Transport Policy——The Perspective of Swedish Stakeholders

Differences between countries’ internalization degrees and between transport modes both tend to risk distorting competition and creating socioeconomic inefficiency. This review examines regulations and charges for freight transports for different transport modes in Sweden and compares the situation with other key European countries. The aim was to identify best practices and benchmarking for Swedish conditions. The project involved both a literature study and interviews with different stakeholders. It was found that today’s fee structure for goods transports often deviated from the views of different stakeholders and market segments. The problem is that it is difficult to estimate and plan well in advance due to a lack of relevant data. Economic transport data are often extracted from heavily aggregated data where resource consumption and production costs for transport are unclear, preventing reliable estimates and obstructing the calculation of marginal costs and internalization of externalities through charges imposed on the respective transport modes and transport units. Furthermore, there is little research on how railroad and shipping are affected by changes and introduction of truck fees. The latter implies that truck fees must be seen from a European perspective to assess their effect on the overall transport system. Other aspects that are important to highlight are the extent and point in time for railroad deregulation. Further, it became clear from the stakeholder analysis that all fees and policies need to be both comprehensible and transparent through good communication of rules and by explaining the fee structures to all those concerned.

Combinations of Transportation Policies to Promote BRT Usage Using Artificial Society Model

Various transportation systems have been developed in recent years.In this study,an artificial society model is developed to examine the combination of transportation policies in urban areas.In this model,each trip maker selects the primary and terminal transportation modes.An artificial society model is applied to the southeastern region of Osaka City,Japan.The effects of introducing BRT(bus rapid transit,primary transportation)and on-demand buses(terminal transportation)are investigated.The results confirm that BRT is used by a certain number of users.An increase in the use of BRT will increase the amount of walking,thus resulting in a healthy city.However,on-demand buses are rarely used as terminal transportation.Additionally,the development of bicycle parking stations near BRT stops is shown to be effective in the northern section of the BRT route.

Transport institutions and organisations in the formulation of policies for Australian local area traffic management:A 50-year retrospective

A review of 115 studies on Australian local area traffic management(LATM)schemes covers network planning,computer modelling,overall design considerations,the deployment of various traffic control devices,project evaluation and numerous before and after case studies.However,no research has been published about the formulation of LATM policies and the processes involved that were formulated during the 1970s and 1980s and aimed at discouraging non-local through traffic in residential areas,improving road safety,and improving environmental amenity through physical devices.This paper develops a conceptual model of the interactions amongst institutions of government(state and local),organisations(national research institutes and universities),and civil society(the consulting industry,lobby groups and community action groups).The model is implemented through a series of unstructured interviews with key players involved with research and advocacy,capacity building,and state government policy makers that determined:who was responsible for the governance of LATM schemes?What were the respective roles of institutions and organisations in relation to the early formulation of policies and plans,especially issues of authority?Who were the key players in these institutions and organisations?To what extent did external influences of ideas by overseas agents(policy transfer)occur in decision making?A recently implemented LATM scheme(Seven Ways)by Waverley Council describes the latest approaches,including community participation.The conclusions note the importance of a society investing in road research,having universities capable of delivering high-quality professional development programs,and having a consulting industry that is willing to deliver innovative,practical advice to local governments.Suggestions are made about areas for further research.

Switching to alternative transit:combining bicycle safety improvements with parking regulations

