UCTC Research Abstracts 2001-2
Dissertation Research
Faculty Research:
The following projects, submitted by faculty members of the University of
California, were evaluated and selected for funding based on a peer review
process.
Using the Spatial Configuration of Cities to Estimate the
Impact of Commuting Time on Hours of Work
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Antonio Bento
Bren School of Env. Mgmt.
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93016
Tel. 805 893-5804
Email: bento@bren.ucsb.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: We propose what we believe to be the first study of the
causal impact of fixed time costs (commuting) on labor supply. While a
limited number of studies have estimated the correlation between hours of
work and observed commuting, none have dealt with the endogeneity of
commuting and thus yield biased estimates. We propose to isolate the
exogenous impact of commuting using a novel instrumental-variables approach
based on the dispersion of residential locations within and across cities. A
credible estimate of the elasticity of hours of work with respect to
commuting time is clearly important to our understanding of labor supply
behavior and therefore the reaction of people to urban transportation
policies aimed at changing commuting patterns.
Objective: improve understanding of fixed time costs on labor supply
and estimate elasticity of hours of work with respect to commuting time
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze
data, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31,
2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on
UCTC’s Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in greater insight into
commute time’s impact on hours of work
Key Words: commute time, labor supply, hours of work, economic models
Direct Cost: $38.514
Evaluation of the California Safe Routes to School Program
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Marlon Boarnet
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-3600
Tel. 949 824-7695
Email: mgboarne@uci.edu
Other Key Participants:
Prof. Kristen Day
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-3600
Tel. 949 824-5880
Email: kday@uci.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: In this research, we will conduct a pre- and
post-evaluation of the California Safe Routes to School (SR2S) construction
program. The California SR2S allocates $20 million to local governments for
street, sidewalk, and neighborhood and/or traffic design construction
projects to improve the safety and feasibility of walking and bicycling to
school. This program grew out of the confluence of several trends, including
broad national interest in improving the livability and pedestrian
friendliness of urban areas.
We will select six SR2S sites, and six sites not in the SR2S program as a
“control group.” We will assess and document changes to SR2S sites that
are associated with the construction program, comparing changes to sites not
in the program. We will observe pedestrian and bicyclist behavior before and
after SR2S construction at each site, and will survey parents before and
after SR2S construction at each site to obtain information on attitudes and
perceptions of safety. These data will allow an evaluation of the
effectiveness of different neighborhood and traffic interventions in
improving the safety of children’s non-motorized travel near schools, the
frequency of walking and bicycling among children, and the interaction
between perceived safety, traffic patterns, the physical environment, and
walking and bicycling behavior.
Objective: evaluate safe routes to school program and efficacy of
different neighborhood interventions.
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result produce an evaluation
of the California Safe Routes to School program and offer insight into the
efficacy of pedestrian and other improvements in improving safety.
Key Words: school access, safety, pedestrians, bicycles, sidewalks
Direct Cost: $71,902
Forecasting Demand and Values of Travel Time Savings for Freeway HOV,
Toll and HOT Facilities: Incorporating Attitudes and Perceptions into Commuter
Choice Models
Principal Investigator:
Prof. David Brownstone
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-3600
Tel. 949 824-7231
Email: dbrownst@uci.edu
Other Key Participants:
Thomas Golob
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-3600
Tel. 949 824-6287
Email: tgolob@uci.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: Accurate forecasts of demand for restricted roadway
facilities – high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, toll lanes (including
congestion pricing), or combined HOV and toll (HOT) lanes on freeways and
bridges – are key to the success of such projects. Yet the track record
for predictions for such projects throughout the U.S. is dismal;
transportation professionals have not been successful in understanding
traveler behavior regarding such choice alternatives. The objective of the
proposed research is to explore reasons for these failings and to make
recommendations regarding priorities for better models. Alternative model
specifications documented in the literature will be compared on a common
dataset. The most effective dataset for this purpose is the panel survey
collected in 1997-1999 for evaluation of the San Diego I-15 Congestion
Pricing Project, combined with recorded toll data and traffic speed data
from freeway loop detectors and floating car measurements. The key new
feature of this work is the joint modeling of commuters’ choices,
perceptions of key trip attributes, and attitudes about road pricing. These
variables will be related to commuter’s sociodemographic information as
well as objective traffic network data typically used in demand analysis.
