Kunihiro Kishi

Level of Snow Removal Service and Residents' Willingness to Pay: Evaluation for Four Japanese Cities

Residents were surveyed for their opinions on snow removal operations and the amount of money they would be willing to spend for snow removal service. From the results, basic policies are proposed for future snow removal operations in the four Japanese cities surveyed—Sapporo, Asahikawa, Kushiro, and Kitami, Japan. The results were analyzed by Kishi’s Logit PSM (KLP) to quantify the degree of snow removal desired by residents and the amount of money they would spend for this service. Residents rated maintenance of carriageway width and surface conditions on trunk roads fairly high and wanted significant improvements in snow removal on residential roads. Few residents wanted less snow removal service than they currently received. Most respondents wanted improvements. KLP analysis of the questionnaire results showed that Sapporo was the only city where the standard, acceptable cost to consumers was lower than its current snow removal cost. Many Sapporo respondents said that their current cost was unreasonably high, whereas many Asahikawa, Kushiro, and Kitami residents viewed their snow removal service as inexpensive.

Transportation Network Vulnerability: Vulnerability Scanning Methodology Applied to Multiple Logistics Transport Networks

Transport is a fundamental part of logistics activities, which play a critical role in the development of society. The safety and the reliability of logistics transportation networks significantly affect those activities. Network vulnerability assessment has been applied in the passenger transport mode. However, the methodology to assess the vulnerability of logistics transportation networks should be developed differently from that of passenger or other transport modes because of the networks’ specific requirements for trip success. This paper proposes a methodology applicable in logistics transportation network vulnerability assessment. To evaluate the performance of logistics transportation networks, logistics value is included in the generalized cost of logistics transportation. Moreover, network vulnerability assessment is affected by the nature of the component degradation. Here, the performance of logistics transportation networks is evaluated in transportation facility degradation scenarios. A vulnerability scanning algorithm is applied in link and node degradation scenarios. To reduce computational demands, an efficient vulnerability scanning algorithm is applied to the simulation, and a computer program is developed to make this methodology feasible in large-scale networks. Finally, this methodology based on future highspeed railway planning is applied in a real logistics transport network in northern Japan. The research was undertaken to assist logistics managers, researchers, and transportation planners in defining and comprehending the basic views of the vulnerability of logistics transportation networks and their various applications.

Vulnerability evaluation of logistics transportation networks under seismic disasters

The concept of vulnerability analysis is related to evaluating the consequences of network degradation caused by incidents such as social or natural disasters. Many methodologies have been proposed to evaluate transportation network vulnerability by quantifying the consequences of partial network degradation. However, the consequences of network degradation without a consideration of the probability of degradation are not enough to show the vulnerability features of a network under a specific disaster. In fact, because degradation of some parts of a network may have great consequences but a low probability of occurrence, it would not be reasonable to say that these parts are vulnerable. A methodology is proposed to scan the vulnerability of logistics transportation networks under seismic disasters. This methodology considers both the difference caused by component degradation and the probability of component degradation caused by a seismic disaster. The results will be helpful in forming a reinforcement policy for resisting seismic damage. An appropriate measurement of performance specific to logistics transportation networks, total generalized cost, is used in this method. Finally, visual results of the vulnerability evaluation of a study network are demonstrated with geographic information system technology.

Attitudinal Study on a Reciprocal Community Transport System in Japan

ABSTRACT In Japan, some mass transit companies were withdrawn from bus services in local municipalities after the deregulation in 2002. Elderly people who do not have a drivers license cannot help depending on transport services provided by family members or a municipality or on the remaining public transportation whose stations might be too far from their residences. To establish a new sustainable community transport, we propose a reciprocal community transport system that consists of volunteer ride-sharing transport services provided by residents who own private cars. Naganuma Town, Hokkaido, was applied as a case study, and a questionnaire survey was conducted. It was identified that there were enough potential transport service providers to cover the transport demand of potential service users. However, sufficient countermeasures against traffic accidents was found to be an issue to be overcome to secure the positive participation of residents in the transport system.

Planning historical evaluation of Sapporo Kanjo-dori ring road

As a policy which solves city traffic congestion, although maintenance of a ring road is promoted, construction is not progressing in almost all cities. Although under these circumstances Sapporo took the time for about 70 years, maintenance of the ring road which is not a highway was realized for the first time in Japan. The arc road plan in which the reason which Sapporo Kanjo-dori ring road completed was based on an ideal and reality was a factor.Moreover, there was thought of national defense, air defense, and fire prevention in the historical background of the plan.