Economics and Finance

Large-Scale Traffi c Simulation Through Distributed Computing of Paramics

Liu, Henry X.
Ma, Wenteng
Jayakrishnan, R.
Recker, Will
2004

Simulation modeling is an increasingly popular and effective tool for analyzing transportation problems, which are not amendable to study by other means. We examine the need for parallel or distributed simulation approaches from the need for computational speed-ups, availability of options towards that, and then at the need to distribute the effort to develop network simulation contexts and datasets. After an overview of the general techniques for the distributed discrete-event simulation and previous efforts on the distributed traffic simulation, we present the general architecture of the...

The Costs and Benefits of Home-Based Telecommuting

Shafizadeh, Kevan R.
Mokhtarian, Patricia L.
Niemeier, Debbie A.
Salomon, Ilan
2000

This report evaluates the costs and benefits of home-based telecommuting. Combining empirical data from the literature with a Monte Carlo simulation technique, a distribution of cost-benefit ratios is produced from three perspectives: the employer, the telecommuter, and the public sector.... Depending on the underlying assumptions, the results indicate that telecommuter benefit-cost ratios are generally above one if the employer bears the majority of the equipment cost burden. ...Even when parking and office space benefits are included, productivity lies at the heart of the telecommuting...

Costs for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements

Bushell, MA
Poole, BW
Zegeer, CV
Rodriguez, DA
2013

Costs for pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure often vary greatly from city to city and state to state. This document (and associated database) is intended to provide meaningful estimates of infrastructure costs by collecting up-to-date cost information for pedestrian and bicycle treatments from states and cities across the country. Using this information, researchers, engineers, planners, and the general public can better understand the cost of pedestrian and bicycle treatments in their communities and make informed decisions about which infrastructure enhancements are best suited...

A Cost-effective Traffic Data Collection System Based on the iDEN Mobile Telecommunication Network

Zhang, Liping
Li, Meng
Lau, Peter
Zhang, Wei-Bin
Leung, Kai
2008

This report describes a cost-effective data collection system for Caltrans 170 traffic signal controller. The data collection system is based on TCP/IP communication over existing low-cost mobile communication networks and Motorola® iDEN1 mobile handsets. An adaptive wireless flow control protocol is developed to ensure reliable continuously communication over unstable wireless link. The system is fully integrated with Caltrans 170 signal controllers and its CTNet server program. Lab testing shows that with the adaptive flow control protocol, each handset can deliver data fetched from...

Literature Review Report on Benefit/Cost Studies and Evaluations of Transit Management Systems

Jia, Xudong
Sullivan, Edward
Nuworsoo, Cornelius
Hockaday, Neil
2008

This study addresses the benefits and costs of Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS) applications in small and medium sized transit agencies using the research test implementation of a small transit oriented Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) on San Luis Obispo Transit as a case study. The Smart Transit System at San Luis Obispo is in a pre-commercialized state and implements the Efficient Development of Advanced Public Transportation Systems (EDAPTS) framework concept (Gerfen, 2001). The system has many potential benefits that will be identified and evaluated from a cost of...

Smart Parking Management Field Test: A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District Parking Demonstration; Final Report

Rodier, Caroline J., PhD
Shaheen, Susan A., PhD
Kemmerer, Charlene
2008

This report presents an evaluation of the first transit-based smart parking project in the U.S. at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District station in Oakland, California. The report begins with a review of the smart parking literature; next the smart parking field test is described including its capital, operational, and maintenance costs; then the results of the participant survey analysis are presented; and finally lessons learned from the institutional, user, and operational perspective are documented. Some key changes in participant travel behavior include increases in...

Development of an Integrated Microscopic Traffic Simulation and Signal Timing Optimization Tool

Yin, Yafeng
Liu, Henry X.
Laval, Jorge A.
Lu, Xiao-Yun
Li, Meng
Pilachowski, Joshua
Zhang, Wei-Bin
2007

A big segment of the traffic signal control systems in California and United States are closed-loop systems. Because wide-scale deployment of advanced adaptive control systems may be many years away due to the associated high costs, there is a significant need to improve the effectiveness of the state-of-the-practice closed-loop systems. To address the need, this project focuses on: 1) developing an integrated micro-simulation/signal optimization tool to enhance the capability of generating efficient signal timing plans, and 2) developing a systematic approach to make closed-loop systems...

Bus Operations in Santa Clara County, Potential Uses of AVL, and Framework for Evaluating Control Strategies

Chira-Chavala, T.
Gillen, David
Klieman, Lee
Marshall, Amy
1999

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which provides public transportation to citizens of Santa Clara County, California, operates buses, light rail, and paratransit service. The VTA is currently installing automatic vehicle location (AVL) equipment on its bus fleet. This report presents the results of Phase 1 research, which examines the various performance and operational characteristics of the fixed-route bus system operated by the VTA. The purpose is to identify performance characteristics of the bus system that should and could be improved with and without utilizing...

Improving Mobility through Enhanced Transit Services: Transit Taxi Service for Areas with Low Passenger Demand Density

Li, Yuwei
Miller, Mark
Cassidy, Michael
2009

This research report is the final deliverable for PATH Task Order 6408: “Improving Mobility through Enhanced Transit Services”. The purpose of this task order is to explore alternative methods of providing transit service to areas with low passenger demand density. This report first presents analytical models for determining optimal headway and line spacing for fixed-route, fixed schedule buses, either with fixed stops or allowing buses to stop anywhere along the route. Next, transit taxi services with either fixed or flexible routes that specifically target focused demand patterns are...

Using Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) to Form High-Performance Vehicle Streams

Shladover, Steven E
Nowakowski, Christopher
Lu, Xiao-Yun
Hoogendoorn, Raymond
2014

This research identifies the operational concepts for managing cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) vehicle maneuvering and traffic flows. This includes approaches for grouping the CACC vehicles, ranging from ad-hoc to centrally coordinated strategies, and the incentives that could be used to facilitate the vehicle clustering, both operational and financial. These are particularly important at low market penetrations, when the CACC vehicles are likely to be widely separated. The dissolution of CACC strings is also discussed, since this needs to be done carefully to avoid adverse...