This new model will be designed to predict both the economic and political
feasibility of a project.
Objective: improve modeling of toll facilities using panel data
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in improved methods for
forecasting the effects of HOV, HOT, and toll projects.
Key Words: HOV, HOT lanes, tolls, models, panel data
Direct Cost: $65,057
Transit-Based Housing: Residential Sorting and Its Influence on Mode Choice
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Robert Cervero
Institute of Urban and Regional Development
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720-1787
Tel. 510-542-0779
Email: robertc@uclink.berkeley.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: This research examines the impacts of transit-based housing
on both residential location and mode choice. The degree to which ridership
benefits are a product of self-selection or the inherent advantages of
proximity to transit will be gauged. An operative hypothesis is that high
ridership is a product of households conscientiously sorting themselves into
rail-station areas for the very purpose of economizing on commuting. Living
near rail stops is thought to also lower vehicle ownership rates. The
combination of “residential sorting” and fewer cars are thought to be
dominant factors in explaining mode choice for journeys to work. This
hypothesis will be tested using nested logit models and year-2000 data on
residential location, car ownership, and commute mode choice from the San
Francisco Bay Area. Models will predict whether households reside within a
half-mile ring of a rail station and how this in turn influences mode
choice. Separate analyses will be carried out for the BART heavy-rail
system, the CalTrain commuter rail system, and the VTA light-rail system.
The results of the research will help inform policy-making in the areas of
transit joint development and affordable housing production, including
policy initiatives like Location Efficiency Mortgages.
Objective: improve understanding of effects of transit based housing on
residential location choice and mode choice
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on
UCTC’s Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in greater insight into
residential location choice, mode choice, and the efficacy of
transit-oriented housing.
Key Words: mode choice, location choice, housing policy, transit
policy
Direct Cost: $45,284
How Does Travel Behavior Change When Households Change Jobs?
Principal Investigator:
Prof. William Clark
Dept. of Geography
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA
Tel. 310 .
Email: wclark@geog.ucla.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: Research with a previous grant from UCTC established the
relationship between the probabilities of moving closer to the job with
increasing distance from the work place. Households beyond a threshold
distance moved closer to the job when they changed residence and the
probability of moving closer increased with greater work-residence
separation. The current project builds on that research and examines the
actual commuting behavior of workers in two-worker households when they
change jobs. Do workers minimize commute distances in response to job
changes and, when they change jobs do their travel patterns and travel modes
change, and if so in what ways? The new research project uses panel data on
travel to examine hypotheses about commuting distances, commuting times,
mode choice and changing spatial patterns of employment. The study will
provide important new data on how two-worker households negotiate job
changes to minimize commuting.
Objective: improve understanding of transportation and residential
location choice in two-worker households.
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, estimate model,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in greater insight into
how residential location choices are made in multi-worker households and how
residential locations are related to workplace locations.
Key Words: residential location choice, workplace location, commute
patterns, two-worker households
Direct Cost: $41,432
Design of Vehicle Routes and Driver Shifts for Systems with Uncertain
Demand
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Carlos Daganzo
416 McLaughlin Hall
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720
Tel. 510 642-3853
Email: daganzo@ce.berkeley.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: This is a proposal to develop improved methods for making
intermediate-term decisions for transit systems with predetermined routes
and schedules and for one-to-many, demand-responsive transportation systems.
In designing these systems, one must decide the number of vehicles to buy or
lease, a menu of different work-shifts covering all work-hours and
work-days, a number of crews to hire, an assignment of crews to shifts, and
an operating strategy that determines the routes and schedules. These design
decisions have to be made before the demands are known. Uncertainty makes
the optimization problem quite difficult because the set of vehicle routes
and schedules should cover the unknown realized demands. Depending on the
problem, the routes and schedules may be allowed to change seasonally,
weekly and/or be demand responsive. We propose to develop and test new
design methods that use large-scale analytic approximations in conjunction
with numerical optimization and simulations. The methods will be applied to
a variety of problems and scenarios. Prior experience with simpler but
related problems, and our preliminary work on the problem at hand, shows
that the proposed hybrid methodology is quite effective. With a
computational complexity of order O(n), where n is the number of realized
demands in one design period, the methodology has proven to be very
accurate. Details are given in the proposal.
