Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

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This research focuses on utilizing the typically overlooked taxi manifest data to analyze taxi operations with respect to transit, and also presents alternative uses for the data in transportation planning. Taxi travel characteristics are explored for Arlington, Virginia, a county containing both urban and suburban qualities. Previous research contends that manifest data can provide valuable quantitative descriptors of taxi travel. This thesis attempts to describe taxi travel by quantifying trip characteristics; the shortcomings of using manifest data are discussed and the results are reported. The taxi operations results are then compared for weekend and weekday travel and also for airport and non-airport bound travel. Several key differences between these groups of taxi trips are discussed. Next, an investigation of the relationship between mass transit facilities and taxi travel is conducted. Because taxis provide a complementary yet competing public transportation service to mass transit, it is hypothesized that examining the proximity to transit options and the timing of taxi trips can provide insight to the perceived gaps in mass transit services. However, the data show that simply examining geographic or temporal characteristics of taxi trips does not define clear relationships between transit facilities and taxi use. Instead, the results suggest that other variables such as land use and vehicle access may hold a greater influence over the generation of taxi trips. Despite the difficulty in using manifest data to determine gaps in transit, the data collected by taxi regulators could have numerous applications for planners. Possible applications for the type of taxi data used in this research are explored and a potential data flow for agencies is proposed. / Master of Science

DC United is one of Major League Soccer's most decorated franchises, yet it still plays its home games within the crumbling confines of RFK Stadium. This structure and the surrounding parking lots sit vacant for most of the year, though they occupy a prime site along the Anacostia River. In this project, I am proposing to incorporate a new metro station, transit hub and commercial development into the design of a stadium for DC United along the northern portion of the site. By providing services and amenities that do not currently exist in this part of the city, this endeavor could be a viable year-round resource for the community. / Master of Architecture

