Using the land-use planning process to secure travel plans: an assessment of progress in England to date

A travel plan is a package of measures implemented by an organisation to encourage people who travel to/from that organisation to do so by means other than driving alone by private car. This paper advances two principal arguments: firstly, that the planning system and maximum parking standards as part of it are the main factors leading to travel plan development in England today; and, secondly, that the difficulties of using the planning system in this way means that there is a risk that many of these travel plans are unlikely to have a great deal of influence on travel patterns, making it more unlikely that they will achieve the predicted impact on travel behaviour change, as contained in the important study and report “Smarter Choices” (Department for Transport, 2004).This paper presents results from a survey of planning and transport authorities in England, which obtained a 62% response rate from the 139 authorities contacted. It also uses the results of 18 interviews with local authority and Highways Agency staff involved in securing travel plans through the planning process. The survey found that the planning process (as opposed to voluntary efforts) is indeed the main means by which travel plans are now secured. In addition, maximum parking standards were shown to have a major influence on travel plan formation for organisations going through the planning process. There are however reasons to doubt that all of the travel plans secured through the planning process are effective. This is because:

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Many local authorities use only planning conditions and not the more flexible (but complex) obligations which would allow more complex travel plans to be secured.

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There is a lack of monitoring of travel plans in many authorities.

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There is evidence that in many authority areas there are travel plans in breach of legal agreements, but these breaches are not enforced, reportedly due to a lack of monitoring, resources, and other organisational issues.

The paper discusses the reasons for these findings and also makes a number of suggestions as to how the planning system could be improved as a means of securing travel plans.     

The economics and geography of regional airline services in six countries

Do the determinants of service and pricing on “regional” routes – linking towns and smaller cities to main trunk routes and/or to each other – differ from the established results from the literature? We study all flights (about 3000) on all regional routes (about 250) with scheduled airline service from one of about 130 regional towns or cities, in regional airline markets in six countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and a sample of three U.S. states which closely resemble the other regions studied. For each flight we have observations on up to five prices offered at different times before flight date. We also have equipment type and social-economic data. Overall, our results give qualified support to the standard gravity model of the extent of service between city pairs, though with two interesting differences: operators on regional routes have greater flexibility in the size of aircraft they can deploy, which results in a finer-grained variability of service offerings and, the presence of competition on regional routes has a large effect on the total supply of seats. We are able to successfully estimate a well-specified airfare model, which shows strong effects of competition on prices, quite substantial intertemporal price discrimination, and interesting differences between regional and main trunk route pricing.     

Market effects of regional high-speed trains on the Svealand line

When the Svealand line in Sweden opened in 1997, it replaced an older railway line between Eskilstuna and Stockholm (a distance of 115 km). Service on the Svealand line is operated with regional high-speed trains. In a case study of the effects of regional high-speed train services, changes in knowledge, valuations and travel behaviour have been analysed. The Svealand line has sparked an increase in regional rail travel of up to seven times compared to the old railway between Eskilstuna and Stockholm. Additionally, the market share has risen from 6% to 30%. Travelling times are valued highly and motorists, particularly, place great value on the high-speed train mode of transport.A general conclusion is that regional high-speed train services have had a major impact on the travel market and on travel behaviour. The improved accessibility to Stockholm, in particular, is especially noticeable among residents living close to the railway stations.     

Hazmat facility location and routing analysis with explicit consideration of equity using the Gini coefficient

This paper develops a model to analyze facility location and routing decisions in the context of hazardous materials transportation. A novel aspect of this model is the explicit consideration of equity using the Gini coefficient, an established computation to evaluate equity. To solve the model, we develop a method that combines Lagrangean relaxation with column generation and illustrate that method using a realistic case study. We present a case study of hazardous material railway transportation with consideration of social horizontal equity categorizing the population by household income.     

Using accessibility measures to integrate land use and transport policy in Edinburgh and the Lothians

To ensure more effective integration of development and transport planning, new national planning policy guidance in the UK requires greater consideration of accessibility issues. Although quantitative accessibility analysis is common in research, the practical application of these techniques in land use planning has been rare, and assessment has been restricted to qualitative considerations. The strong policy focus on accessibility increases the need for robustness, but practical quantitative techniques are still evolving. This paper describes a structured approach to accessibility analysis, as part of the development of a new structure plan for Edinburgh and the Lothians, and demonstrates how an ‘integration index’ can be developed from accessibility measures to help compare alternative approaches.     