Objective: improve methods for management of transit routes and
schedules
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, develop new methods, test
methods, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31,
2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in improved methods for
transit routing, scheduling, and equipment purchase and management..
Key Words: transit, routing, crew scheduling, equipment management
Direct Cost: $52,930
Real-time Travel Data Collection System Augmented with Speech Interface
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Reginald Golledge
Dept. of Geography
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Tel. 805 893-2731
Email: marstonj@geog.ucsb.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: In this research we propose developing a conceptual model
of a real time activity data collection device. This will be operationalized
as a wearable computer complete with GPS recorder and speech input card. The
wearable computer will be tied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) and
real-time travel decisions (e.g. en-route changes in destinations and
routes) can be immediately entered by voice into a database contained in a
central server. We will pilot the results using pedestrian travel on the
UCSB campus, and suggest ways of extrapolating from a localized pedestrian
domain to a larger scale vehicular environment at an urban scale.
Objective: develop and test a real time data collection device
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, develop conceptual model,
develop a wearable computer, test device, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in a tested prototype
of a real time data collection device using a GPS recorder and speech input
card. .
Key Words: equity, environmental justice, civil rights, social impact
Direct Cost: $54,537
Effect of Driving Mode on Light-Duty Vehicle Emissions Measured On-Road
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Robert Harley
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720
Tel. 510 643-9168
Email: harley@ce.berkeley.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: Motor vehicles are an important source of air pollution on
urban, regional, and national scales. A great deal of research has been
conducted to characterize vehicle emissions over standardized city and
highway driving cycles. Much less is known about the relationship between
real-world vehicle emissions and changes in vehicle speed and engine load
that occur as driving conditions change. This knowledge is needed to assess
the air pollution impact of traffic congestion and its mitigation
strategies. We will measure on-road vehicle emissions in a California
highway tunnel where vehicle speed increases from <40 to ~60 mph between
peak and off-peak hours. We will also measure the effects of engine load on
emissions by comparing emissions from vehicles driving downhill (morning)
versus uphill (afternoon) on a 4% grade. We will quantify effects due to
changes in the mix of vehicles driving through the tunnel, using visual
observations, license plate surveys, and measurements collected during both
weekday and weekend sampling periods. A further objective of this research
is to characterize long-term trends in California light-duty vehicle
emissions, by adding to a record of on-road measurements that stretches back
to tunnel studies conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Objective: improve understanding of speed and engine load impacts on
emissions methods based on empirical data
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, collect data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in improved
understanding of the effects of speed and engine load on emissions,
information that is necessary for effective air quality management..
Key Words: air pollution, speed effects, engine load effects
Direct Cost: $42,434
Life -Cycle Environmental and Economic Assessment of Using Recycled
Materials for Asphalt Pavements
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Arpad Horvath
109 McLaughlin Hall
UC Berkeley
Berkeley CA 94720
Tel 510 642-7300
Email: horvath@ce.berkeley.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: The public, industry and governments have become
increasingly interested in green design and engineering as approaches
towards better environmental quality and sustainable development. Pavement
construction is one of the largest consumers of natural resources. Recycling
of pavements represents an important opportunity to save the mining and use
of virgin materials, conserve energy, divert materials away from landfills,
and save scarce tax dollars. How much pollution, energy, natural resources,
and money could be saved by using secondary materials in road construction?
What are the engineering limits of using recycled materials in roads? Can we
recycle over and over again pavements that contain rubber, glass, and other
secondary materials? This research will quantify the environmental and
economic costs and benefits of recycling asphalt pavements, and using
secondary materials for their construction. The impacts will be traced
through the related life-cycles and supply chains for material and energy
inputs, water consumption, hazardous and non-hazardous waste generation,
toxic discharges, and greenhouse gas as well as particulate matter
emissions. Life-cycle environmental and economic assessment methods will be
coupled with construction process models. Stakeholders will be able to use
the resulting computer tool for decision-making and scenario analysis as
parameters of the pavement recycling model change over time and from region
to region.
