From hub to tourist destination – An explorative study of Singapore and Dubai's aviation-based transformation

The growth of air transport networks and deregulation have allowed small, low-populated places like Singapore and Dubai to become major international tourism destinations. Both have used tightly combined airline, airport and tourism strategies to help achieve this. Here we analyse developments in Singapore and Dubai by examining interactions between their airlines, airports, governments and tourism authorities, and how integrated management strategies leveraged their aviation traffic hubs to develop tourism destinations.     

Is telecommuting sustainable? An alternative approach to estimating the impact of home-based telecommuting on household travel

Telecommuting is regarded as a sustainable travel-demand management strategy. In investigating how much telecommuting reduces travel, studies typically adopt one method of the following three: (1) multiplying the telecommuting frequency by the round-trip commute distance, (2) measuring travel changes using quasi-experiments, and (3) determining the marginal effect of telecommuting on travel using econometric analyses. However, each approach has methodological limitations, and previous studies fail to take into consideration various aspects of household travel other than the telecommuter's commute. Against this backdrop, this study presents an alternative approach to estimating the impact of the household head's telecommuting on total household travel other than his or her commute travel using data from the 2006 Household Travel Survey in Korea. Our series of stratified tobit regression analyses show that when the household head does not commute, the usual compensatory travel mechanism induces person-kilometers traveled of 2 km. This rebound effect doubles when the household head telecommutes, although not on regular commuting days. The effect suggests that the benefits of telecommuting are significantly less than anticipated. Consequently, planners and policy makers should consider this counteracting effect when predicting the travel reduction effect of telecommuting or determining the level of telecommuting required to achieve environmental policy goals for urban sustainability.     

An optimization approach to aircraft dispatching strategy with maintenance cost – A case study

This paper presents an optimization approach to identify aircraft dispatching strategy at a flight training school. The strategy adopted by the school was to dispatch the aircraft which is closest to its scheduled maintenance. This strategy was examined and compared with other potential dispatching strategies. The paper presents a mixed integer linear programming model to identify the strategy that minimizes the total cost of scheduled maintenance. The analysis shows that the optimization approach can save 2%–5% on annual maintenance cost compared with other strategies. The model can equally be applied to rental cars or trucking companies.     

What drives passenger loyalty to traditional and low-cost airlines? A formative partial least squares approach

Based on a case study involving passengers from Lufthansa, Croatia Airlines and Germanwings, we examine the determinants of passenger loyalty among users of traditional full-service airlines and of low-cost carriers. In particular, using formative modeling the study analyzes the effects of service quality and price on carrier choice and loyalty.     

What to assess to model the transport impacts of urban growth? A Delphi approach to examine the space–time suitability of transport indicators

Selection of right transport impact indicators of urban growth is challenging because the impacts vary both geographically and temporally. For example, congestion might be a problem in inner-city areas in a short-term but might not be detectable in a regional context event in the long-run. This paper contributes to address this challenge. First, the study systematically selects 23 transport impact indicators through a review of 62 indicators identified from the literature. Second, it evaluates and classifies their suitability in terms of space–time dyads through a two-round of Delphi survey involving 29 international experts. The experts reached a consensus that 12 (52%) indicators are suitable in various space–time dyadic combinations. Only “travel time” was identified as a suitable indicator for all three spatial (local, city, region) and two temporal (short-, long-term) scales. The findings serve as a guide for decision makers, transport modelers and planners to adopt indicators according to their scale of operation, and thus simplify the daunting task of suitable indicator selection process.     

A streetcar to be desired? The development of a new approach to measure perception of place quality in the context of tram network modernisation

Recent decades have seen a global resurgence in tram network development around the world. Despite a primary basis in transport, tram network development is increasingly framed as a spatial planning mechanism that is prioritised for its potential place-based outcomes. However, there has been limited academic research to investigate impacts of tram network development on community perception of place quality. This study contributes to the literature by presenting the results of 601 completed questionnaires investigating variation in perception of place quality between legacy and modernised tram streetscapes in Melbourne, Australia. Evidence demonstrates that modernised tram streetscapes were perceived to contain an enhanced physical design compared to their legacy counterparts. Additionally, modernised tram streetscapes were rated as higher quality locations overall that were more likely to facilitate a wide range of place-based activities and amenities. Overall findings provide evidence that tram modernisation can be framed as an opportunity for place quality enhancements, and appear to contradict some of the political complications that have played a role in stalling tram streetscape modernisation projects in Melbourne.     

The National Cycle Strategy in the UK: to what extent have local authorities adopted its model strategy approach?

In 1996 the UK government announced a National Cycle Strategy (NCS) which included a model local cycle strategy. This paper reports on the findings of an ongoing research project, which seeks to evaluate the extent to which recently published local cycle strategies reflect best practice as enshrined in the model guidance. The results suggest that the level of take up of the model strategy is highly variable and ranges from authorities which adopt the model in its entirety to those that effectively ignore it. If government targets for increasing cycle use are to be achieved then it will be necessary for more local authorities to develop robust plans which are consistent with the NCS.     

Where to park? A behavioural comparison of bus Park and Ride and city centre car park usage in Bath,UK

Integrating car parking facilities with public transport in Park and Ride (P&R) facilities has the potential to shorten car trips, contributing to more sustainable mobility. There is an ongoing debate about the actual effects of P&R on the transport system at the subregional level. A key issue is the relative attractiveness of city centre car parks (CCCP), P&R and public transport. The paper presents the findings of a comparative empirical case-study based on a field survey of CCCP and P&R users conducted in the city of Bath, UK. Spatial and statistical analyses are applied. Radial distance to parking, availability of P&R sites in the direction of travel, gender, age, income and party-size are found to be important factors in a binary logistic regression model, explaining the revealed-preference of parking type. Stated analysis of foregone parking alternatives suggests more use of public transport and walking/cycling would likely occur without first-best parking alternatives. The policy implications and possible planning alternatives to P&R at the urban fringes for achieving greater sustainability goals are also discussed.