USDOT Region V Regional University Transportation Center

EVENTS

Indiana LTAP Transportation Safety Workshop
July 30, 2008

Illinois Traffic Engineering and Safety Conference
October 23 - 24, 2008

Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference (OTEC) 2008
October 28 – 29, 2008

 

 



NEXTRANS Seminar Series

Past Presentations

Thursday, June 5, 2008, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Hitchcock Hall Room 426, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Professor Yoram Shiftan, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology

Title: The Use of Activity-Based Modeling to Analyze the Effect of Land-Use and Public Transport Policies on Travel Behavior

Abstract: Land-use policies are often suggested as a means to mitigate transportation problems, and some regions have tried to implement such policies as transit-oriented developments, mixed land use, different concentrations schemes, various forms of urban design, and more broadly Smart Growth. These policies are motivated by the assumption, also supported by numerous studies that residents of neighborhoods with a higher level of density, mixed land-use, transit access, and pedestrian friendliness drive less than do residents of neighborhoods with lower levels of these characteristics. However, our understanding of the effects of the various land-use policies on travel behavior is limited. There are also questions of self-selectivity: do land-use policies affect travel behavior or do people with different travel-behavior preferences select different types of neighborhood in which to live. Advances in the study of travel behavior have led to the development of activity-based models that treat travel as a derivation of the demand for personal activities. Travel choices, therefore, become part of a broader activity-scheduling process based on modeling the demand for activities rather than merely trips. The explicit modeling of activities and the consequent tours and trips enable a more credible analysis of responses to policies and their effect on traffic and air quality. Several studies have already used this approach to analyze various transport policies including various auto restrain and transit policies. The theoretical framework of activity-based models starts with urban and land-use development as inputs; however, there is a need to translate this framework to analyze specific land-use policies. This paper discusses the advantages and potential of activity-based models for analyzing the effect of land-use policies on travel behavior. It starts with showing the use of activity-based models for transit and auto-restrain policies and then suggests improvements that will extend the general framework to achieve a better understanding of travelers' responses to various land-use policies. The improved activity-based approach is illustrated through a case study based on the Portland activity-based model combined with a stated-preference residential choice model. A package of land-use policies – including improved land use, school quality, safety, and transit service in the city center – is introduced, and its effect on household redistribution and regional travel tested.

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008, CIVL 1144, Purdue University Campus, West Lafayette, IN
Hani Mahmassani, William A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation and Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University

Title: Regime Change: Uncongesting Traffic Flow Through Dynamic Pricing and Real-Time Information

Abstract: This talk will highlight the role of pricing and real-time information in the management of transportation networks and delivery of transportation services, and discuss methodological implications and approaches for both off-line evaluations of these strategies as well as real-time operational decision-making in this context.  Developments in dynamic network modeling tools will be discussed, with particular focus on new methods to evaluate the impact of congestion pricing in networks with heterogeneous users. Models of user route choice and trip timing decisions in response to pricing, information and travel time reliability are incorporated in simulation-based dynamic assignment algorithms. Strategies for anticipatory pricing in conjunction with online network state prediction tools will also be discussed. 

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Tuesday, April, 1, 2008, 1:30 PM, CIVL 2123, Purdue University Campus, West Lafayette, IN
Shinya Kikuchi, Charles E. Via Jr. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech

Title: Making Decision, Judgment, and Adjustment under Unclear Circumstances in Transportation Analysis

Abstract: Transportation planning decisions take place usually in the setting of the vague multi-objective and multi-constraint environment. The objectives are usually expressed in natural language and the priorities among them are not defined clearly. Many constraints have some degree of flexibility.  Decisions in this environment must be sensible to the desire of each stakeholder; and as such, the mathematical process should be faithful to the concerns of each stakeholder as much as possible. This presentation discusses the issues of uncertainty in transportation analysis first, and it is followed by a presentation of the proposed optimization scheme (fuzzy optimization) that incorporates the concerns of the stakeholders in a conversational manner.  The scheme is applied to the problems of resource allocation, parameter adjustment, and the multi-objective situation problem.  The outcome of the scheme is interpreted in the context of possibility measure. The presentation leads to the general discussion about how to deal with uncertainty in transportation analysis.

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