Objective: develop model of pavement life-cycle costs considering
environmental as well as direct costs
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, develop model,
demonstrate model, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in a computer tool for
that helps managers analyze pavement design costs considering economic and
environmental factors.
Key Words: pavement management, life cycle costs, environmental
costs, pavement recycling
Direct Cost: $45,546
Putting Back the Pleasure in the Drive: Reclaiming Urban
Parkways for the 21st Century
Principal Investigator:
Professor Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris
Department of Urban Planning
School of Public Policy and Social Research
University of California, Los Angeles
3250 Public Policy Building, Box 951467
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1467
Tel. 310 206-9679
Email: sideris@ucla.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: This research proposes to investigate the problems and
prospects of urban parkways by focusing on the "first freeway of the
West," the celebrated Arroyo Seco Parkway. Hailed in the 1920s and
1930s as marvels of engineering innovation, and as safe and efficient
alternatives to non-limited access arterials, urban parkways are facing a
series of problems today that include high accident rates and congestion.
The Arroyo Seco Parkway was originally, built to carry 27,000 automobiles
per day at 45mph. Today it carries over 120,000 cars per day at speeds often
exceeding the official limit of 55mph. While the parkway is a cherished part
of the area's heritage, is eligible for the National Register of Historic
Places, and has been recently designated as an American Civil Engineering
Landmark, the historic and aesthetic significance of the road is not
recognized from an operational and legal perspective. This research will use
the Arroyo Seco Parkway as a case study to evaluate the prospects for
managing existing historic parkways, and to investigate the relationship
between the physical qualities of parkways, their usefulness as
transportation corridors, and their relative safety. Research tasks will
include analysis of historic plans and documents, experiential analysis,
analysis of accidents, and compilation of policies for the management of
urban parkways.
Objective: develop approaches for managing urban parkways
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, conduct on-site analysis,
analyze accident data, examine policy options, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will document the history of an
historic parkway in California and will develop policy options for better
managing parkways.
Key Words: parkways, safety, historic sites
Direct Cost: $43,682
Reinforcement Learning in Transportation Infrastructure Management'
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Samer Madanat
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720
Tel. 510 643-1084
Email: madanat@ce.berkeley.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: Infrastructure Management Systems support agencies in
developing efficient policies to monitor, maintain and repair deteriorating
facilities in transportation infrastructure networks. Traditionally,
Infrastructure Management Systems have been based on a time-invariant
characterization of a facility’s deterioration process. However, a
constant single model of a facility’s deterioration may not be appropriate
given the variability over time of causal factors such as traffic and
environmental conditions. When this variability over time is accounted for,
the infrastructure management problem becomes a Reinforcement Learning
problem. One possible approach for solving this Reinforcement Learning
problem would be to represent facility deterioration process using a
time-varying stochastic model. The problem of finding optimal policies to
manage infrastructure facilities and networks can then be formulated as an
adaptive control problem, where observations of facility condition over time
can be used to update the parameters of the models. An alternative to this
approach is to use temporal difference learning. This approach allows us to
develop policies without having to model a facility’s deterioration
process. Instead, the information that is gathered by the transportation
agency is used to evaluate maintenance and repair policies directly, without
using a stochastic process to represent facility deterioration.
Objective: improve modeling of infrastructure deterioration processes
using adaptive control concepts
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, develop new methods, test
methods and compare to other options, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in improved methods for
analyzing and evaluating infrastructure deterioration and its management..
