Transportation Commons^™

Understanding Social Media Program Usage In Public Transit Agencies, Jenny H. Liu, Wei Shi, O. A. Elrahman, Xuegang Ban, Jack M. Reilly

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social media has been gaining prominence in public transit agencies in their communication strategies and daily management. This study aims to better understand recent trends in social media usage in public transit agencies, to examine which agencies use what kind of social media programs for what purposes, and how they measure their programs. A survey was conducted of the top transit agencies in the nation, and results are examined through descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis and regression modeling. We found that while most agencies still lack clearly-defined goals and performance metrics to guide their social media development, many are increasing …

Improving Carbon Efficiency Through Container Size Optimization And Shipment Consolidation, Nang Laik Ma, Kar Way Tan, Edwin Lik Ming Chong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Purpose: Many manufacturing companies that ship goods through full container loads found themselves under-utilizing the containers and resulting in higher carbon footprint per volume shipment. One of the reasons is the choice of non-ideal container sizes for their shipments. Consolidation fills up the containers more efficiently that reduces the overall carbon footprint. The objective of this paper is to support decisions on selection of appropriate combination of container sizes and shipment consolidation for a manufacturing company. We develop two-steps model which first takes the volumes to be shipped as an input and provide the combination of container sizes required; then …

Developing A Model For Transit Oriented Development In Latino Immigrant Communities: A National Study Of Equity And Tod, Gerardo Francisco Sandoval

TREC Final Reports

This research project is a continuation of a previous NITC-funded study. The first study compared the MacArthur Park TOD in Los Angeles to the Fruitvale Village TOD in Oakland. The findings from this new study further validate the key findings from the first study. This new comparative case study analyzed the extension of Los Angeles’ Gold Line into Boyle Heights and the revitalization linked to Boyle Heights due to two TODs built in that neighborhood. I conclude from all four cases that TODs can help serve as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization in low-income communities by paying attention and building upon …

Bus Transit Operational Efficiency Resulting From Passenger Boardings At Park-And-Ride Facilities, John S. Niles, J. M. Pogodzinski

Mineta Transportation Institute

In order to save time and money by not driving to an ultimate destination, some urban commuters drive themselves a few miles to specially designated parking lots built for transit customers and located where trains or buses stop. The focus of this paper is the effect Park-and-Ride (P&R) lots have on the efficiency of bus transit as measured in five bus transit systems in the western U.S. This study describes a series of probes with models and data to find objective P&R influence measures that, when combined with other readily-available data, permit a quantitative assessment of the significance of P&R …

Does Urban Form Influence Grocery Shopping Frequency? A Study From Seattle, Washington, Usa, Junfeng Jiao, Anne Vernez Moudon, Adam Drewnowski

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how elements of the built environment may or may not influence the frequency of grocery shopping. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from the 2009 Seattle Obesity Study, the research investigated the effect of the urban built environment on grocery shopping travel frequency in the Seattle-King County area. Binary and ordered logit models served to estimate the impact of individual characteristics and built environments on grocery shopping travel frequency. Findings – The results showed that the respondents’ attitude towards food, travel mode, and the network distance between homes and stores exerted the …

Discussion On Shipping Dangerous Goods Accidents Rescue Of China, Jianhua Ruan

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Risk Assessment And Control Of Passenger Transportation On Water In Shanghai Port Area, Lei Peng

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

The Weighing Container Of Domestic Chinese Trade, Haitao Cheng

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Study On Open-Packing Inspection Of Dangerous Goods Container At Shanghai Port, Guohua Li

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Research On Third Party Logistics Enterprise Business Process With Container Shipping As Main Transportation Mode, Jiaxu Zhang

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Improving Pathways To Transit For Persons With Disabilities, Stephanie Dipetrillo, Andrea Lubin, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Carla Salehian, Stephen Gibson, Kristen William, Theodore Trent Green

Mineta Transportation Institute

Persons with disabilities can achieve a greater degree of freedom when they have full access to a variety of transit modes, but this can only be achieved when the pathways to transit – the infrastructure and conditions in the built environment – allow full access to transit stops, stations, and vehicles. Since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, many transit agencies and governmental jurisdictions have made significant progress in this area. Policy initiatives, incremental enhancements, modifications, and other measures undertaken by transit agencies and their partners have significantly improved access to transit for persons with disabilities, …

Benefit-Cost Analysis For Transportation Planning And Public Policy: Towards Multimodal Demand Modeling, Matthew Holian, Ralph Mclaughlin

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report examines existing methods of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) in two areas, transportation policy and transportation planning, and suggests ways of modifying these methods to account for travel within a multimodal system. Although the planning and policy contexts differ substantially, this report shows how important multimodal impacts can be incorporated into both by using basic econometric techniques and even simpler rule-of-thumb methods. Case studies in transportation planning focus on the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), but benchmark California’s competencies by exploring methods used by other states and local governments. The report concludes with a list and discussion of recommendations for …

Tools For Assisting Low-Income Households With Finding Location-Efficient Housing, Andrée Tremoulet

