Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009. / "Publication number: AAT 3381606."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University. / Vita: p. 275. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, ed. by the Faculty of political science of Columbia university, vol. xxxiv, no. 1. Bibliography: p. 266-273.

No description available.

The motor carrier industry of North America is subject to regulatory controls over its rate setting practices. In the United States and in Canada, public commissions must develop certain tools for measuring when an individual rate or an entire rate structure is either exploitive to the shipping public or confiscatory to the carrier. The tool that has been applied historically is the operating ratio, simply the relationship of total revenues to total expenses of the carrier. The operating ratio is not as reliable an instrument as the rate of return principle employed by regulators of other regulated industries. In the United States, where the operating ratio is more highly refined, it is greatly criticized. In Canada, students of the motor carrier industry are still faced with the problem of deciding what cost data must be compiled before the operating ratio can be used with any confidence by regulators . This thesis attempts to study the problems involved in making a judicial measurement of the financial effect a rate may be having on the carrier and the shipper. As a result, the operating ratio is examined at some length. In addition, the thesis confronts the problem, more pressing to Canadian regulators, that of what cost data must be collected and how to collect it before the operating ratio be developed. To study this problem, the thesis has brought together economic analyses of the motor carrier industry as contrasted to other regulated fields with certain research into the development of commission and judicial thought on the manner of how rate regulation should be effected. A pioneering effort was made to collect a set of costs for British Columbia motor carriers to supplement what is otherwise a mainly theoretical piece of writing. Clearly, this thesis has not been designed so that any concrete conclusions could be drawn about how effective or ineffective motor carrier rate controls are at present nor about precisely what data Canadian regulators should set about collecting. It is felt, however, that some needed focus has been brought onto an area of public regulation that is presently, at its best, badly neglected. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Active transportation modes of walking and bicycling have the potential to help mitigate environmental and health concerns ranging from growing greenhouse gas emissions to increasing rates of obesity. This dissertation investigates how new movers make decisions about active transportation, particularly non-work utilitarian walking, in the context of a new home and neighborhood. New movers are an important, yet often overlooked, population in travel behavior research because they provide an opportunity to observe behavior adoption in new contexts, but also because the roughly one-in-ten Americans who move each year are more likely to consider changes to daily routines, including travel behavior, making them prime targets for voluntary travel behavior change programs. Using data from a two-wave survey of recent movers in six U.S. cities, psychological and social mechanisms essential to the built environment travel behavior relationship. The research is divided into three stand-alone papers (chapters 4, 5 and 6). First, to isolate the built environment effect on active travel mode adoption, the relative influence of the built environment and a robust set of self-selection variables is quantified. Second, the psychological constructs that facilitate the built environment travel behavior relationship are identified. And in light of increasing market demand for housing in walkable urban neighborhoods and the observed importance of self-selection, the final paper quantifies the extent to which low-income households face are able to realize preferences for walkable housing locations. The key findings of this dissertation are that 1) the built environment plays a key role in determining recent mover adoption of utilitarian walking even after controlling for self-selection; 2) the influence of the built environment on post-move adoption of utilitarian walking largely mediated by perceived behavior control, as expected, and, unexpectedly, by descriptive social norms; and 3) low-income movers who prioritized moving to a walkable place were about half as likely as higher-income movers to be able to realize this preference. These findings have practical and theoretical implications which are discussed in each paper and in the final chapter.

Although the original intent of this study was to do a pre-and post-deregulation assessment of rail rates per ton-mile, the results using post-deregulation data show a significant decrease in rail rates between 1981 and 2000. While accounting for changes in shipment characteristics, savings for wheat, barley, com, oat, and soybean shippers were 63.80%, 69.17%, 49.07%, 67.97%, and 59.36%, respectively. Rate savings over time for an average 1981 shipment were 45%, 55%, 38%, 45%, and 36% for wheat, barley, com, oat, and soybean shippers, respectively. Analysis regarding the effects of deregulation of rail rates on com, soybean, and wheat on a regional basis shows that rail rates not only differ across commodities, but also among regions. In general, it was found that grain producers within regions that had higher levels of intermodal competition had lower rates than their counterparts with lower levels of intermodal competition. Distribution of benefits as a result of market-based pricing has varied among regions, and these variances are increasing over time.

Thesis. 1978. Ph.D. cn--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 133-139. / by John R. Pucher. / Ph.D.cn

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With the passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) it has become a civil rights violation to deny access to persons with disabilities to public transportation. The ADA requires transit agencies to provide accessible buses or equivalent services to persons with mobility, sensory or cognitive impairments. This study examines issues concerning persons with sensory and cognitive impairments, and their access to fixed route transit services. The goal of this report is: to specify operating guidelines, suggest technological changes, offer operating policy and training programs modifications that solve problems of transit access for persons with sensory and cognitive impairments. To determine where the access problems exist in fixed route transit systems, an examination was undertaken of existing technologies and programs that are in use by transit agencies in North America. Upon review of the available literature it was noted that there were available technologies and policies for persons with visual and hearing impairments, however, little appeared to be available for persons with cognitive impairments. To fill in this knowledge gap, surveys and interviews were conducted with persons with cognitive and other impairments, persons who trained persons with sensory and cognitive impairments, and persons who provide transportation services. A major conclusion of this study is that for persons with cognitive impairments, technological solutions are not the answer to increase bus accessibility. Personal interaction is needed to solve each individual circumstance with the transit user. Training for transit personnel is needed so personnel become aware and more sensitive to the needs of all transit users. Training for the transit user is necessary so use of the transit system is accomplished with grace, speed, efficiency and dignity. Training for the trainers of persons with disabilities is necessary so transit travelers will be informed of all the available services the transit agencies are offering. Another conclusion is visual signage must be standardized to be effective. This includes location, lighting, contrast, and content. / Graduation date: 1993

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-196). Also available online.