Key Words: infrastructure deterioration, infrastructure management,
difference learning models
Direct Cost: $70,582
Dissonance between Desired and Current Residential
Neighborhood Type: Relationships to Travel-Related Attitudes and Behavior
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Patricia L. Mokhtarian
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Davis
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-7062
Email: plmokhtarian@ucdavis.edu
Other Key Participants:
Prof. Ilan Salomon
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Davis
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-4909
Email: msilans@mscc.huji.ac.il
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: Little research has been conducted into the extent to which
residents of a particular neighborhood are currently mismatched in terms of
the land use pattern of their desired type of neighborhood. Such an
investigation could offer new insight into the nature of the association of
land use configuration with travel behavior. For example, to the extent that
the travel behavior of mismatched residents is very similar to that of
well-matched residents, it would provide some support for the contention
that the land use configuration itself is able to elicit certain travel
behavior, even against a predisposition that is different. On the other
hand, if travel patterns differ between these two groups, it is important to
explore the extent of mismatch in the population (indicating a higher
propensity to change neighborhood types), and the extent to which observed
travel patterns for a certain land use type are affected by the behavior of
mismatched residents. We propose to investigate these and related questions,
using previously collected data from 1,900 residents of three San Francisco
Bay Area neighborhoods.
Objective: improve understanding of residential location preferences and
their effects on travel behavior
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in greater insight into
transportation effects of residential location, looking at preferred as well
as actual location characteristics.
Key Words: residential location, travel behavior
Direct Cost: $55,126
Optimal Control Policies for Urban Corridor Management
Principal Investigator:
Professor Will Recker
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA
Tel. 949 824-5642
Email: wwrecker@uci.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: This proposal will develop an integrated optimal control
approach, with an embedded travel demand model that reflects drivers’
response to the integrated optimal control system that determines the
on-ramp metering rates and the urban vehicle-actuated signal timing settings
in corridor networks so as to achieve a pre-specified common goal. A primary
goal of the work proposed herein is to demonstrate that congestion within
corridor networks can be reduced in a more effective way if the control
strategies for each component sub network are geographically integrated and
coordinated to reflect interaction among systems, allowing the various
traffic control measures to cooperate rather than compete. The integrated
control problem relating to on-ramp and urban signal control strategies will
be formulated as an optimal control problem of determining such control
variables as the on-ramp metering rates, the minimum green duration, the
maximum green duration (or force off), background cycle length (if
coordinated) and the critical time gap for vehicle actuated urban signals,
subject to the control constrains, so as to minimize the system total travel
time. The approach will take into consideration the interaction between the
control strategy and drivers' response to it. A numerical method will be
proposed for the solution of the formulated optimal control problem.
Objective: develop optimal control approach for ramp metering and signal
actuation, with an embedded travel demand model that reflects driver
response to ramp meter rates and signal timing
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, develop
methodology, prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in improved methods for
signal timing and ramp meter control.
Key Words: signal timing, ramp metering, demand analysis, optimal
control strategy
Direct Cost: $50,623
The Impact of Motor Vehicle Transportation on Water Quality
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Jean Daniel Saphores
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-3600
Tel.949 824-7334
Email: saphores@uci.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: This research will analyze the impact of road
transportation by motor vehicles on water quality in California. Air
pollution and noise externalities have been the object of many studies to
inform public policy on pollution control, yet the impact on water quality
of operating motor vehicles on roadways has not received much attention. Our
investigation will include the impacts on water quality from constructing
motor vehicles and road infrastructure, operating vehicles, and disposing of
used motor vehicles. We will review the engineering, planning, and economic
literatures; collect information about relevant policies in OECD countries
and at the federal, state, and local levels; quantify pollution impacts
whenever possible; identify data gaps; and critically review the policies
that have been proposed to deal with this problem. Better understanding
sources of water pollution is important at a time where the population of
California is growing and there are few options for new supplies of water.
Finally, we will develop policy recommendations tailored to the situation in
California.
Objective: improve understanding of road transportation impacts on water
quality in California
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in greater insight into
road transportation impacts on water quality and on the policy options that
can be used to reduce pollution, especially in the California context.
Key Words: road transportation, water quality, environmental quality
Direct Cost: $48,109
Equity and Environmental Justice in Transportation
Principal Investigator:
Prof. Martin Wachs
109 McLaughlin Hall
UC Berkeley
Berkeley CA 94720
Tel 510 542-3585
Email: mwachs@uclink.berkeley.edu
External Project Contact : All UCTC projects are co-sponsored by
Caltrans, Contact Sallybeth Scott, Caltrans, 1120 N St., Sacramento, CA
94305, tel. 916 324-2440
Abstract: The Environmental Justice movement in transportation has
based many claims on concerns for equity in transportation finance and in
the distribution of direct and indirect costs and benefits of
transportation. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and under several
executive orders, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires transit
agencies and metropolitan planning agencies to report on the equitability of
their programs. In addition, there is a scholarly literature on the theme of
equity and its measurement. This research project will review formal,
scholarly definitions of equity and analytical measures by which equity in
transportation can be measured. It will also review measures of equity used
by public agencies as they comply with federal reporting requirements and it
will review equity measures used by environmental justice advocacy groups.
