Network data restructuring is an essential function in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) when adapted to transportation. Implementing effective data restructuring models in GIS allows users to collect and maintain data in the format with which they are most familiar while allowing others to utilize it in a format they require. Aggregation and disaggregation of network data facilitates storage, display and plotting times. There could however be important adverse effects. The effects of generalizing attribute data for aggregation/disaggregation is being researched here. Milepoint referenced data in road inventory files provides valuable network information for transportation research. Individual records in these files represent variable length sections of roads. A new record is created each time a highway attribute changes. Consequently, a segment of road between two intersections may be represented by several records in a road inventory file. Further, all attributes in these records are associated with both directions of travel along a road. Many transportation analysis models require networks to be represented by a node-link structure where nodes symbolize an intersection of two or more roads. Further, if a road is two directional, it is represented by two links each of which has its own set of attributes. To utilize road inventory data in these analysis models, network information has to be converted into an intersection/link format. This process involves aggregating· and disaggregating attribute data to represent longer and shorter road segments and also disaggregating data into bi-directional information. This thesis describes data conversion efforts needed to produce intersectional-link network representations. The development of a microcomputer model for data conversion is detailed and application issues and model sensitivities are addressed. / Master of Science

Purpose - Transport is a common constant variable found in just about every aspect of our lives as well as commercial activities; this is so because transport enables accessibility to people, places and goods. The effective management of public passenger transport operations is a more complex and all-embracing concept than what it may appear at first glance. Wider dispersed work place locations and urban sprawl is on the rise driven by among other factors the increased rate of globalisation. A unique opportunity is then presented in a developing country like South Africa for effective planning and management of public passenger bus operations. In the main, the purpose of this case study research was to develop a more sustainable public passenger transport bus operation to better connect people, places and goods. The organisation that will be studied is Blunden Coach Tours a luxury and semi-lux coach Tour operator, operating from the Nelson Mandela Bay. Design / Methodology / Approach – This study employed the case study research approach which was based on the qualitative research paradigm as such allowed for in-depth description and analysis of the case as well as related phenomena in real world context. The researcher focused only on the public passenger bus transport operations in Nelson Mandela Bay thus assuming a single context focus with a single case namely the development of a more sustainable public passenger transport operations in Nelson Mandela Bay. An embedded multiple unit of analysis strategy was employed selecting a sample of key persons responsible for strategic operational areas at Blunden Coach tours, sub-contractors and suppliers. The case study employed an in-depth probing interview process in an effort to better comprehend occurrences within the actual context of the events observed. The secondary sources of information gathered were used to structure and backup the interview questions. Practical implications – The case study enabled thought provoking insight which by virtue of South Africa’s historical socio-economic landscape offered an unusual perspective of the South African bus transport scene with a particular focus on environmental, regulatory and socio-economic sustainability considerations. A limitation to the study – The lack of responses to the interview questions from some of the key role players in the bus industry who were contacted as well as some of the respondents interviewed. The lack of responses to some of the interview questions could be perceived as a limitation to validating the Summary drawn from the study.

The number of hazardous materials transported by truck mode and also the quantities shipped continues to grow every year. In recognition of the potential disasters associated with the occurrence of the release of hazardous materials, several studies have been conducted on various aspects of the problem - assessment of risk, container safety, emergency response, disaster assistance, regulations, routing etc. The development of mitigation measures is a relatively new area in hazardous materials research in the sense that it has not been studied comprehensively. The objective of this study is to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of different steps to be taken to reduce either the likelihood of hazardous materials accidents/incidents or the damage which would ensue from a release for different hazardous materials. This work attempts to identify, or flag, potentially high-risk locations due to spills of hazardous materials, and to evaluate the alternatives to be designed and implemented in order to reduce risk. The appropriate type of roadway improvements for the safe transportation of hazardous material trucks and protective systems that might be incorporated into new or reconstructed highway segments in order to mitigate consequences are presented for various generalized scenarios. The output of mitigation is the reduced risk value. This work forms a part of a comprehensive decision making framework integrating the risk identification, calculation, and mitigation that can apply to both urban and rural areas. / Master of Science

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1979. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: p. 124-127. / Ph.D.

Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil Engineering. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Engineering. / Bibliography: leaves 118-119. / M.S.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between North American and European tertiary educational organizations regarding their expressed concerns about sustainable development within the transportation sector and their commitment to the research of issues related to sustainable transport. For this study, we created a list of academic organizations based on the compendium of papers from the Transportation Research Board¡¦s 2012 annual meeting. Then we analyzed the content from the public websites of these organizations to distinguish differences in the way universities in North America and Europe designed courses related to sustainable transport. After analyzing information from about 5,000 such courses, we found that most of them were worth 3 credits, more courses were offered for graduate students than for undergraduates, lecturing was the most common teaching method, the most commonly offered course was Transportation Engineering, and, on average, North American universities offered more sustainable transport courses than their European counterparts.

