Alexa Delbosc

Causes of youth licensing decline: a synthesis of evidence

In recent decades, young adults in many developed nations have become increasingly less likely to acquire a driving license. If this trend continues it could have significant impacts on transport futures. Licensing reductions have only recently been identified and causes are only just being explored. This paper presents a first synthesis of available evidence including an assessment of more influential causal factors. It begins by documenting the declining trend evident in 9 of 14 documented countries; the average rate of decline is 0.6% per annum, with highest declines documented in Australia. A range of causal factors are documented from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Changes in life stage and living arrangements, changes in motoring affordability, location and transport, graduated driver licensing schemes, attitudinal influences and the role of e-communication are all explored. Evidence is in general weak and preliminary but suggests multiple causes rather than any single influence. However, of the evidence available life stage factors and affordability influences have stronger links to license decline but are only likely to have a low affect size.

Social Media Use during Unplanned Transit Network Disruptions: A Review of Literature

Abstract This paper explores social medias role in managing unplanned transit networks disruptions. Although literature exists more broadly on the use of social media in transit, this paper presents the first literature review in this setting. When disruptions occur, commuters require reliable, up-to-date information. Its provision reduces anxiety and allows informed choices. Social media is beneficial given it provides real-time information but it can only supplement (not replace) conventional approaches. Information reliability was critical. Research in the field of disaster management illustrates the importance of publicly contributed information. Known as “crowdsourcing”, it is part of the emerging field of crisis informatics which for the first time was linked to unplanned transit disruption management. The results highlight that social medias real-time nature can reduce disrupted travel demand; however, its utilisation can be resource-intensive. A framework presented illustrates how social media utilisation varies according to the operational characteristics of a disrupted network. Social media use as an information delivery tool is still in its infancy and an unwillingness to embrace it is an impediment to sustained growth. Crowdsourcing is one approach that could resolve the issue of transit agency resourcing whilst satisfying the increased demand and expectation for real-time information.

Disruption Recovery in Passenger Railways

This research paper explores the manner in which passenger rail transit organizations plan for and manage unplanned service disruptions through an international survey of practices. The research reported here included semistructured interviews of those staff responsible for service disruption management within 71 international transit agencies. Results suggested that 20% of agencies had parallel transit systems that could be used by commuters whose service was disrupted. Most of these systems existed in inner-city contexts. Track intrusions, medical emergencies, weather extremes, and track and rolling stock failures were common causes of unplanned disruptions. Bus bridging was the most common response to line blockages, while transfer of passengers to the next train was the most common approach to individual rolling stock failures. Track crossovers were widely seen as critical to manage responses to disruptions. A small minority, mostly in cold climates, also saw crossovers as a cause of unplanned failures. Most agencies used spare buses as bus-bridging vehicles. Only 45% actively retracted buses from existing scheduled bus services. Some of these agencies did acknowledge that retraction often was done in extenuating circumstances, however. Rarely did agencies have a strategic reserve of buses for bus-bridging purposes. This paper discusses the implications of the study findings for further research and practice. This paper also documents that all responses to unplanned disruptions can be categorized according to the key disruption characteristics of duration, cause, time, and location, and it provides a typology of response mechanisms on the basis of such characteristics.

Exploring Comparative Ridership Drivers of Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail Transit Routes

A major research gap is the relative ridership performance of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), and streetcar (SC). This paper assesses ridership influences of 101 routes in Australia, Europe, and North America using multiple regression examining the influence of transit mode, vehicle capacity, service level, employment/residential density, car ownership, speed, stop spacing, right-of-way, vehicle accessibility, and integrated fares on ridership (boardings/vehicle km; BVK). Average ridership is higher for LRT/SC routes than for BRT routes, and although service levels vary greatly, they are lower on BRT systems. Residential/employment density is higher for LRT/SC routes compared to BRT. A regression model predicting BVK was significant (R2 = 0.83) with six predictors: being in Europe, speed, vehicle capacity, employment density, service level, and integrated ticketing. Results suggest that the transit mode does not directly impact ridership but rather acts through vehicle size and service levels. Limitations and opportunities for future research are identified.

Modeling Dwell Time for Streetcars in Melbourne, Australia, and Toronto, Canada

Previous research indicates that dwell time is a major factor influencing transit competitiveness. Streetcars have particularly uncompetitive running times, but no research has explored influences on streetcar dwell time. There is also no analytical research on dwell time effects of stop design despite anecdotal evidence showing that platform stops have reduced streetcar dwell time. This paper presents an empirical study of factors affecting dwell time on streetcars in Melbourne, Australia, and Toronto, Canada. It focuses on tram stop design. Results show that payment of fares to drivers on entry in Toronto increases dwell time compared with onboard self-ticket validation in Melbourne (β = .26). For a typical case of 10 passengers boarding and five alighting, the Melbourne approach saves 9.4 s (48%) of dwell time compared with Toronto. Tram stop design, notably platform stops, was the next most significant factor affecting streetcar dwell time (β = -.18). For a typical case of 10 passengers boarding and five alighting, platform stops reduce dwell time by 6.6 s or 25%. A positive link between the number of doors on trams and dwell time was found; however, this is thought to result from insufficient examples of high boarding numbers on four-door trams. The results suggest that off-vehicle or postboarding ticket purchase and validation are significant strategies for reducing dwell time. Providing platform stops is also a potential strategy for reducing dwell time. Areas for future research are suggested.