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

Background: Public transportation constitutes a vulnerable sector in modern day society with a high probability of generating mass casualties if attacked. By preparing for mass-casualty attacks (MCAs), response can become more effective and public transportation can become a less rewarding target. However, preparedness for attacks, much like response, implies resource constraints, and this dissertation pinpoints some major dilemmas that inhibit achieving preparedness for MCAs on public transportation in Sweden. Aim: The aim of this dissertation was to investigate preparedness for mass-casualty attacks on public transportation. This allowed for identification of major challenges for preparedness and response with a particular focus on the Swedish context. Methods: Study I included 477 MCAs identified through searches of the Global Terrorism Database, journals, newspapers and websites, which were examined with descriptive statistics. Study II thematically analyzed 105 articles attained by systematic searches of the PubMed and Scopus databases. Study III and IV statistically analyzed data from 864 responses to a purposive-designed questionnaire, from operational personnel of the Swedish emergency organizations. Study V entailed validation of a finite element (FE) simulation model of a bombing in a train carriage compared to the bombings in Madrid 2004. Results: International trends of MCAs (≥ 10 fatally injured and/or ≥ 100 non-fatally injured) on public transportation, during the years 1970-2009 (I) showed that the average number of injured increased considerably, despite a quite stable incidence rate since the 1980s. High numbers of injured people were connected to attacks on terminal buildings, multiple targets and complex tactical approaches. Few MCAs occurred in Europe, but the average number of fatalities per incident and injured per incident were the second highest among regions. The literature study (II) of previous on-scene management showed that commonly encountered challenges during unintentional incidents were added to during MCAs, implying specific issues for safety, assessment, triage and treatment, which require collaborative planning and specific training. The study regarding the Swedish emergency organizations’ perceptions of terrorist attacks (III) showed significant differences on perceptions of event likelihood, willingness to respond, estimated management capability and level of confidence in knowledge of tasks to be performed on scene. The police respondents stood out; e.g., fewer police personnel had high estimates of their organizations’ management capability and knowledge of tasks on-scene compared to the other organizations. The study of factors that influence responders’ perceptions of preparedness for terrorism (IV) showed that these were influenced by the responders’ sex, work experience, organizational affiliation, various training arrangements and access to personal protective equipment (PPE). Investing in amenable factors, such as terrorism-related management training and provision of PPE, could improve responders’ perceptions of preparedness for terrorism. A finite-element (FE) model of an explosion in a train carriage (V) was developed and showed that FE modeling techniques could effectively model damage and injuries for explosions with applicability for preparedness and injury mitigation efforts, but, also, there was room for improvement of the model in terms of injuries. Conclusion: Achieving preparedness for MCAs on public transportation is a multiple choice balancing act between ostensible dilemmas regarding investments, disaster plans, training, response strategies, collaboration and inventions. / Bakgrund: Kollektivtrafik utgör en sårbar sektor i dagens samhälle, med hög sannolikhet att generera en situation med många drabbade vid attentat. Genom att förbereda för masskadeattentat (MCA) kan hanteringen bli effektivare och kollektivtrafiken utgöra ett mindre givande mål. Beredskap för attentat, liksom själva hanteringen, innefattar dock resursbegränsningar och denna avhandling belyser somliga avgörande utmaningar som hämmar utvecklandet av beredskap för MCA mot kollektivtrafiken i Sverige.   Syfte: Syftet med avhandlingen var att undersöka beredskapen för masskadeattentat mot kollektivtrafik. Detta möjliggjorde identifiering av stora utmaningar för beredskap och insatser, med särskilt fokus på den svenska kontexten.   Metoder: Studie I innefattade 477 MCA som identifierades genom sökningar i Global Terrorism Database, vetenskapliga tidskrifter, tidningar och webbsidor, som sedan undersöktes med deskriptiv statistik. I Studie II genomfördes en tematisk analys av 105 artiklar, funna genom systematiska sökningar i databaserna PubMed och Scopus. I Studie III och IV genomfördes statistisk analys av data från 864 respondenter till en ändamålsenligt utformad enkät, utskickad till operativ personal inom blåljusorganisationerna. Studie V innebar validering av en finita element (FE)-modell av en explosion i en tågvagn genom jämförelse med bombningarna i Madrid 2004.   Resultat: I den internationella utvecklingen av MCA (≥ 10 dödsfall eller ≥ 100 icke-dödligt skadade) mot kollektivtrafik, under åren 1970-2009 (I) visade det sig att det genomsnittliga antalet skadade ökade kraftigt, trots en tämligen stabil incidens av antalet händelser sedan 1980-talet. Skadadeutfallet var ofta stort vid angrepp på terminalbyggnader, multipla mål och användning av komplexa taktiska metoder. Få MCA inträffade i Europa, men det genomsnittliga antalet dödsfall per fall och skadade per fall var den näst högsta bland regioner. Litteraturstudien (II) av skadeplatshantering vid tidigare attentat visade att vanligt förekommande utmaningar under oavsiktliga masskadehändelser utökades under MCA med särskilda svårigheter kring säkerhet, bedömning, triage och behandling, vilket i sin tur kräver gemensam planering och särskild utbildning. Studien om de svenska blåljusorganisationernas uppfattningar om terroristattacker (III) visade signifikanta skillnader på uppfattningar om sannolikhet av olika händelser, viljan att respondera, beräknad hanteringskapacitet och förlitan till kunskap om uppgifter som ska utföras på skadeplats. Polisernas svar utmärkte sig; t.ex. hade färre inom polisen höga uppskattningar av sin organisations hanteringskapacitet och sin egen kunskap om uppgifter på plats, jämfört med de andra organisationerna. Studien av vilka faktorer som påverkade respondenternas uppfattning om beredskap för terrorism (IV) visade att uppfattningar påverkades av deras kön, arbetslivserfarenhet, organisationstillhörighet, olika former av utbildning och tillgång till personlig skyddsutrustning. Investeringar i åtgärder såsom terrorism-relaterad träning och personlig skyddsutrustning skulle kunna förbättra uppfattning om beredskap för terrorism inom blåljusorganisationerna. En FE modell av en explosion i en tågvagn (V) utvecklades och visade att FE metoden skulle kunna modellera materiella skador och personskador av explosioner, med tillämpning för beredskap och skadelindrande åtgärder, men visade också att det fanns utrymme för förbättring av modellen avseende personskador.   Slutsats: Förverkligandet av beredskap för masskadeattentat mot kollektivtrafik utgör en balansgång i beslutstagande mellan vad som förefaller vara dilemman om investeringar, krisplaner, utbildning, responsstrategier, samverkan och innovationer. / Preparedness for mass-casualty attacks on public transportation