It will note consistencies and inconsistencies in these definitions, and
will propose indicators of equity that can advance the cause of
environmental justice by providing better measures for use in the analysis
of transportation projects or programs. The project will produce a scholarly
analysis of equity in environmental justice for transportation, and a primer
on the measurement of equity for environmental justice advocates and
transportation agency practitioners.
Objective: improve understanding of transportation equity and
environmental justice
Tasks: review previous work on the topic, assemble data, analyze data,
prepare reports
Milestones, Dates: Official start date Aug. 1, 2001, end July 31, 2002
Student Involvement: Graduate Student Researcher
Technology Transfer Activities: Publications will be posted on UCTC’s
Website.
Relationship to Other UCTC Research: New project.
Potential Benefits: This research will result in greater insight into
transportation equity issues and will offer analysis guidance.
Key Words: equity, environmental justice, civil rights, social impact
Direct Cost: $53,937
Economic
Spillovers and Highway Finance Reform: Is Decentralization of Highway Finance
Appropriate at a Metropolitan Level?
Saksith Tan Chalermpong, UC Irvine
Advisor: Marlon Boarnet
United
States highway finance has been highly centralized for virtually the entire
post-World War II period. Recently, several scholars and policy analysts have begun to
call for decentralization of highway finance, and the current federal
transportation bill, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21), includes explicit provisions to guarantee states a minimum fraction of
the funds that they pay into the highway trust fund. One justification sometimes cited in the literature for decentralized
highway finance is the evidence of negative economic spillovers from highway
projects. Recent research, usually
using data from counties, has provided evidence that marginal highway
investments influence the movement of factors of production, and hence economic
activity, across counties. Under the centralized finance system, residents of
the places that do not receive highway investment can pay, through the federal
tax, for highways that harm their economic welfare. However, it is unclear that such a pattern of negative
spillovers from highway investment would necessarily justify decentralizing
highway finance, particularly at a metropolitan level. For example, a decentralized system of highway finance might encourage
competition among local jurisdictions in order to attract private investment,
leading to an overprovision of highways. If this hypothesis is true, the
centralized scheme of highway finance will be preferred within metropolitan
areas. My research answers these policy questions by providing two improvements
over the past literature. First, I refine the theoretical model of economic
spillovers. Second, I improve the empirical research by using a more detailed
geographic quasi-experimental approach with data from the U.S. Census and the
1997 Economic Census. The results
are used to provide more refined policy prescriptions for the appropriate role
of federal, state and local highway finance
Key
words: highway finance, decentralization, economic spillovers
Development and Validation of Kinematic
Wave Traffic Flow Models for Road Networks
Wenlong Jin, UC Davis
Advisor: Michael Zhang
Kinematic wave models for
vehicular traffic, due to their computational efficiency and capability of
describing traffic phenomena at the aggregate level, have proved to be valuable
tools for developing Advanced Transportation Management and Information System (ATMIS)
strategies, such as ramp metering, road pricing, traffic assignment, and route
guidance. In this research, based on kinematic wave theory, we develop models of
traffic dynamics for different road network components and for different vehicle
compositions. The models as building blocks are integrated into a multicommodity
network traffic flow model. Data structures and computing algorithms for each
building block and the integrated model are further studied in order to obtain a
simulation platform, upon which these models are validated and refined with
field traffic data.
Key words: traffic models, kinematic wave theory, simulation
The Effect of Local Accessibility on
Intercity Mode Choice
Reinhardt Clever, UC Berkeley
Advisor: Mark Hansen
This research examines whether
the positive experience with high speed rail systems built in Europe and Japan
is likely to be transferable to the US without significant modifications. A
focus of the research is on comparative access to population and business
concentrations. I will examine local access in detail and will estimate a model
of intercity travel using data from a 1995 Japanese survey.