A method to assess the eco-efficiency of a public bus transportation service

Brazilian Public Bus Transportation Service transports over 34.4 million passengers daily using approximately 107,000 urban buses. This service costs millions of dollars annually to the municipality and emits several pollutants to the atmosphere. Therefore, this paper proposes a method to assess the eco-efficiency of a Public Bus Transportation Service. The proposed method was tested in a medium-sized urban region in Brazil. Different scenarios representing changes in the vehicles engines and fuels were tested and analyzed. Six eco-efficiency indicators regarding emissions and fuel consumption were proposed to assess which mix of engines and fuels would bring the greatest eco-efficiency. The results were compared to targets based on Brazilian regulation and showed that the renewal of the fleet is necessary to meet the environmental targets, while also achieving fuel costs reduction.     

The impacts of high-speed rail extensions on accessibility and spatial equity changes in South Korea from 2004 to 2018

The construction of South Korean High-Speed Rail (HSR) or Korea Train eXpress (KTX) has been evolving in phases since its first operation in 2004. This development raises concerns whether the benefits from the extended HSR network would again be limited to the initial HSR corridors and will deepen the inequalities in accessibility with the rising issue of uneven regional development of the country. This paper measures the accessibility of each stage of HSR network extension and evaluates its spatial distribution, variation, and changes using weighted averaged travel time and potential accessibility indicators. The results of this study find different accessibility impacts from each stage of HSR extension. Although travel-time reduction and increased attractions have been widened in more cities by each HSR extension, the spatial equity is degenerated by the extension in 2010/2011 as the improvement of accessibility has been concentrated in cities along the primary HSR corridor near the already-advantageous Seoul capital area. In contrast, the future HSR extension in 2018 will enhance equitable accessibility to the isolated regions such as the northeast and the southwest regions of the country. However, the relative degree of accessibility improvement will not be large enough for increasing the spatial equity of accessibility without more extended HSR networks between provinces.     

对推进铁路货运业务向现代物流转型的探讨

应用SWOT分析法系统剖析铁路货运业务实施现代物流转型战略的环境因素,对铁路发展现代物流的战略定位、基本功能、总体思路进行初步探讨。     

Evolution of the international air transportation country network from 2002 to 2013

In this research, we analyze the evolution of the international air transportation country network from 2002 to 2013 with two perspectives: The network’s physical topology and the functional network with traffic information. Our analysis shows that the network is scale-free and has the small-world property. The evolution of triadic properties suggests that the network gears towards symmetric, transitive closure. We find that United States, Great Britain, and France are critical from both perspectives; Surprisingly, South Africa is particularly critical from topological point of view. Furthermore, topological and functional criticality are highly correlated to the GDP of a country.     

铁路第六次大面积提速在优化运力资源配置扩大运输能力方面取得的成果

铁路运输部门利用既有线提速资源,发挥以动车组为代表的新技术装备优势,挖掘路网潜力,开展运输组织创新,编制完成“4.18”全路第六次大面积提速调图工作,全路车流径路、编组计划、运输组织、机车运用等得到全面优化,客货产品更趋丰富完善,客货服务全面创新,客货能力大幅增长,运输生产得到了进一步释放,为国民经济又好又快地发展将发挥积极的作用。     

A note on shared transportation for tourists with special reference to the Israeli sherut

In this note, we provide answers to two hitherto unstudied questions in the literature concerning the provision of shared transportation to tourists. First, we ascertain the long run fraction of time that there is no sherut taxi at a designated taxi stand. Second, we determine the long run fraction of tourists who are lost to the sherut taxi providing firm because no taxis are available when arriving tourists want a taxi. Finally, we show that these two long run fractions are equal because the so called PASTA property holds in our model. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

拓展运输市场需求提高高铁经济效益

针对高速铁路运营模式特点,分析高铁开办快递业务的必要性,探讨如何拓展消费市场,延伸需求服务,建议以快递运输市场为高铁新的经济增长点,采取简单易行的高铁混运兼容模式运行,以促进高铁经济效益的提高。     

A systems-based approach to address unintended consequences of demand-driven transportation planning in national parks and public lands

In most cases, transportation planning in national parks and public lands might most appropriately be termed “demand-driven.” In this approach, rigorous analyses of park visitation, traffic, and parking data are used as a basis for transportation planning to accommodate current and projected future visitor demand, within financial constraints. Performance measures used to assess the quality of transportation systems in national parks are generally related to “moving people” efficiently. This approach is based on well-established principles for transportation planning in urban and rural communities. However, a demand-driven approach to transportation planning may not be suitable in national parks and public lands because it may enable levels of visitation that cause visitor crowding, resource impacts, and other unintended consequences. This paper introduces a more sustainable, systems-based transportation planning approach developed in the Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) to help the park operate its shuttle bus system efficiently and conveniently, and according to thresholds for visitor crowding and resource impacts at sites serviced by the shuttle system. The transportation planning approach developed in this study for ROMO is more suitable and sustainable for national parks and public lands than a demand-driven approach, and is readily adaptable to other locations. Correspondingly, the approach is now being applied in several other national parks and public lands recreation areas.     

