https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/1310866.pdf

Transport poverty meets the digital divide : accessibility and connectivity in rural communities

The objective of this research is to quantify the impact that bikesharing systems have on bus ridership. We exploit a natural experiment of the phased implementation of a bikesharing system to different areas of New York City. This allows us to use a difference-in-differences identification strategy. We divide bus routes into control and treatment groups based on if they are located in areas that received bikesharing infrastructure or not. We find a significant decrease in bus ridership on treated routes compared to control routes that coincides with the implementation of the bikesharing system in New York City. The results from our preferred model indicate that every thousand bikesharing docks along a bus route is associated with a 2.42% fall in daily unlinked bus trips on routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. A second model that also controls for the expansion of bike lanes during this time suggests that the decrease in bus ridership attributable to bikesharing infrastructure alone may be smaller (a 1.69% fall in daily unlinked bus trips). Although the magnitude of the reduction is a small proportion of total bus trips, these findings indicate that either a large proportion of overall bikeshare members are substituting bikesharing for bus trips or that bikesharing may have impacted the travel behavior of non-members, such as private bicyclists. Understanding how bikesharing and public transit systems are interrelated is vital for planning a mutually reinforcing sustainable transport network.

Sharing riders: How bikesharing impacts bus ridership in New York City

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can be powered by gasoline, grid electricity, or both. To explore potential PHEV energy impacts, a three-part survey instrument collected data from new vehicle buyers in California. We combine the available information to estimate the electricity and gasoline use under three recharging scenarios. Results suggest that the use of PHEV vehicles could halve gasoline use relative to conventional vehicles. Using three scenarios to represent plausible conditions on PHEV drivers’ recharge patterns (immediate and unconstrained, universal workplace access, and off-peak only), tradeoffs are described between the magnitude and timing of PHEV electricity use. PHEV electricity use could be increased through policies supporting non-home recharge opportunities, but this increase occurs during daytime hours and could contribute to peak electricity demand. Deferring all recharging to off-peak hours could eliminate all additions to daytime electricity demand from PHEVs, although less electricity is used and less gasoline displaced.

/pdf/anticipating-plug-in-hybrid-vehicle-energy-impacts-in-3cqjuvfpw2.pdf

Anticipating plug-in hybrid vehicle energy impacts in California: Constructing consumer-informed recharge profiles

In this paper, we develop an analytical model that aids decision-makers in designing a hybrid grid network that integrates a flexible demand responsive service with a fixed route service. The objective of the model is to determine the optimal number of zones in an area where each zone is served by a number of on-demand vehicles. The function of the on-demand vehicles is to transfer passengers to a fixed route line if the destination is to a different zone or to its final destination if it is within the same zone.

https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/lquadrifoglio/Papers/TRA_Network.pdf

Network design for a grid hybrid transit service

Planning and policy efforts at all levels of transportation planning aim to increase levels of bicycling. An initial step in doing so is to ensure that a variety of facilities exist for bicycling, such as relatively wide curb lanes, on-street bike paths, or off-street bike paths. But bicycle facilities cost money, their merits are often called into question, and many consider spending on them a luxury. Planners and other transportation specialists often find themselves justifying that these facilities benefit the common good and that they induce increased use. Especially in austere economic times, they are often grasping for ways to “economize” such facilities. The purpose of this paper is to review and interpret existing literature that evaluates the economic benefits of bicycle facilities and suggest strategies for evaluating economic benefits in future work. We first provide an overview of central issues and, in a consistent framework, identify factors that confound the manner in which bicycle benefits are estimated. We then briefly describe 25 studies that speak to economic dimensions of bicycle facilities. The third section interprets the existing literature by describing six core benefits of municipal and regional bicycle facilities. These benefits include direct benefits to the user (mobility, health, safety) and indirect benefits to society (decreased externalities, livability, fiscal). We conclude by proposing how this framework could be built on and challenges that lie ahead.

William H. K. Lam

Papers

Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice