Showing papers by "Ontario Ministry of Transportation published in 1977"

Effects of intermittent and continuous token reinforcement on bus ridership

Abstract: The following conditions were successively instituted on the Experimental Bus (the 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily operation of a campus bus): baseline, Variable Ratio 3 token reinforcement (every third passenger, on the average, received a token worth about 10found for boarding the bus), continuous token reinforcement (every passenger received a token), Variable Ratio 3 token reinforcement, and baseline. Compared to the experimental controls, Experimental Bus ridership increased significantly during token reinforcement manipulations. There was no difference in the effects of Variable Ratio 3 and continuous token reinforcement. The results suggest that compared to continuous token reinforcement, intermittent token reinforcement may provide a viable and economical approach to increasing bus ridership. /Author/

Picloram residues in sprayed Macdonald-Cartier Freeway right-of-way

Abstract: The persistence and movement of picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) applied to the median and the shoulders of a major highway were investigated The herbicide formulation (TordonRl01) was mixed with a particulating agent Norbak R and applied over a 7year period to the right-of-way of the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, Ontario Soil cores and grass samples were analyzed twice during each summer from seven locations Under the climatic conditions of south western Ontario picloram began to move vertically down the soil profile immediately after application Within 12 months picloram was substantially dispersed and after 30 months it was sufficiently diluted to exist only as a trace Under the conditions of the experiment, lateral movement was not observed It was concluded that picloram applied at rates up to 350 grams active ingredient per hectare every three years does not build-up in the top fifty centimeters of soil

An analysis of trip length and land use patterns in the Greater Athens Area

Abstract: The research described in this paper is an attempt to quantify the impact of a certain distribution of land uses upon trip characteristics — notably trip lengths. The idea is to relate trip lengths classified by mode and purpose to the distance of one trip end from the conurbation centre. The latter is defined as the point which represents a reasonable estimate of the place where the economic, administrative, and cultural life of the urban area is centered. By relating trip lengths to the distance of one trip end from the centre, one could obtain a relation which in effect would be a quantitative expression of the relation between transport and land use. The first application of this idea was in London using the 1966 journey to work data, and it gave quite satisfactory results. The area examined in this research is the Greater Athens Area. The method of analysis is similar to that followed in London so the results of the two studies can be compared. Only work trips are considered for four modes: car, bus, train and all modes (total). It is found that in the case of Athens too, when distance of the workplace from the centre is considered, trip lengths change in smoothly varying ways and a series of mathematical curves can be fitted to the data with an acceptable degree of accuracy. These curves are of the Gamma family having a constant “spread” factor and varying “scale” factors for each mode considered. When the distance of the residence end of the trip from the centre is considered, the trip length distributions are not very smooth, a clear mathematical curve cannot be fitted, but again a considerable degree of order can be detected. In addition to the above results a discussion is given on their meaning and the possibilities for future research. In fact the results so far are considered to be the first stage of a more extended research programme which will eventually connect trip length distributions to income and other economic or social parameters in an urban area.

Motion cue effects on human pilot dynamics in manual control

Abstract: Two experiments were conducted to study the motion cue effects on human pilots during tracking tasks. The moving-base simulator of National Aerospace Laboratory was employed as the motion cue device, and the attitude director indicator or the projected visual field was employed as the visual cue device. The chosen controlled elements were second-order unstable systems. It was confirmed that with the aid of motion cues the pilot workload was lessened and consequently the human controllability limits were enlarged. In order to clarify the mechanism of these effects, the describing functions of the human pilots were identified by making use of the spectral and the time domain analyses. The results of these analyses suggest that the sensory system of the motion cues can yield the differential informations of the signal effectively, which coincides with the existing knowledges in the physiological area.

Landslides and other mass movements along raods in sikkim and north bengal

Abstract: This paper deals with instability and mass movements of hill slopes encountered along about 600 km of mountain roads constructed in part of North Bengal and Sikkim; the causes of slope failures and the remedial measures adopted, extent of their success and future approach to the problem are discussed.

Obtaining efficient estimates of park use and testing for the structural adequacy of models

Abstract: This paper provides an examination of the problem of heteroscedasticity as it relates to estimating park use, although the results can also be applied to a wide variety of flow problems involving traffic, people or commodities. The major issue is that estimates of flows obtained using ordinary least squares, OLS, often yield statistically significant results while still giving rise to large differences between observed and predicted flows (residuals). The paper presents results which show that for the flow estimation problem of concern, more accurate use estimates may be obtained by using generalized least squares, GLS, rather than using OLS. Weights to use in GLS regression are developed taking into account the variance to be expected in origin-destination flows. It is shown that deriving the correct weights, estimates of variances, to use in a regression analysis results in an ‘absolute’ test for the structural appropriateness of the regression model. Tests related to the ‘absolute’ adequacy test are introduced and their use to identify specific structural problems with a model is illustrated.

Study On Fatigue Behavior Of Offshore Concrete Structure

Abstract: Model tests were carried out in static loading, alternating loading and cyclic compressive loading on various kinds of large concrete beams by means of an electro-hydraulic fatigue testing machine. The results indicate that fatigue strength of shear failure is considerably smaller than that of flexural failure.

Arctic Traffic Management, Navigation and Communication System

Abstract: Geographically the Arctic, simplistically speaking, is composed of the Arctic Ocean together with the northern-most territorial reaches of various countries. The methods of transportation are sometimes quite different from one northern reach to another, essentially because of geographical differences. For example, Canada and the Soviet Union in the North are two quite different countries when we consider transportation. Whereas in the Soviet Union most of the North is part of the main land mass with river and overland routes connecting north and south, the Canadian North is composed mainly of islands. Because seawater, in one form or another, divides much of the North from the mainland, air and marine methods of transportation are prime modes of travel in the Canadian North. Beyond the Mackenzie River Delta and Hudson Bay areas, there is no such thing as overland travel from the South.