高速铁路网规划和运输组织的理论与实践初探

根据高速铁路的技术特征,对高速铁路、城际铁路的线路走向、车站及站场布局、与其他交通方式无缝化衔接、主要通道客货分线运输、旅客列车运输组织协调等因素进行了分析,对高速铁路路网规划、运输组织理论作了初步探讨,并对高速铁路网规划建设和运输组织实践作了简要分析。     

CAFTA框架下广西交通的经济相关性

随着中国-东盟自由贸易区的建立,广西将在中国与东盟各国的经贸交往中发挥重大作用。根据区域经济与区域交通运输相适应的关系,搜集广西经济、贸易、交通等发展情况的有关数据并进行线性回归分析,对CAFTA下广西交通适应性做出评价。目前广西交通滞后于双边贸易增长带来的需求,尤其表现在铁路系统。应该加大对广西铁路基础设施的投资建设,更好地促进中国-东盟自由贸易区的发展。     

以健全提速安全保障体系为重点确保铁路运输安全持续稳定

总结铁路第六次大面积提速调图取得的阶段性成果,深入分析提速安全面临的新情况和新变化,动员全路干部职工深入探索提速安全规律,加快健全提速安全保障体系,深化安全基础建设,确保第六次大面积提速持续安全稳定,为全面深入推进和谐铁路建设、实现铁路又好又快发展创造良好环境.     

Using the Delphi method to assess the potential of Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector

The purpose of the present study is to identify the various factors that influence the competitiveness of the hot springs tourism sector. The research draws on the models of Ritchie and Crouch, Dwyer and Kim, and Enright and Newton, who concluded that destination competitiveness is determined by three major components: resources and attractors, destination strategies and environments. The investigation produced both qualitative and quantitative data using the Delphi technique. An expert panel reached consensus about priorities for the development of Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector and provided written justifications for their responses. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of the three‐round Delphi survey and provides a supply‐side perspective on Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector. An examination of the expert comments concluded that the Taiwanese are increasingly concerned with good health and longevity. This emerging characteristic offers new business opportunities for the providers of hot springs tourism experiences to extend their appeal into health protection and medical treatments. However, if they are to achieve sustainable development and ensure high‐quality visitor experiences, hot springs proprietors will need to work closely with local governments and communities to promote sustainable use of natural hot springs and to conduct routine inspections of spa premises. Overall, the future of the hot springs tourism sector appears to be promising. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.     

Do Public Service Obligations hamper the cost competitiveness of regional airlines?

Panel data is used to model the cost of a set European and US regional air carriers between 1991 and 2002 to see the extent to which they are affected by Public Service Obligations or the US's Essential Air Service Program. Pooling the data set indicates that the Public Service Obligations in Europe do affect the economic performance of carriers, but this is not the case for the US's Essential Air Service Program.     

The role of regional airports and air services in the United Kingdom

This paper deals with the implications of the 1998 UK transport White Paper for regional airports and air services within the wider context of the promotion of an integrated and sustainable transport system. More specifically, the discussion initially addresses the political and business context of the development of air transport in the UK regions. Secondly, the recent trends defining that development are isolated, particular attention being paid to the increasing importance of supplier-led strategies in air transport and the segmented markets served by regional airports. Finally, the three, not easily reconciled, strands, which can be identified in the White Paper’s analysis of aviation are considered. These are: air transport's relationship with sustainable development; the integration of air transport with surface modes; and the contribution of air transport to regional economic growth.     

High-speed rail and regional development: the case of intermediate stations

High-speed rail has developed both nationally and internationally in Europe as a successful alternative to both air and road over distances of 400–600 km. Inter-city traffic, especially between the major metropolitan areas in North-west Europe has benefitted greatly from the investment in this network. This paper explores two issues: the impact on the intermediate areas between these major metropolitan areas and the creation of potential cross-border inter-regional services. The evidence shows how both levels of service and potential economic impacts have been much less pronounced in these intermediate areas. Such areas have been affected both by a failure to see greatly improved direct access to major cities other than within their own countries and a lack of new cross-border inter-regional services. The paper argues that the creation of the high-speed rail TEN-T has not met the primary objectives of reducing regional disparities in accessibility or reducing the effect of national borders on regional integration. To achieve this requires not just infrastructure provision but an appropriate regulatory framework for service provision and accompanying measures at the local level.