Key words: high speed rail, access, mode choice
Real-Time Integrated Corridor Control.
Ioannis Pavlis, UC Irvine
Adviser: Wilfred Recker
Traffic congestion created
in corridor networks can be reduced by application of traffic responsive control
systems. The majority of the
currently used strategies optimize the coordination of a subnetwork of traffic
signals, or the metering rates at a series of freeway on-ramps in a corridor
network, without accounting for their interaction. However, as congestion increases, the assumption that each subnetwork
operates in virtual isolation clearly becomes invalid. Optimal solutions to a traffic congestion problem in one subnetwork can
indirectly generate an even larger problem in an adjacent subnetwork, since the
operation of most signalized networks and freeways is interdependent. This work
aims to reduce congestion by developing methods and models for integrated and
control systems) while also accounting for driver route choice. The solution to
the problem will provide some control measures so as to optimize a common
(joint) objective, given the interaction between the control system and
driver’s response (which is modeled on the basis of a discrete route choice
model) to it. More specifically,
given the predicted routing of the demand, the linear structure of the
mathematical model of the corridor network and the objective function results to
a discrete-time linear optimal control problem. This optimal control problem can
be viewed as a large-scale Linear Programming (LP) problem. The LP problem structure is such that enables implementation of
logic-based solution methods so as an optimal solution (if one exists) could be
derived faster than real-time. Finally,
a procedure that results in a feedback solution is proposed in case of real-life
applications.
Key words:
Corridor systems, integrated control problem, discrete choice models, linear
optimal feedback control problem, logic-based methods in optimization.
Emission
and Air Quality Effects of Removing MBTE from California Gasoline
Gregory
S. Noblet, UC Berkeley
Advisor: Robert Harley
This
research will quantify the effects of the impending phase-out of methyl tert-butyl
ether (MTBE) from California reformulated gasoline (RFG) on motor vehicle
emissions and ambient air quality. Two
replacement gasoline blends, both of which meet California RFG specifications,
will be analyzed: 1) an oxygenated gasoline blend containing ethanol and 2) a
non-oxygenated high-alkylate gasoline blend. Pollutant emissions from on-road motor vehicles will be estimated using
the most recent Air Resources Board (ARB) vehicle-emissions model, EMFAC2000;
total volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from motor vehicles will be
speciated using profiles developed from ARB and other data. Impacts to air quality resulting from the introduction of these gasoline
blends will be quantified using an airshed photochemical air quality model. Summer and winter meteorological episodes will be modeled to consider
worst-case conditions for ozone and air toxics, respectively. Specific pollutants that will be studied are ozone; ozone precursors; and
air toxics including MTBE, ethanol, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde,
acetaldehyde, and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN).
Key
words: MBTE, air quality, emissions
High Coverage
Point-to-Point Transit (HCPPT): A New Design Concept and Simulation-Evaluation
of Operational Schemes for Future Technological Deployment.
Cristian
Eduardo Cortes, UC Irvine
Advisor: R.
Jayakrishnan
The research proposed here is the
development and evaluation of a new concept for implementable high-coverage
point-to-point transit systems, which rely on real-time communication and
computing technologies, and advanced routing algorithms for efficient operation.
The main goal is to develop conceptual designs different from older schemes,
which were often failures. A new conceptual design based on coverage areas and
transfer points (hubs), and feasibility simulation results for a flexible
transit system like this have been developed so far. Passengers can travel from
any point to any other point based on their own real-time personalized travel
desires, which is now possible due to advances in communication and computing
technologies. The system allows the feasible operation of a large number of
transit vehicles (often minibuses and vans), eliminates more than one transfer
for any passenger and introduces “passenger pooling” at pickups points with
pooled passengers being able to travel to any destination. In addition, the
system is ideally suited for much more efficient public investment than in
Key
words: conventional transit. The passenger
demand for a system such as this is uncertain, but simulations show that under a
variety of acceptable demand levels, the system can operate with high
cost-effectiveness.
