Thomas B Reed

Reduction in the burden of waiting for public transit due to real-time schedule information: a conjoint analysis study

This paper reports a conjoint analysis study that tested the hypothesis that the burden of waiting for transit will decrease as traveler certainty with respect to wait duration increases, i.e., with provision of real-time transit schedule information. Conjoint analysis has been used extensively as a means to evaluate individual preference or utility. The target audience for the conjoint study, which was carried out through the US mail in the Spring of 1994, consisted of 1000 randomly sampled employees on the University of Michigan Medical Campus. The conjoint data and the model developed through the study show that real-time transit schedule information is of potentially significant value to transit customers in that the burden of a given wait decreases as the degree of certainty about the duration of the wait increases. This result should further motivate transit system designers to redouble efforts to provide real-time transit schedule information. This is especially true since such information could also reduce the duration of the wait. Moreover, the conjoint model developed acts as an inferential tool for further investigating the relationship between information, reliability, and travel time and should be of significant value in transit system design.

TRANSIT-PASSENGER PERCEPTIONS OF TRANSIT-RELATED CRIME REDUCTION MEASURES

Violent crimes against public transit bus operators and passengers in Michigan were studied. The study was funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation and conducted by the University of Michigan in early 1999. A survey approach examined transit passenger perceptions of numerous transit-related crime reduction measures, primarily patrol and security, design actions, and technological innovation. The respondents ranked emergency telephones for passengers and increased lighting as the best crime prevention measures. The survey was part of a wider study that also surveyed transit agencies and transit vehicle operators.

The University of Michigan IVHS education program

Rapidly increasing demand for transportation combined with limited ability for expansion of facilities has led to recent degradations in the quality of transportation systems. Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (IVHS) represent a promising effort toward enabling more effective and efficient use of current capacity thus in essence expanding the roadway. As the concepts and technologies utilized by IVHS are new to much of the transportation community there is a need for an educational initiative in this area. In 1990 the University of Michigan (UM) responded to this need by creating the first, and to date the only, university program in IVHS education. The IVHS Education Program is receiving initial multi-year support from the U.S. Department of Transportation with matching support from the University of Michigan. Significant assistance is also being provided by sponsors from industry, the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan State University (MSU), and Wayne State University (WSU). The Program is structured as a cross-disciplinary cooperative effort to provide both traditional university and continuing education. Key new initiatives include; 1) a Certificate in Transportation Studies: IVHS which has been designed to complement the depth gained through a masters or Ph.D degree in an established discipline by providing breadth in practical knowledge relevant to IVHS, 2) an Engineering Summer Conference which is offered to expose practicing engineers and professionals to the latest developments in IVHS, and 3) an Executive Education Seminar which is held for corporate and government executives and planners interested in strategic issues in IVHS. The unconventional nature of the IVHS Education Program gave rise to a number of unique difficulties during development and implementation in a traditional university setting. It is hoped that the UM experience in overcoming these hindrances will prove beneficial to any institution seeking to provide similar education.

NONLINEAR DISUTILITY OF TRAVEL DELAY: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAFFIC DIVERSION BENEFIT AND STRATEGY

Most travelers tend to be tolerant of or oblivious to short travel delay whether it is expected (a result of recurring congestion) or unexpected (a result of nonrecurring congestion). In contrast, long travel delay is disproportionately burdensome, especially if it is unexpected. Thus, the disutility of travel delay, as subjectively assessed by the typical traveler, is nonlinear. The social benefit of traffic diversion for congestion reduction has traditionally been determined from calculations based on a linear disutility of delay. If, instead, a nonlinear disutility curve is used, the benefit might be substantially higher. In addition, graphical analyses taking nonlinear disutility into account suggest new traffic management strategies for diversion from incidents. A need for research to better determine the distribution of individual travel delay is indicated.