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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Berliant, Marcus |
| Abstract: | We examine the fine microstructure of commuting in a game-theoretic setting with a continuum of commuters. Commuters' home and work locations can be heterogeneous. A commuter transport network is exogenous. Traffic speed is determined by link capacity and by local congestion at a time and place along a link, where local congestion at a time and place is endogenous. The model can be reinterpreted to apply to congestion on the internet. We find sufficient conditions for existence of equilibrium, that multiple equilibria are ubiquitous, and that the welfare properties of morning and evening commute equilibria differ on a generalization of a directed tree. |
| Keywords: | Commuting; Internet traffic; Congestion externality; Efficient Nash equilibrium |
| JEL: | L86 R41 |
| Date: | 2020–04–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:99603&r=all |
| By: | Kiani, Behdad; Ogden, Joan; Sheldon, F. Alex; Cordano, Lauren |
| Abstract: | California policy is incentivizing rapid adoption of zero emission electric vehicles for light-duty and freight applications. This project explored how locating charging facilities at California’s highway rest stops might impact electricity demand, grid operation, and integration of renewables like solar and wind into California’s energy mix. Assuming a growing population of electric vehicles to meet state goals, state-wide growth of electricity demand was estimated, and the most attractive rest stop locations for siting chargers identified. Using a California-specific electricity dispatch model developed at UC Davis, the project estimated how charging vehicles at these stations would impact renewable energy curtailment in California. It estimated the impacts of charging infrastructures on California’s electricity system and how they can be utilized to decrease the duck curve effect resulting from a large amount of solar energy penetration by 2050. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Highway Rest Areas, Electric Vehicle Charging, Energy System, Renewable Energy, Long-distance Travel |
| Date: | 2020–04–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt2c91x13m&r=all |
| By: | Lucas Bretschger (Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH), ETH Zurich, Switzerland); Elise Grieg (Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH), ETH Zurich, Switzerland) |
| Abstract: | Carbon taxes remain economists favoured policy tool to curb emissions, but are unpopular among segments of the populations. Theoretical and numerical work tends to show the effectiveness of carbon taxes, but ex-post empirical analyses are still rare. In this paper we attempt to bridge this gap. We construct a theoretical general equilibrium model with dirty and clean transportation to show the static and dynamic effects of a fuel tax on transportation and consumption by deriving closed-form solutions. We take the predictions of the model to data on the UK Fuel Tax Escalator, and estimate the impact of the tax on CO2 emissions, GDP, and transport behaviour. With a potential control pool of OECD countries, we use the synthetic control method to estimate the difference between the observed outcome in the UK and a synthetic counterfactual UK. We find that the tax has a large and significant impact on CO2 emissions from trafic, while there is no discernable impact on GDP or growth. We do not find large changes in driving behaviours, but the available evidence points to a possible switch to rail travel from road travel. |
| Keywords: | fuel tax, synthetic control method, climate policy, transport, level and growth effects |
| JEL: | Q43 O47 Q56 O41 |
| Date: | 2020–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eth:wpswif:20-332&r=all |
| By: | Montserrat Guillen (Dept. Econometrics, Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain); Ana M. Pérez-Marín (Dept. Econometrics, Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain); Manuela Alcañiz (Dept. Econometrics, Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain) |
| Abstract: | Reference charts are widely used as a graphical tool for assessing and monitoring children’s growth given gender and age. Here, we propose a similar approach to the assessment of driving risk. Based on telematics data, and using quantile regression models, our methodology estimates the percentiles of the distance driven at speeds above the legal limit depending on drivers’ characteristics and the journeys made. We refer to the resulting graphs as risk reference charts for speeding and illustrate their use for a sample of drivers with Pay-How-You-Drive insurance policies. We find that percentiles of distance driven at excessive speeds depend mainly on total distance driven, the percentage of driving in urban areas and the driver’s gender. However, the impact on the estimated percentile for these covariates is not constant. We conclude that the heterogeneity in the risk of driving long distances above the speed limit can be easily represented using reference charts and that, conversely, individual drivers can be scored by calculating an estimated percentile for their specific case. The dynamics of this risk score can be assessed by recording drivers as they accumulate driving experience and cover more kilometres. Our methodology should be useful for accident prevention and, in the context of Manage-How-You-Drive insurance, reference charts can provide real-time alerts and enhance recommendations for ensuring safety. |
