Research on transport accessibility for estimating the value of travel time

Celem artykułu jest wykazanie, że badania nad dostępnością transportową mogą być cennym źródłem danych dla wyceny wartości czasu w transporcie, a koszt czasu transportu wyrażony w jednostkach pieniężnych może udoskonalać wyniki badań nad dostępnością transportową. Postawiony cel został osiągnięty poprzez scharakteryzowanie rodzajów dostępności transportowej, analizę badań nad dostępnością transportową wybranych regionów geograficznych oraz przybliżenie problematyki szacowania ekonomicznej wartości czasu w transporcie, która jest istotna z punktu widzenia planowania inwestycji infrastrukturalnych i generowania oszczędności związanych ze skracaniem czasu przewozu.The aim of this article is to prove that studies on transport accessibility can be a valuable source of data for determining the value of time in transport, and that there is also an inverse relationship – the cost of travel time, expressed in monetary units may improve the results of research on transport accessibility. This thesis has been proven by characterising the types of transport accessibility, analysing research on transport accessibility in selected geographic regions and discussing the issue of estimating the economic value of time in transport.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00

Bike-Sharing Systems in Poland

Bike-sharing is widely recognized as an eco-friendly mode of transportation and seen as one of the solutions to the problem of air pollution and congestion. As there is little research exploring the performance of bicycle-sharing systems (BSS), many municipal authorities invest in their development without knowledge of their effectiveness. Therefore, the aim of this article is to identify factors that correlate with BSS performance. Data related to BSS and urban characteristics were collected for the 56 cities in Poland, which is the population of BSS systems in this country. The Ordinary Least Square regression model was used to estimate the model. Additionally, to support our findings, a survey of 3631 cyclists was conducted. Our main findings show that BSS performance was positively related to cities’ population, tourism, number of bike stations per capita, congestion, bicycle pathways’ length and higher temperature, and negatively related to precipitation. We have also found that one BSS operator was more effective compared to the others

New Generation of Bike-Sharing Systems in China: Lessons for European Cities

Rising mobility of societies and the urban sprawl cause the need to shape passengers’ behaviour accordingly. For urbanised areas, the biggest challenge is to overcome the problem of dominant private cars usage. Bike-sharing systems are considered to be a successful tool for the popularisation of alternative ways of travelling.Recently Chinese companies have developed new solutions to bike-sharing systems that proved to be successful in China and could be implemented in Europe. However, their implementation will be associated with challenges for municipal authorities and companies conducting the business. The aim of the paper is to identify major advantages and challenges resulting from the implementation of the Chinese solutions in Europe or expansion of bike-sharing companies to Europe.The scientific method used in the paper is the case study of the Chinese bike-sharing market with the special focus on market leaders Mobike and Ofo. Despite existing obstacles, it is possible to succeed in introducing the new generation of bike-sharing systems in Europe. As Chinese enterprises have already entered the European market, it is crucial to make policy makers aware of the obstructions

Use of underpasses by animals on a fenced expressway in a suburban area in western Poland

Volume: 39Start Page: 1-1

Historical distribution of the Garden Dormouse in Poland

The Garden Dormouse (Eliomys quercinus), is the rarest species of the Gliridae family in Central Europe. So far, information on the occurrence of this species in Poland is based mainly on historical data in the literature. The presence of the Garden Dormouse is additionally confused by the occurrence of the Forest Dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) of similar appearance. The range of both species overlap in Poland, and they have often been distinguished incorrectly.The aim of the research was to critically analyse the known localities of the Garden Dormouse in Poland, using both literature data and museum collections. The analysis of museum collections indicated errors in species identification, where specimens of the Forest Dormouse were usually described as a Garden Dormouse. New, previously unknown, localities have also been found. Most numerous in the collections are specimens from the vicinity of Babia Góra (Western Carpathians), where 5 individuals were caught in the early 1960s. Another occurrence of the Garden Dormouse in the Carpathians was recorded in Zakopane in the second half of the 19th century. Another region of the species’ occurrence is the area of Lusatia, in the lowland, western part of the country, where one specimen was found. The last specimen was found in Silesia in the first half of the 20th century. The remaining literature information should be considered uncertain. The last certain information about the occurrence of the Garden Dormouse in Poland comes from the 1960s from Zawoja (vicinity of Babia Góra) and since then, despite intensive searches in the 1970s and 1980s, this species has not been found in the localities where it was captured earlier. There have been significant changes in the landscape in the areas where the species historically occurred. The mosaic of mountain pastures, arable fields and small spruce forests, constituting a favourable habitat for the Garden Dormouse, has been replaced by beech forests, which are currently dominated by the Edible Dormouse (Glis glis)

Reproduction success in European badgers, red foxes and raccoon dogs in relation to sett cohabitation.

