Towards the adoption of technological innovations: decision processes in transport policy definition

The widespread of technological innovations is rapidly changing the way modern societies are organized. Such phenomenon highly affects the economy of most developed countries (and, more recently, of developing countries, too), influencing work organization and habits. Besides, technological innovations modify the way in which transport systems are organized, by introducing new transport solutions as well as by upgrading the performances of the existing transport systems, in accordance to a more efficient organization. Several tools have been designed to predict the effects of the adoption of technological innovations in transport. The aim of this paper is to deal with the decision processes involved in the definition of the transport policies for the introduction of such technological solutions. To do this the way in which the new transport solutions affect the local context is analysed. In particular, this work aim to identify the most relevant attributes which influence the decision processes on the adoption of such technological solutions, with reference to their impact on the territory and on the economic activities. To do this, the analysis focuses on the effects involved by the use of wireless technologies and radio frequency identification into seaport infrastructures. Such technologies enable an easier identification of goods in transport terminals; this implies advantages in the organization of the terminal activities, allowing lower time and costs for handling, and at the same time it ensures a greater compliance to security requirements, thus upgrading the level of the performances in these transport systems. On the other hand, the effects of the improvements in transport systems affect the economic context in which transport infrastructures are set. Thus, the adoption of such a technological innovation can represent the chance for local development of the region, due to the better performances of the transport system and to the consequent increased territorial accessibility.

Smart Technologies for Environmental Safety and Knowledge Enhancement in Intermodal Transport

International concerns about security in transport systems are leading to a new international regulation in this field. This introduces new requirements for operators and authorities as well as it opens new challenges, in particular when referred to seaports and maritime transport in the Mediterranean area, where many seaport terminals and infrastructures are affected by a noteworthy technological divide from North European contexts. In such contexts, the adoption of the new regulations can represent the right chance for upgrading the local operative standards, increasing latu sensu the quality of maritime transport performances, while conferring a greater level to security and safety checks. This paper explores the chances for increasing the level of Mediterranean seaport competitiveness allowed by technological innovations in transport systems, both in operations and organization of these infrastructures. The aim of the work is to study the effects of the adoption of technological solutions such as wireless communications and radiofrequency identification on the competitiveness of Mediterranean seaport infrastructures. Technological solutions designed to identify good items help operators in organizing activities in terminals and make maritime transport faster in delivering goods, by cutting the handling time and costs in seaport terminals. Seaports that adopt this kind of technologies, and the surrounding economic areas connected to seaports, have a greater attractiveness on shipping companies and operators, since they allow faster handling activities and easier checks on goods. Besides, the analysis of direct and indirect effects of the use of such technologies specifically focuses on the contribution that the use of these solutions gives in ensuring higher security levels, by increasing the level of information and knowledge associated to goods. The different types of security provided (e.g. for people, environment and goods) and the extreme flexibility of the technologies involved give the overall worth of the challenge. It seems to be a great chance of growth for the Mediterranean area, more than a mere compliance to the international security regulations.

Barriers to Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Transportation Part 1: Support to the Clean Miles Standard Policy Making

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), also referred to as ridehailing companies, have experienced rapid growth in the past decade. This report focuses on the quickly evolving transportation patterns resulting from the adoption of ridehailing as part of the efforts accompanying the implementation of the Clean Miles Standard (CMS) regulation. Based on the analysis of survey data collected in four California metropolitan regions before the COVID-19 pandemic, this report summarizes the findings from three studies, focusing on (1) the use of ridehailing among traveler groups with different multimodal travel patterns, (2) the substitution of ridehailing for other modes, and travel induced by ridehailing, and (3) the use of pooled ridehailing services, in which multiple passengers share the same vehicle for all or a portion of their trips. The results from these analyses reveal that transit users are more likely to be ridehailing users. Individuals without a household vehicle and identifying with an underrepresented minority group are more likely to use ridehailing for essential (rather than for discretionary trip) purposes. Over 50% of the ridehailing trips replaced a transit, active, or carpooling trip, or created new vehicle miles. Lower-income individuals, people of color, females, and younger individuals are more likely to choose pooled ridehailing over the single-user ridehailing service. Trips that originate in high-density areas are also more likely to be pooled. Furthermore, being a frequent ridehailing user is associated with greater use of pooled ridehailing, whereas not having to pay for a trip (e.g., a work-related trip paid for by an employer) reduces the likelihood of pooling