Key
words: transit,
new technology, innovations
Identifying the Effects of Urban Sprawl on Traffic Congestion
Alejandro
Lago, UC Berkeley
Advisor: Carlos Daganzo
The objective of this research is to study how traffic
congestion develops in urban areas during the morning commute and how population
sprawl may aggravate congestion. We seek to understand the dependence of
congestion costs and commuter travel decisions on the population distribution,
and how these costs and decisions may vary with location. We will develop a
methodology based on continuous approximations to model traffic and commuter
behavior on urban networks. Congestion costs will be derived from dynamic
equilibrium solutions (e.g. where both the effects of queues and the commuter
departure time choices are considered). Today, policy-makers and planners are
urged to deploy effective congestion-reducing measures from which they seldom
can anticipate the effects. At the same time, there is an emerging debate among
planners about the need to control urban sprawl. Our research will provide a new
tool to better understand the spatial effects of congestion policies and guide
the policy debate more effectively.
Key
words: urban
sprawl, congestion, dynamic user equilibrium, continuous approximations.
A Multiphase Car-Following Model and the Traffic
Congestion on a Freeway
Taewan
Kim, UC Davis
Advisor: Michael Zhang
Traffic congestion is one of the
most important features in urban transportation systems. To design effective and
reliable congestion relief measures such as ramp metering and roadway
information provision, we need to understand and model phase transitions from
free flow to congested flow and the spatial/temporal evolution of traffic
congestion. For this purpose, understanding drivers’ behavior in various traffic conditions is a prerequisite.
While current car-following models capture the general features of traffic flow,
they still fall short in describing drivers’ behavior that produces capacity
drop and traffic hysteresis, two phenomenon known to be closely related to the
onset of congestion and the subsequent stop-start waves. In this research, we
(1) develop a car-following model that can well document drivers’ behavior
that leads to capacity drop and traffic hysteresis, (2) develop a probability
model to explain traffic breakdown and a stop-start wave evolution model. The
first model, by providing a sound understanding of drivers’ behavior and a set
of mathematical equations to describe it, serves a solid basis for the
development of the latter two
models. The results of this research enhance our understanding on the mechanism
of traffic congestion and provide models to describe it.
Key
words: car-following models, traffic congestion, freeway operations
Competitive
Contracting in the Mass Transit Industry
Nancy
Nicosia, UC Berkeley
Advisor: John Quigley
Comprehensive
empirical evidence of contraction's impact on the mass transit industry is
lacking. Using a panel of 319 public transit firms operating from 1993 to 1998,
I examine 1) whether cost savings are directly attributable to contracting, and
robust to controls for firm heterogeneity and the endogeneity of the contracting
decision, 2) whether firms behave strategically in adopting contracting,
motivated by bargaining strength of unions and contractors, or by transaction
cost factors and economies of scale, 3) whether there is a tradeoff between cost
impacts and demand impacts, and 4) what features of implementation are most
effective. I will estimate a structural cost model, examine the demand side, and
explore the firms’ motivations.
Key
words: mass transit, contracting, costs, demand, strategic behavior
Non-intrusive
and Anonymous Vehicle Tracking
in Signalized Networks for Transportation System Evaluation
Cheol
Oh, UC Irvine
Advisor: Dr. Stephen G. Ritchie
This
project proposes a network-wide vehicle tracking framework based on
non-intrusive and anonymous tracking methods, to yield invaluable real-time
traffic information involving link/path travel time and time-variant
Origin/Destination demand information. Inductive loop detectors (ILDs) are still
the most prevalent surveillance system in the United States and in many
countries of the world. Consequently, if vehicle tracking is attainable by ILD-based
surveillance systems, significant benefits should accrue from maximizing the
efficiency of the existing infrastructure. The proposed vehicle tracking
algorithm uses vehicle signatures produced by high-speed scanning detector cards
and inductive loop detectors, but can be based on other detector technologies by
substituting the appropriate input feature vectors. The results of this research
will support both day-to-day operators and managers of the transportation system
and long-term designers and planners of the transportation infrastructure, in
establishing appropriate transportation policies to address transportation
problems.
Key
words: Vehicle Tracking, Traffic Surveillance System, Real-time Traffic
Information, Transportation Policy