The setts of the European badger Meles meles can be cohabited during reproductive season by the red fox Vulpes vulpes and raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. There is no information on the possible impact of both species on the size of badgers' litter. The aim of the study was to show the influence of cohabitation of the same setts by badger, raccoon dog and fox on the litter size. The research was conducted in 2012-2014 and 2018 in the lowland forests of western Poland. We conducted the survey of setts by direct observations and analysis of photographic material from trap cameras during mid-April-July each year. We recorded 85 badger litters, 18 fox litters, and 15 raccoon dog litters. Average litter size was 1.71 (±0.90), 2.44 (±1.34) and 4.93 (±2.76) litter mates in badgers, foxes and raccoon dogs, respectively for all observed pairs. Badger litter size did not differ between setts used only by badgers including pairs with no cubs (1.66 ± 0.98) and cohabited with foxes (1.90 ± 0.32) or raccoon dogs (1.88 ± 0.81). However, foxes reared even more cubs in setts cohabited with badgers than when badger was absent (2.90 ± 1.37 vs. 1.88 ± 1.13 respectively). In the case of raccoon dogs, there were no differences in the mean number of their cubs in setts with badgers (5.25 ± 2.92) and without badgers (4.57 ± 2.76). The results indicate that the cohabitation of setts by badgers, foxes and raccoon dogs does not affect litter size negatively

Badgers as a potential source of bovine tuberculosis – first studies in Poland

Since 2009, Poland has been recognized as a country officially free of bovine tuberculosis (BTB). However, new outbreaks are each year quoted. In many countries it has been shown that badgers ( Meles meles ) are a vector of Mycobacterium bovis/caprae ( M.bovis/caprae ) and a source of bovine tuberculosis for many domestical species, mainly for cattle. The aim of the presented study was to determine, for the first time in Poland, the occurrence of tuberculosis in badgers in areas where the disease occurs in cattle. Tissue samples were examined by classical microbiology methods, mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT), and real time PCR. A total of 155 samples from 31 badgers were examined. In any case Mycobacterium bovis/caprae infection has not been diagnosed. This indicates that badgers probably are not a vector of bovine tuberculosis in Poland

Habitat preferences and vertical distribution of dormice in the Tatra Mountains

Dormice monitoring was carried out between 2014 and 2019 at 14 areas located in various regions of the Tatra National Park in Poland. The areas were located in various habitats: beech forests and spruce forests in the low mountain zone; spruce forests, windbreaks and mountain pine (Pinus mugo) thickets in the high mountain zone. The choice of the area for monitoring resulted from the habitat type and technical possibilities enabling regular inspections. Each area was equipped with 30 nest boxes dedicated to dormice. The boxes were hung on trees at a height of 1.5 to 2 meters, only in mountain pine thickets. In habitats with a dense cover of European Red Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) the boxes were hung lower, on branches or on specially constructed poles. The use of boxes was determined on the basis of the presence of dormice or their nests.A comparison of nest box use shows that the Hazel Dormouse has specific habitat preferences in mountainous areas. This species was most frequently found in windbreaks, often those with a high proportion of trees destroyed after an outbreak of the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus). These habitats are characterized by extensive undergrowth with numerous raspberries, Common Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Rosebay Willow Herb (Epilobium angustifolium) and spruce undergrowth (Picea abies). Beech forest (Fagus sylvatica) forms a habitat which is not preferred, but is unavoidable. Negative selectivity was demonstrated in relation to the spruce and mountain pine forests that are dominant in the Tatra National Park. The Forest Dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) was found at only one plot in the fourth year of observation. It was located in a small patch of beech in the vicinity of the site where this species was detected in 2011