Clarence Woudsma

Exclusive Truck Facilities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Analysis of Truck and Automobile Demand

Segregation of truck traffic from passenger traffic through implementation of exclusive truck facilities in key economic corridors can lead to improvements in traffic flow characteristics, safety, and freight efficiency in congested corridors. A model of the 400 series highways around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assesses alternative configurations of exclusive truck facilities. The demands are based on passenger travel data from a household travel survey, intercity truck travel information from a roadside survey, and urban truck travel information from a three-stage model based on shipper survey data. Origin–destination (O-D) flows are assigned to a regional road network by using a generalized cost multiclass user equilibrium model, and preliminary ramp-to-ramp matrices are extracted from the results of the traffic assignment model. Ramp-to-ramp matrices are improved by using O-D matrix updating. After the O-D matrix updating, observed freeway volumes by vehicle type are replicated very closely in the base case. Converting a lane of mixed traffic to an exclusive truck lane on Highway 401 results in an increase in truck demand and lower truck travel times. Construction of a new exclusive truck highway in an existing hydro corridor through Toronto improves travel times moderately for passenger cars and significantly for medium and heavy trucks.

Simulation Model for Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Transportation and the Economy in Canada

It is widely argued that severe weather events and episodes of poor weather conditions (cold snaps and heat waves) have significant impact on regional economies and transportation systems. Several studies have focused on quantifying this relation from observed data. However, little has been done to simulate and assess the long-term impacts of climate change on regional transportation systems and economies. This is because of the lack of simulation models that are able to link changes in weather events to transportation system performance and interregional trade flows. This paper reports on the development of CLIMATE-C, a tool for simulation of the assessment of the impact of climate on transportation and the economy in Canada. Linkages between transportation and the economy are handled through a random utility-based multiregional input– output model (RUBMRIO), which predicts interregional trade flows by truck and rail among the 76 economic regions of Canada for 43 commodities. But the influence of weather on transportation is handled through speed adjustment factors that account for the reduction in travel speeds because of changes in the frequency of various weather events. Therefore, changes in the frequency of weather events translate into travel delays, which in turn influence trade flows between regions. Sensitivity analysis with the implemented model illustrated its ability to assess the impact of climate change on transportation and the economy in Canada.

The Impacts of Trucking Deregulation in Ontario: A Market-Specific Analysis

The deregulation of transportation industries has been an ongoing part of the trend towards less government involvement in the marketplace. This paper deals with two important questions related to the impact of the reform of economic regulations in the Ontario for-hire trucking industry (Truck Transportation Act, 1989). Has there been an overall decline in shipment rates and have shipment rates involving less accessible regions increased disproportionately? The conclusions indicate that overall, there has been a decline in shipment rates in the truckload (TL) segment of the industry, although the results are inconsistent in the less-than-truckload (LTL) segment. Also, there does not appear to be a significant increase in the rates for service to less accessible regions. While deregulation has had an influence on certain specific markets examined, the scale and range of impacts have not approached those projected in the debates concerning deregulation in Ontario.

Freight Transportation: The Evolving Landscape of Matters and Models

The 1980s marked the beginning of tumultuous changes in transportation with the forces of deregulation and privatization undertaken by states across the globe. It also marks a time where computing power began its dispersion and ascension, contributing to significant developments in the models applied to transportation challenges. This chapter provides a critical synopsis of the major matters that have influenced freight transportation over the past 30 years and the methods and models applied to those matters. Through this synopsis, the research contributions of Dr. Kanaroglou to the field of freight transportation are highlighted. In the 1980s, studying freight transportation in the intercity and metropolitan context was not a high priority and nor was it politically important. “Freight matters”—in one meaning is a call for recognition, and this chapter argues the call has been answered, concluding with a discussion of exciting prospects for the future.