| Keywords: | Motor insurance, Speed, Telematics, Quantile regression, Reference curves, Risk score JEL classification: C21, G22 |
| Date: | 2020–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202003&r=all |
| By: | Antonio Bento; Kevin Roth; Andrew R. Waxman |
| Abstract: | In Becker (1965) and neoclassical microeconomic theory the value of time is a constant fraction of the hourly wage. When taken to data, however, this value departs from theoretical predictions, and appears to vary with the amount of time saved. By observing drivers on freeways opting to enter toll lanes with high-frequency, time-varying prices that secure a minimum level-of-service, we uncover a new and fundamental aspect of preferences for travel time savings related to urgency. The presence of preferences for urgency, which reflect the fact that individuals often face discrete penalties for being late, allows us to reconcile the pattern observed in the data with neoclassical theory. Using a rich, repeated-transaction data and individual-level hedonic estimation, we show that the value of urgency accounts for 87 percent of total willingness-to-pay for time savings. As a result, ignoring the value of urgency in cost-benefit analysis severely underestimates the true value of time savings that projects deliver, as such omission will typically ignore non-trivial welfare gains to a potentially large number of individuals. |
| JEL: | D47 D61 D62 H23 L51 L91 Q58 R41 |
| Date: | 2020–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:26956&r=all |
| By: | Pierre C. Boyer (IPP - Institut des politiques publiques, CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - X - École polytechnique - ENSAE ParisTech - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, X - École polytechnique); Thomas Delemotte (CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - X - École polytechnique - ENSAE ParisTech - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ENSAE - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse Economique - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse Economique, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques); Germain Gauthier (CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - X - École polytechnique - ENSAE ParisTech - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, X - École polytechnique, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques); Vincent Rollet (X - École polytechnique); Benoît Schmutz (CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - X - École polytechnique - ENSAE ParisTech - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, X - École polytechnique, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques) |
| Abstract: | Where did the "gilets jaunes" protest movement come from? From its first Saturday of action in November 2018, the movement was distinctive for both its local character and its national coverage. Relying on novel Facebook data, we show that there is a strong correlation between online mobilisation (on Facebook) and offline mobilisation (blockading of roundabouts), and offer a fine-grained and contrasted mapping of the data, at the scale of départements and commuting zones. By simultaneously controlling for the different political, economic and geographical factors likely to explain the movement's genesis, we reveal the signicant role played by mobility issues, particularly the speed limit reduction to 80 km/h on secondary roads and commuting distances.. |
| Date: | 2019–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-02520762&r=all |
| By: | Giménez-Nadal, José Ignacio; Molina, José Alberto; Velilla, Jorge |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the commuting behavior of workers in Western European countries, with a focus on the differences in commuting time between employees and the self-employed in these countries. Using data from the last wave of the European Working Conditions Survey (2015), we analyze the commuting behavior of workers, finding that male and female self-employed workers devote 14% and 20% less time to commuting than their employee counterparts, respectively. Furthermore, differences in commuting time between employees and self-employed females depend on the degree of urbanization of the worker’s residential location, as the difference in commuting time between the two groups of female workers is greater in rural areas, in comparison to workers living in urban areas. By analyzing differences in commuting time between groups of European workers, our analysis may serve to guide future planning programs. |
| Keywords: | Commuting time,European Working Conditions Survey,Self-employed workers,Employees |
| JEL: | R40 O57 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:514&r=all |