The ambivalence of ridesharing

Ridesharing is quite a popular topic of discussion among transport authority personnel. It is perceived to be a viable alternative to classical modes of transportation, and receives a great deal of political support from transport planners. However, not much objective information is available on ridesharing behaviors. We use travel survey data to study the evolution of the ridesharing market in an urban area. Our study is based on data from four large-scale OD surveys conducted in the Greater Montreal Area (1987, 1993, 1998 and 2003). In the latest survey conducted in Montreal, car passengers were asked to identify the driver who gave them the opportunity to travel in this way. Their answers were classified according to the type of driver; for instance, a member of their household, a neighbor or a co-worker. We use this information to calibrate a model matching car passengers and car drivers belonging to the same household. This will be referred to as IHHR (intra-household ridesharing). Preliminary results reveal that approximately 70% of all trips made by car passengers are the result of IHHR. Furthermore, around 15% of those trips are questionable, in that they were exclusively generated for another individual’s purposes, consequently generating an additional trip for the journey back home. Moreover, this percentage increased over time. Objective data regarding ridesharing and its evolution in an urban area will undoubtedly help decision makers gain a clearer profile of this means of travel and help to realign attitudes on the issue. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007Carsharing, Greater Montreal Area (GMA), Origin–destination surveys, Ridesharing, Sustainable transportation,

Degradation of mangrove leaf litter by the tropical sesarmid crab Chiromanthes onychophorum

In high-diversity tropical mangrove swamps, the relationship between the breakdown to detritus of mangrove plant litter and secondary production of associated estuaries is little understood. This study examined one step in this relationship, the breakdown of mangrove leaf litter to detrital-sized particles by the sesarmid crab Chiromanthes onychophorum , locally very abundant in mangrove swamps of peninsular Malaysia. Contents of the proventriculus (stomach) and of the posterior hindgut, including rectum, were analyzed and particle sizes were measured. Gut contents consisted of more than 95% by volume of mangrove leaf fragments. Particles in the hindgut were of smaller mean size than those in the proventriculus. It is concluded that C. onychophorum consumes fallen leaves or their fragments, incompletely digests them, and returns them to the environment as fecal matter in a more finely-divided state than when they were ingested. C. onychophorum may therefore be a significant agent of mangrove leaf degradation to detrital-sized particles in swamp areas where it is abundant.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46633/1/227_2004_Article_BF00455032.pd