Updating the PECAS Modeling Framework to Include Energy Use Data for Buildings

This study investigates the consumption of electricity and natural gas for building operations for several categories of residential and non-residential buildings. The study updates the Production Exchange Consumption Allocation System (PECAS) land use modeling framework to include energy components. An energy database was assembled to study energy consumption in buildings. The authors conducted statistical analysis of utility data and estimated linear regression models to predict energy consumption in buildings. Results are validated using data from independent sources, including the California Residential Appliance Saturation Study (RASS) and the Commercial End-Use Survey (CEUS). Results are used to update PECAS and form part of the baseline study to estimate energy and greenhouse gas balances in an urban metabolism framework for the analysis of the environmental impacts of complex urban regions. The results also allow the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for residential and commercial building operations to be estimated through the application to the total residential and commercial building inventory in the region. These results are then useful for the evaluation of possible energy savings in buildings

Simplified model of local transit services

This paper discusses the development of a simplified model to efficiently represent local public transportation services in a large-scale travel demand model. The California Statewide Travel Demand Model (CSTDM) is a comprehensive model system designed and developed for use in transportation policy analysis and travel demand forecasting, including representation of both long and short distance transportation covering the entire state of California. A novel hybrid system is used to represent the full range of rail and bus transit services that are available. Rail services – including all long-distance rail, commuter rail and light rail services – are represented in the standard manner, using explicit node and link networks; the relevant in-vehicle and out-ofvehicle service characteristics for journeys are determined as standard skims of these networks. On-street bus services are not represented using explicit networks; rather, the relevant in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle service characteristics are determined using functions of other transportation network variables, land use descriptors and relevant policy indicators. These functions are simplified econometric models estimated using observations of transit service obtained from Google Transit Data Feeds. The network and simplified components are integrated in order to allow transit paths with both rail and on-street bus components to be considered by the various travel choice models included in the modelling framework. This hybrid system provides a suitable representation of transit for an area of such size. This facilitates consideration of transit service policies, while obviating the need for extensive transit coding, a daunting task for a large area

Barriers to Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Transportation Part 2: Investigating Evolving Travel Behaviors in the Post-Pandemic Period in California

During the early months of the pandemic, stay-at-home orders and concerns about infection catalyzed a shift toward online activities, such as remote work and e-shopping, resulting in a significant decrease in conventional travel. However, as the effects of the pandemic diminished, the pandemic-induced online activities began to subside, and conventional travel started to rebound. The challenge among transportation planners and policymakers is to determine the lasting effects of the pandemic and adjust the policies accordingly. In the same efforts to understand the evolving travel-related activities and inform policymaking, the 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program at the University of California, Davis, conducted four waves of mobility surveys between Spring 2020 and Fall 2023. Key findings from the analysis of these data reveal that remote work and a combination of remote work and physical commuting (i.e., hybrid work) emerge as an enduring outcome of the pandemic. The pandemic accelerated the rise of e-shopping, both for grocery and non-grocery purchases, with findings demonstrating the critical influence of socio-demographic factors, including age, gender, and income, on e-shopping adoption and frequency. The findings show that socio-demographic factors such as work status, income level, and work arrangements are associated with household vehicle ownership changes and individual vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In particular, an increase in commute frequency reduces the likelihood of vehicle shedding, while amplifying the likelihood of vehicle acquisition. In the meantime, remote workers exhibit lower commuting VMT but higher non-commuting VMT compared to hybrid workers. The findings demonstrate a similarity between the percentage of respondents who used public transit, bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters for commuting and non-commuting trips to some degree between 2019 and 2023. These insights underscore that adapting to shifting activity and transportation patterns is crucial for policymakers and planners to build a sustainable and inclusive post-pandemic future