Transport Disadvantage: A Review

Abstract Purpose — This chapter provides an overview of contemporary perspectives on transport disadvantage. Definitions of transport disadvantage from the literature are brought together and differing frameworks are discussed. The chapter also examines research topics concerning forced car ownership and coping behaviours related to transport disadvantage. Methodology — Methodology concerns the review of existing research literature. Findings — Transport disadvantage is a complex, multidimensional construct brought about by the interaction between land use patterns, the transport system and individual circumstances. Although the majority of literature focuses on transport disadvantage imposed by not owning a car, research into ‘forced’ car ownership suggests that the high costs of owning and running a car can impose transport disadvantage through financial stress. Using alternative modes to the car, getting lifts or restricting travel and access are common coping strategies to deal with transport disadvantage.

Proactive Recovery from Rail Disruptions Through Provision of Track Crossovers and Bus Bridging

This paper explores the importance of providing track crossovers in addressing the issue of replacement bus services in response to unplanned rail service disruptions by using a case study in Melbourne, Australia. Crossovers determine the point from which rail replacement bus services can operate and thus are critical in determining the scale, costs, and benefits of rail disruption management. Despite research evidence that provision for crossovers is important in managing rail disruption, the research literature gives little guidance concerning how it can be achieved and what the relative costs and benefits of providing crossovers are. Theoretical modeling evaluated passenger and operator impacts of alternative crossover plans for a case study of unplanned service disruptions on a suburban rail line in Melbourne. Results showed that an additional crossover reduced user rail disruption costs by 78% to 96%, while bus hire costs were reduced by 63% to 93%. Results suggested that only a few rail disruptions annually would make the provision of track crossovers financially viable on the basis of savings in rail replacement bus service costs. Research found that locating crossovers as close as possible to areas of major disruption provided the most benefits for users and operators. Sensitivity tests showed that even with significantly lower ridership and a lower frequency of disruption, the addition of crossovers was financially positive and generated substantial user benefits. All highlighted results are with respect to the one suburban rail line under analysis. Provision of additional track crossovers appears to be a highly positive means of reducing costs and improving services. However, research indicates that crossovers can cause disruption on some rail systems, and this factor needs to be considered in rail planning.

Field Survey Results

Abstract Purpose — This chapter overviews the field survey results. It includes simple tabulations of transport-related survey results, analysis of transport problems, the impact of fuel price increases, home location decisions, forced car ownership (FCO) analysis and coping strategies with low/zero-car ownership. Some preliminary analysis is undertaken of realised trip rates and correlations of elements of the survey results. Methodology — Methodology concerns the quantitative statistical analysis of survey findings including some simple correlation tests. Findings — Over half the sample faced difficulty accessing activities because of transport problems. Between 1 and 10% identified activities they cannot do because of transport problems (a higher share in Latrobe). Nearly half had changed travel habits because of petrol price increases most commonly increasing the activities completed on each trip (trip linking). Affordability was the most important reason for home location. A quarter of those who helped decide where to live now wish they had considered other factors most commonly living closer to public transport. FCO households agreed that transport costs were high and used a diverse range of strategies to reduce costs. A high majority said their choices were limited; however, many also liked the mobility and home location choices they had made. Results also show a strong positive link between income, employment, car ownership and mobility. Social exclusion and well-being have a negative correlation at a high level of statistical significance.

Assessing Travel Demand Management for the Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games present the largest-ever transport challenge for host cities that are often already facing aging infrastructure and congestion pressures. This paper reviews approaches to travel demand management (TDM) for travel related to the Olympic Games and assesses documented evidence on travel impacts. The review aims to inform future planning for the games but also to provide lessons for general urban planning. This paper is part of a wider research project applying transport lessons from Olympic Games to the Hajj–Omrah pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Five Olympic TDM measures are described: travel capacity creation, travel behavior change, traffic efficiency, traffic bans, and public transit emphasis. Different approaches and their impact on travel are discussed, with particular emphasis on how base-load nongames travel is reduced. In general, more recent games have emphasized significant investment in high-capacity transit infrastructure and much stronger measures for reducing car use than conventionally occurs in host cities because of the relative capacity efficiency of these modes. There is some evidence that more recent games have adopted more subtle TDM approaches such as test events and communications strategies to reduce base load travel. Evidence suggests that reductions of up to 30% occur in systemwide base-load demand and that localized impacts can be up to 40%. The games provide a practical case study for general urban planning because strong TDM practices are applied to achieve significant change in congested cities. These changes provide an excellent basis to inform planning for congested cities facing similar challenges in general urban transport.

International Study of Current and Potential Social Media Applications in Unplanned Passenger Rail Disruptions

This paper presents research on the role that social media play in the management of unplanned passenger rail disruptions. The study incorporated an international survey of 86 agencies on current practice and a case study on social media use in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Research literature on social media in transit is limited; this paper presents the first analysis of their practical use during unplanned passenger rail disruptions. When disruptions occur, passengers need reliable, up-to-date information, which should be transparent and sympathetic to the impact of delays on passengers. Social media are useful during disruptions, because social media enable concise, real-time information to be provided and enable passengers to make informed, proactive choices in commonly reactive and suboptimal situations. Passengers have greater opportunity to take control of their situation as a result of social media communication. The international survey results indicated that 86% of the agencies used Twitter, 33% used Facebook, and only 12% did not use social media. Twitter was prevalent in high-frequency networks; its real-time nature provided the most appeal. Social media benefited soon-to-travel commuters the most and enabled proactive selection of alternative travel and nontravel options. The needs for support staff resources and skills were identified as impediments to social media deployment. Rail agencies also reported that the management of commuter expectations in the use of social media was a growing concern. A conceptual model for the social media impact on disruptions is developed in the paper on the basis of the research findings. The paper discusses future research and practice opportunities.