Transportation analysts have monitored with interest the emergence of trip chaining, or multi-purpose trip making, which is becoming a common method of travel for many households. As of 2001, 61% of all working age adults trip chained. From a policy perspective, this warrants attention as these 61% of adults who trip chain generate 68% of average daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In addition, most trip chaining is accomplished by automobile and generally alone or with other family members. Trip chaining research has focused predominantly on travel by workers and findings suggest that one reason for its increase is that workers are scheduling non-work activities into their work commute, largely to support household needs (primarily childcare but also for shopping and personal business). Since the 1990s, significant federal funding has supported programs to improve air quality through reduced emissions. These include employer-based programs that seek to reduce VMT through ride sharing and the use of transit, along with incentives for doing so. The success of these programs is based on the flexibility of the commuter to change his/her work mode. As indicated above, however, trip chaining is typically associated with decreased flexibility and almost in direct conflict with programs that encourage alternative commute modes. This research identifies household, demographic, work, and activity setting factors that influence trip chaining in order to understand the related policy implications for employer-based programs that seek to reduce VMT through encouraging alternative commute modes. Using the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, a market segmentation identified trip chaining influencers. These were primarily the presence of children under the age of 16, worker status, more than one household adult, a high vehicle-to-worker ratio, and educational attainment above the high school level. The findings indicate that while between 30 and 42% of workers commute in the traditional manner, employer-based programs can achieve greater returns if increased focus is placed on improving employer amenities. In addition, further VMT reduction can be achieved through new programs that target the household instead of the employer, as evidenced by the TravelSmart program in Australia and SmartTrips program in Portland, OR. / text

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 207-213. / by Warren Buckler Powell. / Ph.D.

Although shared mobility services provide benefits such as minimizing congestion as well as pollution and costs of transportation, barriers such as trust and convenience are blocking these services from reaching a broader audience. In this paper, considerations for a new service that aims to bring together familiar strangers to share rides to and from the airport is presented using a Research through Design approach. The familiar strangers investigated in this study are frequent travelers of Scandinavian airlines (SAS). Interviews, ideation workshops, prototyping, and feedback sessions are the design activities that were used to understand motivations behind their choice of transportation to and from the airport, and current pain points that motivate the need for such a service, as well as to guide the design directions of the service to tackle the problems of trust and convenience current shared mobility services face. The findings showed that SAS travelers are willing to share rides with others belonging to their community when living far away from transit services to and from the airport, arriving uncomfortable hours at a new destination, when there’s a potential to make new business contacts as well as when traveling with loved ones. The final design presented in this paper serves as a framework on how to design services to enable people who share common physical spaces and similar travel behavior, to share rides together. / Även om “shared mobility” tjänster ger fördelar som att minimera trafikstockningar samt föroreningar och transportkostnader, finns det hinder som tillit och bekvämlighet som blockerar dessa tjänster från att nå en större publik. I den här uppsatsen presenteras omständigheter för en ny tjänst som syftar till att samla “familiar strangers” för att dela transportsätt till och från flygplatsen med hjälp av ett Research Through Design-metod. De “familiar strangers” som undersöktes i denna studie är frekventa resenärer av Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Intervjuer, ideation workshops, prototyper och feed-back möten är de designaktiviteter som användes för att förstå motivation bakom resenärers val av transport till och från flygplatsen och aktuella smärtpunkter som motiverar behovet av en sådan tjänst samt för att styra designbeslut för tjänsten för att ta itu med problemen med förtroende och bekvämlighet som nuvarande “shared mobility” tjänster stöter på. Resultaten visade att SAS-resenärer är villiga att dela resor med andra som tillhör deras gemenskap när de bor långt ifrån transit tjänster till och från flygplatsen, när de anländer i ett nytt resmål vid obehagliga timmar, när det finns möjlighet att skapa nya affärskontakter såväl som när de reser med sina nära och kära. Den slutliga designen som presenteras i denna uppsats fungerar som en ram för hur man utformar tjänster för att möjliggöra för personer som delar gemensamma fysiska utrymmen och liknande resebeteenden, att dela resor tillsammans.

The state of roadside ditch design and performance has become a topic of concern for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Erosion failures of roadside ditches have occurred frequently enough to indicate that it may be desirable to revise the current design practice. Through the Virginia Transportation Research Council, VDOT has sponsored this research to investigate the state of design practice for these structures and to explore revisions to the design process resulting in a more economical design. To investigate the erosion problems, various VDOT personnel at each of Virginia's nine Construction Districts were interviewed with the intent to gain an understanding of roadside ditch performance in each District. When possible, field visits were made to sites experiencing erosion failure and soil samples were collected for analysis. In addition, experiences and design procedures in neighboring states were reviewed, with the objective of determining if similar problems have been experienced, and if so, how they have been addressed. The survey of other states included nine states, and a site visit to the Mount Airy District of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A study of the literature relating to the hydraulic performance of unlined and lined ditches was also performed, with the objective of researching available stability criteria used in ditch design and determining if suitable values of Manning's n are being used in Virginia design. The results of this study presented in this thesis represent the best recommended roadside ditch design practice based on current available research. Recommendations include revisions to the current relationship of soil type and maximum allowable velocity, revisions to the application of Manning's n for various lining conditions, and suggestions to improve the overall design and construction process based on surveyed VDOT experience, surrounding states and current research. Future research will be necessary to improve the scientific bases for these recommendations / Master of Science