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts

The population of Austin, Texas is projected to reach 1.6 million people by the year 2040, which doubles the city’s current population. The populations of cities in neighboring counties, Hays and Williamson, are projected to experience even more growth within the same time frame. For the first time in history, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, so sustainable development is currently relevant for urban planning. Until 2010, Austin lacked a mass public transportation system. Currently, Capital Metro, Austin’s main public transportation operator, operates the Red Line of the MetroRail, a commuter rail system. The Red Line only serves a specific subset of the population in Austin and its northern neighbors, running from the city of Leander, through northern Austin, before its final stop in downtown Austin. Because of this, Capital Metro will begin operations on a new method of rapid mass transit: a bus rapid transit system called MetroRapid. With two lines opening in 2014, MetroRapid will function as a mass rapid public transit option for two of the busiest north-south corridors in the city. The opening of MetroRapid will provide opportunities to stimulate growth in areas focused around this transit system. Transit-oriented development can be a method of guiding Austin’s future growth that will theoretically facilitate and encourage public transit use. The benefits to such growth would be reduced congestion, less dependency on automobiles and fostering communities that are vibrant and self-sustaining. This paper defines Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and analyzes the MetroRapid stations themselves as Austin moves toward becoming a sustainable city. / text

Efficient public transportation provides economic and social opportunities that increase accessibility to markets and employment as well as providing investment benefits. Key challenges to the U.S. public transportation industry include developing modes and increasing the availability of public transportation in a manner that meets the needs of individual users in a cost effective manner. A problem facing public transportation officials is the need to understand the factors that influence consumer decision-making and consumer attitudes toward public transportation. Feedback regarding experiences as well as expectations from commuters provides information for developing and improving public transportation. Thus, decision-making factors of end-users are keys to improving supply, growth, and understanding utilization of public transportation. Public transportation officials seek to improve the public transportation experience for commuters by increasing modes and benefits of the systems. The decision-making factors of the end-users require identification and examination in order to provide a high quality and efficient experience for commuters. The research questions of interest in the current dissertation are: (1) What are the decision-making factors affecting commuters’ attitudes toward public transportation? and (2) How do the end-user decision-making factors affect the supply of public transportation? The purpose of this research is to extend the current body of knowledge about decision-making factors by developing and testing a new theoretical model to measure the attitudes of public transportation end-users. This study has its theoretical foundation in the theory of planned behavior, theory of reasoned action, and rational choice theory. To understand how public transportation is affected by decision-making factors, it is necessary to analyze the relationships among the decision factors and attitudes. The findings of this study contribute by building theory and having implications for practice. This study employs a mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative research. More specifically, the development of a framework and testing of that framework via collection of data using a survey instrument, semi-structured interviews, and data scraping of customer comments underpin the methodology employed in this study. To this end, Essay 1 develops a conceptual framework of decision-making factors that affect the supply of public transportation based on the extant literature. The integrated framework developed is operationalized using a survey to test a model that depicts the framework within the context to which the study was situated. The results of the structural model using PLS provide insights for the development of public transportation. Essay 2 involves two phases in the methodology. First, the study develops a causal loop that depicts the operationalized conceptual framework from Essay 1. Second, discussion panels were conducted to confirm the system dynamic causal loop visualization that was developed to fit the model. Finally, Essay 3 examines the conceptual framework developed and tested in the prior essays by analyzing electronic word of mouth (eWOM) of online comments. The third essay examines eWOM of current public transportation users that is available online. This eWOM data was examined using text mining and the resulting quantitative output was compared to the operationalized theoretical framework from the prior works. The results also illustrate the functionality of text analytics for confirmatory model assessment.

by Kong Kang Chuen, Lau Tai Wing, Dwight. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 55). / ABSTRACT --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.v / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MTRC --- p.8 / Chapter III. --- MTRC PRIVATIZATION PLAN --- p.15 / Chapter IV. --- OVERSEAS EXPERIENCES IN RAILWAY PRIVATIZATION --- p.20 / Chapter V. --- FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF THE PRIVATIZATION --- p.27 / Chapter VI. --- SOCIAL IMPACTS OF THE PRIVATIZATION --- p.36 / Chapter VII. --- CONCLUSIONS --- p.40 / Appendix / Chapter I. --- FINANCIAL SUMMARY OF THE MTRC (1996-1998) --- p.43 / Chapter II. --- STANDARD & POORS REPORT ON THE PASSAGE OF MTR BILL REGARDING PRIVATIZATION --- p.45 / Chapter III. --- "LegCo PANEL ON TRANSPORT, OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE IN THE PRIVATIZATION OF RAILWAYS" --- p.47 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.54