday injury claims in New Zealand, but do not suggest doctors' offices being closed over the weekend, ergonomic explanations, or work being riskier on Mondays play important roles. |
| Keywords: | monday effect, workers compensation, accidents, incentives |
| JEL: | I18 I13 J38 |
| Date: | 2019–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12850&r=all |