Research in Transportation Economics最新文献

Workshop 7 looked beyond the narrow focus on efficiency and sustainable funding of transport systems to a wider view to meet a variety of different users’ needs as well as those of residents and taxpayers, recognising that these are not always the same people. The focus was on identifying the factors which lead to different levels of accessibility for different individuals and households and how these may not be reflected in area-based measures. Whether these differences can be met by more flexible transport systems targeted at specific (groups of) individuals or by providing better access to regular public transport by addressing the first/last mile problem needs careful analysis. Ultimately understanding different needs depends on being able to understand different types of household and their need based on their characteristics including a recognition that many transport demands (and constraints) are created by the need to provide care for other household members. This has implications for both the funding of public transport and how it is priced in a broader approach to underwriting mobility. The Workshop generated a set of recommendations for further research and for the development of policy.

Under the workshop's theme of optimising the impact of technological innovation on achieving sustainable public transport outcomes a total of 7 papers were presented and discussed and participants also completed a public transport contract “experiment”, taking the role of operators and authorities. The experiment benefited from having C-suite level representatives from both sides at the negotiation table with consultants and academics providing advisory support. Following an initial discussion on definitions relevant to sustainable transport outcomes and a recognition of how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our perspective on sustainability, papers were grouped into three themes to cover various perspectives on the impact of technological innovation on achieving sustainable public transport outcomes – authorities, operators and consumers/end-users. We developed several areas for further research including a requirement for a global benchmarking framework for sustainable transport outcomes and a need to better understand the right balance of uncertainty in innovation. There were also several policy recommendations such as the encouragement of greater sharing of data, information and best practice in sustainable (urban) mobility. This will be facilitated by more flexibility in contracts to allow new technology to be effectively deployed to measure and incentivise sustainable outcomes in public transport service delivery.

This workshop considered whether there was a need for a fourth way (or ways) to organise and regulate public transport to complement the three existing models of classic regulation, deregulation and limited competition (including competition for the market). This was particularly viewed from the perspective of what constitutes a good (public) transport authority. The evidence was based on five source papers and extensive discussions between the 14 workshop participants from eight countries. The key outcome was an update and extension of the Strategic, Tactical and Operational (STO) framework for planning and controlling public transport, with an enhanced focus on organisational and wider socio-economic aspects. However, the search for the elusive fourth way and the specification of the transport authority (and related bodies) to deliver public value continues.

The aim of this article is to assess the market power of the state-owned incumbents within the open-access lines in Europe and compare it among themselves. This article investigates three open-access lines in Europe: Prague-Ostrava line (in the Czech Republic), Vienna-Salzburg line (in Austria) and Bratislava-Košice (in Slovakia). The market power assessment of each of the state-owned incumbents on these lines is based on their market shares, average revenues per passenger-kilometre, whether there is a vertical separation of the infrastructure owner and railway service provider and the role of state intervention. Our results show that the state-owned incumbent in the Czech Republic on the Prague-Ostrava line has the lowest market power in comparison to other investigated open-access lines.

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly visible feature of modern society that places increasing strain on transport systems. Research has hitherto paid substantial attention to ways in which e-commerce might modify personal travel behaviour but has been less attentive to the ramifications of e-commerce for urban freight. Although contemporary conditions of urban freight are increasingly scrutinised by scholars in several disciplines, this study peeks into the future of urban freight from the scholarly perspective of sustainability transitions. Specifically, we investigate what expectations Norwegian freight providers hold for the transition pathways of their own sector. We find that the Norwegian urban freight sector expects technological shifts to be most prominent, pointing to the replacement of vans and lorries with low-emission models. Conversely, although deemed important enough, the urban freight sector orients less towards behavioural shifts that enhance efficiencies within and across freight providers. To ensure more transformative effects in the transition pathways of urban freight, we thus advise decision-makers in urban planning to establish inclusive approaches to policy making that enhance the legitimacy of technological and behavioural shifts in urban freight alike.