Travel Behavior Impacts of Transportation Demand Management Policies: May is Bike Month in Sacramento, California

UC-ITS-2018-49Active modes of transportation like bicycling and walking are extremely beneficial to society, including helping to reduce the amount of travel people may make by car (i.e., vehicle miles travelled) and in turn reducing congestion and transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants. Bicycling and walking also have direct and positive health impacts. Several steps have been taken to promote active transportation in cities and regions, including awareness campaigns, transportation demand management policies, building new bicycling infrastructure, and the launch of bikesharing programs. However, it is often unclear how much impact a specific strategy can have on actual rates of bicycling and walking in a community or region. UC Davis assisted the Sacramento Council of Governments (SACOG) in evaluating the impact of the agency\u2019s \u201cMay is Bike Month\u201d campaign

Disability, Transportation, Activity Performance, and Neighborhood Features in California: Conducting a Focus Group and Designing a Survey

Caltrans 65A0674 Task Order 051 USDOT Grant 69A3551747109People with disabilities often encounter more and different problems with transportation compared to their socioeconomic peers without disabilities, but their desires for transportation mode choices, usage frequencies, activity frequencies, and neighborhood features have been poorly understood. The authors have begun to rectify those deficiencies with this study, developed in close cooperation with disability advocacy organizations (DAOs). The authors conducted a focus group in 2021 November involving 20 adults with various disabilities across California, including rural, suburban, and urban parts of the major coastal metropolitan areas as well as areas in the interior of the state. Focus group participants\u2019 comments evinced a broad theme of problems for people with disabilities arising from car-oriented land use patterns, as they asked for more street lighting, seating, and shade, more frequent public transit service with more geographic coverage, and similar support for infrequent yet critical longer-distance trips. Based on focus group participants\u2019 suggestions and pre-testing as well as feedback from DAOs, the authors developed a survey of adults across California to capture how disability affects the choices and desires that people make for transportation mode frequencies, activity frequencies, and neighborhood features. The survey collected nearly 2,000 cleaned responses, reflecting the diversity in disability, geography, and socioeconomic conditions in California

Panel Study of Emerging Transportation Technologies and Trends in California: Phase 2 Data Collection

Individual travel options are quickly shifting due to changes in sociodemographics, individual lifestyles, the increased availability of modern communication devices (smartphones, in particular) and the adoption of emerging transportation technologies and shared-mobility services. These changes are transforming travel-related decision-making in the population at large, and especially among specific groups such as young adults (e.g., \u201cmillennials\u201d) and the residents of urban areas. This panel study improves the understanding of the impacts of emerging technologies and transportation trends through the application of a unique longitudinal approach. We build on the research efforts that led to the collection of the 2015 California Millennials Dataset and complement them with a second wave of data collection carried out during 2018, generating a longitudinal study of emerging transportation trends with a rotating panel structure. The use of longitudinal data allows researchers to better assess the impacts of lifecycle, periods and generational effects on travel-related choices, and analyze components of travel behavior such as the use of shared mobility services among various segments of the population and its impact on vehicle ownership over time. Further, it helps researchers evaluate causal relationships between variables, thus supporting the development of better-informed policies to promote transportation sustainability

Are Millennials More Multimodal? A Latent-Class Cluster Analysis With Attitudes and Preferences Among Millennial and Generation X Commuters in California

65A0527 TO 011Citation: Lee, Y., Circella, G., Mokhtarian, P.L. et al. (2019). Are millennials more multimodal? A latent-class cluster analysis with attitudes and preferences among millennial and Generation X commuters in California. Transportation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-019-10026-6Millennials tend to use a variety of travel modes more often than older birth cohorts. Two potential explanations for this phenomenon prevail in the literature. According to the first explanation, millennials often choose travel multimodality at least in part because of the effects of the economic crisis, which affected young adults more severely than their older counterparts