Smart growth policies advocate for economically viable,environmentally conscientious,and socially equitable solutions for urban development.These policies were developed largely in response to issues rooted in the automobile-oriented culture:air pollution,high greenhouse gas emissions,traffic congestion,and sedentary lifestyles.In urban settings,a good transportation alternative is cycling,since it is able to serve the travel needs of nearly half of city dwellers' daily trips.Many European and Canadian cities have successfully increased cycling rates by creating safer bicycle environments and restricting or discouraging automobile use.To evaluate the potential effects of the above measures on American urban areas,this paper examines case studies of cycle tracks and bicycle boulevards implemented in American cities,and how these facility improvements have changed how safe cyclists feel on the road and overall bicycle usage.Results show the two methods are indeed effective in increasing bicycle usage rates.Ultimately,increasing cycling rates needs policies to discourage people from driving,the greatest mode share in nearly all urban areas.Parking policy has major impacts on people's decision to use the automobile.Currently,parking is oversupplied and underpriced in many cities,making it irresistible for people to drive.Decreasing the number of parking spaces available and increasing their price will increase pressure on drivers to drive less,especially for short trips,and to bike instead.It is important for planners and policy makers to realize that solutions from both directions,making biking more enjoyable and making parking,and hence driving,less affordable,should be used in tandem.The complementary nature of the two approaches makes it so the effect of the combination is greater than the sum of the two.

Assessment of the macro-economic impacts of low-carbon road transportation policies in Chongqing,China

Reductions in the transportation sector's carbon dioxide emissions are increasingly of global concern.As one of the first low-carbon pilot and carbon trading pilot cities,and as one of the largest automobile production bases in China,Chongqing has multiple low-carbon transportation policies that are coupled.In this study,three policy scenarios are set,including:1)improving the fuel economy of newly sold gasoline passenger cars to 5.71 per 100 km by 2020,2)promoting pure electric private cars to increase the share to 7% of private car sales by 2020,and 3)the policy mix scenario of the above two policies.Simulations are undertaken with the Chinese Academy of Sciences general equilibrium(CAS-GE)model,a type of computable GE model,to assess the macro-economic impact and the industrial impact of the three policy scenarios.Through the policy impact mechanism analysis and data-mapping process,the micro-economic impact analysis results,including costs and fuel savings,for the two policies from the bottom-up model are taken as the shock variables and inputs for the CAS-GE model.The results show that:1)the two policies will both have a slightly negative impact(-0.09% and -0.30%)on Chongqing's GDP in 2020;2)the employment rate will decrease by 0.12% and 0.47%,but the inflation rate will be restrained to a certain extent(-0.21% and -0.17%);and 3)the complementarity of the mixed policy can weaken the negative impact of the two policies when implemented separately.The mixed policy will reduce the GDP slightly by 0.37%,compared with the cumulative effect of the two policies implemented separately,resulting in cost-effective synergies at the macroeconomic impact level;and 4)the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has an uncertain impact on the results.The method and results can provide a reference for the formulation and adjustment of low-carbon transportation policies in other large cities.

Less workplace parking with fully autonomous vehicles?

Purpose–Recent studies on commuter parking in an age of fully autonomous vehicles(FAVs)suggest,that the number of parking spaces close to the workplace demanded by commuters will decline because of the capability of FAVs to return home,to seek out(free)parking elsewhere or just cruise.This would be good news because,as of today,parking is one of the largest consumers of urban land and is associated with substantial costs to society.None of the studies,however,is concerned with the special case of employer-provided parking,although workplace parking is a widespread phenomenon and,in many instances,the dominant form of commuter parking.The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether commuter parking will decline with the advent of self-driving cars when parking is provided by the employer.Design/methodology/approach–This study looks at commuter parking from the perspective of both the employer and the employee because in the case of employer-provided parking,the firm’s decision to offer a parking space and the incentive of employees to accept that offer are closely interrelated because of the fringe benefit character of workplace parking.This study develops an economic equilibrium model that explicitly maps the employer–employee relationship,considering the treatment of parking provision and parking policy in the income tax code and accounting for adverse effects from commuting,parking and public transit.This study determines the market level of employer-provided parking in the absence and presence of FAVs and identifies the factors that drive the difference.This study then approximates the magnitude of each factor,relying on recent(first)empirical evidence on the impacts of FAVs.Findings–This paper’s analysis suggests that as long as distortive(tax)policy favors employer-provided parking,FAVs are no guarantee to end up with less commuter parking.Originality/value–This study’s findings imply that in a world of self-driving cars,policy intervention related to work commuting(e.g.fringe benefit taxation or transport pricing)might be even more warranted than today.