Motor vehicle crashes have been identified as a leading cause of death all over the world. To better promote traffic safety and protect lives of the traveling public, transportation agencies develop crash databases to effectively manage reportable motor vehicle crashes. Crash reports from law enforcement authorities usually serve as the primary source for motor vehicle crash data. However, unintentional errors in law enforcement crash reports, errors in state-maintained crash databases, and the migration and rearrangement of data could introduce problems of data consistency in crash databases. One such identified data inconsistency is regarding horizontal curves. It can result in misidentifications of curve-related crashes, which can affect safety analysis using these data. This is significant since many studies have related horizontal curves to crash frequency and severity. To solve this problem, this study proposed a methodological procedure for evaluating (i.e., identifying, classifying, and quantifying) curve-related misclassifications in crash databases. The applicability of the proposed methodological procedure was illustrated through a case study using the Crash Records Information System (CRIS) maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The results indicated that transportation agencies could employ the proposed methodological procedure to evaluate inconsistencies associated with curve-related crash data both effectively and efficiently.

Under the background of thriving digital economy and the digitization of port industry, using data derived from port cities in Guangdong, this study intends to investigate the spatial effect of digital economy on the port city coordination. This paper firstly measures the port city coupling coordination degrees and the digital economy comprehensive development levels, then estimates the spatial spill over effect of digital economy on the port city coordination by constructing the dynamic Spatial Durbin Model (SDM). To further clarify local patterns of the spatial effect, this paper subsequently analyses the spatial effects within and between three sub regions in Guangdong. The results show that first, the port city coordination has a habit persistence; second, the digital economy development may be mainly due to the local policy; third, the digital economy has a positive spatial spillover effect on the port city coordination, and the effect will increase over time; forth, the spatial effects in the Pearl River Delta and in the western and eastern areas present different patterns. The quantitative research enriches the port city theory under the new circumstances of digital economy, and brings new insights into regional integration and sustainable development.

The rise of e-commerce has led to an increase in parcel deliveries, increasing the need to address the cost and environmental impact of last-mile delivery. Customers who have become accustomed to next-day free delivery can play an important role therein by choosing more sustainable delivery options. Retailers and logistic service providers could give customers the choice to wait for their delivery or pick up their parcel from collection-and-delivery points. The purpose of this study was to examine how customers (the parcel recipients) can be stimulated to choose a more sustainable delivery option, and how this affects their satisfaction. Using two scenario-based experiments we found that customers can be steered towards more sustainable last mile delivery choices using financial and non-financial incentives. Financial incentives, in the form of a surcharge for the least sustainable option, were found to be very effective at extrinsically motivating customers to choose a more sustainable option yet had a negative impact on their satisfaction. The results provide insights for retailers to include sustainable delivery options at the check-out, and contribute to decision making on urban planning and utilization of urban space for e-commerce activities, as both parcel lockers and pick-up points require urban space.

The significance of new energy transportation in China's transportation sector is growing, accompanied by its increasing impact on the economy. Food production and importation play a crucial role in ensuring food security in China, with a specific emphasis on the importance of food import. Transportation is a key factor influencing food import, and China's current new energy transportation means may affect the efficiency of food transportation due to factors such as limited range, lower payload capacity, etc. These uncertainties pose potential risks to China's national security. This study aims to investigate the influence of new energy transportation on food import. The findings indicate that when the proportion of new energy transportation in total transportation is relatively low, its impact on food import is minimal. However, as the proportion increases significantly, it leads to a substantial decline in food import. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the need for cautious consideration when employing new energy transportation means for food transport.

Urban distribution centers (UDCs) are opening at unprecedented rates to meet rising home delivery demand. The trend has raised concerns over the equity and environmental justice implications of ecommerce's negative externalities. However, little research exists connecting UDC location to the concentration of urban freight-derived air pollution among marginalized populations. Using spatial data of Amazon UDCs in metropolitan Seattle, this study quantifies the socio-spatial distribution of home delivery-related commercial vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), corresponding air pollution, and explanatory factors. Results reveal that racial and income factors are relevant to criteria air pollutant exposure caused by home deliveries, due to tracts with majority people of color being closer in proximity to UDCs and highways. Tracts with majority people of color face the highest median concentration of delivery vehicle activity and emissions despite ordering less packages than white populations. While both cargo van and heavy-duty truck emissions disproportionately affect people of color, the socio-spatial distribution of truck emissions shows higher sensitivity to fluctuations in utilization. Prioritizing environmental mitigation of freight activity further up the urban distribution chain in proximity to UDCs, therefore, would have an outsized impact in minimizing disparities in ecommerce's negative externalities.