TREC Final Reports

Through a previously funded research project, Encouraging Low-Income Households to Make Location-Efficient Housing Choices, our team developed a toolkit to assist households utilizing Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers with finding location-efficient/affordable housing. These tools are currently in use by the region’s four public housing authorities (PHAs). This technology transfer project provided the tools to social service providers who work with voucher recipients in the Portland region and provided a presentation on research findings and policy implications to transportation researchers, professionals and students. Specific activities included: • In-person presentations to groups of social service providers in three counties (four presentations total) …

Utilizing Egocentric Video And Sensors To Conduct Naturalistic Bicycling Studies, Feng Liu, Miguel A. Figliozzi

TREC Final Reports

Existing data collection methods are mostly designed for videos captured by stationary cameras and are not designed to follow cyclists along a route or to integrate other sensor data. The goals of this research are: a) to develop a platform to collect naturalistic video bicycling data, b) to develop a methodology to integrate video data with other sensors that measure cyclists’ position and comfort levels, and c) to apply the platform and data collection methodology to a real-world route. This research effort has successfully integrated video and sensor data to describe cyclists’ comfort levels along a route. It was found …

Singapore In Motion: Insights On Public Transport Service Level Through Farecard And Mobile Data Analytics, Hasan Poonawala, Vinay Kolar, Sebastien Blandin, Laura Wynter, Sambit Sahu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Given the changing dynamics of mobility patterns and rapid growth of cities, transport agencies seek to respond more rapidly to needs of the public with the goal of offering an effective and competitive public transport system. A more data-centric approach for transport planning is part of the evolution of this process. In particular, the vast penetration of mobile phones provides an opportunity to monitor and derive insights on transport usage. Real time and historical analyses of such data can give a detailed understanding of mobility patterns of people and also suggest improvements to current transit systems. On its own, however, …

Profit Based Simulation Model For The Rail Transportation Industry, Mark Patrick Doran

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Schedules often conflict in the rail transportation industry. Operations managers assign resources and make scheduling decisions with no visibility of the revenue, cost, and profitability characteristics of the route they are manipulating. Transit speed decisions focus on ensuring trains safely reach their destination on time with little regard given to the actual service needs of the customer. Although all customers want on-time deliveries, few actually pay a premium to garner this level of preferential treatment. Operating in this type of environment results in decisions that severely erode profits.

In this dissertation, a simulation model referred to as the Rail Profit …

Experimental Modeling Of Nox And Pm Generation From Combustion Of Various Biodiesel Blends For Urban Transport Buses, Ashok Kumar, Dong-Shik Kim, Hamid Omidvarborna, Manideep Yarlagadda, Sudheer Kumar Kuppili, Nader Sawtarie

Mineta Transportation Institute

Biodiesel has diverse sources of feedstock and the amount and composition of its emissions vary significantly depending on combustion conditions. Results of laboratory and field tests reveal that nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from biodiesel are influenced more by combustion conditions than emissions from regular diesel. Therefore, NOx and PM emissions documented through experiments and modeling studies are the primary focus of this investigation. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the feedstock-related combustion characteristics and pollutants are investigated. Research findings verify that the oxygen contents, the degree of unsaturation, and the size of the fatty acids in …

Emergency Management Training For Transportation Agencies, Frances Edwards, Daniel Goodrich, James Griffith

Mineta Transportation Institute

State transportation agencies have a variety of responsibilities related to emergency management. Field personnel manage events--from day-to-day emergencies to disasters--using the Incident Command System (ICS) as their organizational basis. At the headquarters level, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) coordinates the use of resources across the department and its districts, with other state departments and agencies, and through the federal Emergency Support Function 1. District-level EOCs coordinate with the department. In extreme events, the transportation department may only be able to deliver limited essential services in austere conditions, so a continuity of operations/ continuity of government plan (COOP/COG) is essential. This …

The Automotive Industry Supply Chain Case Competition: A University And Industry Partnership, Timothy W. Butler, John C. Taylor

Journal of Transportation Management

The importance of business schools collaborating with industry, and especially local companies, is selfevident. One way that the Global Supply Chain Management Program in the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University has collaborated with General Motors and several major suppliers, and potential employers of students, is through an automotive industry supply chain management (SCM) case competition. In 2016, the Global Supply Chain Management Program, along with General Motors, will host the 6th annual General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition. Supply Chain Management students from universities around the world travel to Detroit, MI to participate in …

Thinking Through The Meteoric Rise Of Middle-East Carriers From Singapore Airlines' Vantage Point, Terence P. C. Fan, Mats Lingblad

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The rise of Middle East carriers in the past decade has been nothing less than meteoric. Based on the notion of generic strategy, we analysed the potential for competitors of the leading Middle East carriers to respond in terms of market scope and product characteristics, using Singapore Airlines as a reference. We found that it was generally difficult for Singapore Airlines to compete in terms of market scope, and thus it should concentrate on offering different degrees of differentiation in its products. While the latest small, long-haul aircraft could help increase Singapore Airlines' market scope, this impact would be marginal …