Volcanic ash cloud disruption to air travel

The severity and suddenness of disruption to European air travel caused by the volcanic ash cloud in April exposed the current reliance on air travel for maintaining social, family and business networks. This paper presents the results of an on-line survey of those affected, conducted during and just after the event. It shows how ICTs were used to inform choices, but sometimes failed because service providers were overwhelmed and people away from home could not access them. The impact of the disruption ‘rippled’ through the home networks of the stranded travellers, as they supported the traveller with practical assistance, information searches and fulfilled the duties they were unable to perform. The paper discusses whether the findings can provide insights into the consequences of reducing the volume of flights for environmental reasons and if the price of fuel increases

The classy coach commute

This paper considers a corporate vision for a coach service between Oxford and London in relation to the experiences and observations made by the author through a series of journeys on the same service. The journey is presented as a whole narrative to articulate the context of the passenger performance. The paper is concerned with how time and space are performed through the journey, and considers the relationship between the passenger and vehicle in creating comfort and managing boredom. It suggests that while a vision anticipates and shapes the future through the materiality of the vehicle, the passengers and their various possessions also have to enrol in the emergent performance of 'doing a classy commute'. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd

The EVIDENCE project: Measure no.19 - Walking

One of twenty two reviews of the economic benefits of different types of sustainable mobility intervention produced for the EU-funded EVIDENCE research project. This review, No19, focusses on the possible economic benefits of walking schemes

The gift of travel time

The interpretation of travel time in economic terms has played a fundamental part in shaping our transport systems. The time consumed in order to travel to a destination has been seen as the price paid for fulfilling the purpose of reaching that destination. By interpreting travel time as a disutility or burden, transport policy has been driven by the goal of quicker journeys. Drawing upon multidisciplinary literature and new qualitative research, this paper articulates an alternative perspective. It suggests that travel time, at least for the individual, can (sometimes) be perceived and experienced as a gift rather than a burden. This is examined in the context of (co-present) participation in social networks and in terms of two forms of travel time experience from which positive utility can be derived: transition time and time out - both facilitated or supported by a third notion, namely equipped time. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Transport policy and social inclusion

© 2016 by the authors; licensee Cogitatio (Lisbon, Portugal). ‘Transport-related Social inclusion’ is a specific naming of the complex set of interrelationships within which accessibility plays an important role in whether a citizen achieves the level of participation in socioeconomic life that he or she seeks. It has its origins in the United Kingdom of the early 2000s, but the diversity of theoretical perspectives, research methods and practical focus shown by the contributions to the present issue on this theme bears witness to the evolution and translation this concept and term has undergone over more than a decade. Nine papers are presented, concerning applications of the concept in three continents, and including some of the poorest and richest per capita income countries on the globe. As well as developing and applying the multi-faceted theories of the processes of exclusion and techniques for the quantitative identification of inclusion, they consider important topics such as the treatment of the less abled and more frail members of society when on the move and the potential for new technological design methods and practical solutions either to enhance inclusion or deepen inequality in our societies. Collectively their conclusions reinforce the message that social exclusion remains multi-dimensional, relational and dynamic, located both in the circumstances of the excluded individual as well as in the processes, institutions and structures that permeate wider society

Continuously connected customer

The Continuously Connected Customer research was the first in-depth evaluation of free WiFi in a real-world setting within the UK. This document summarises four key messages and what they mean next for the rail industry

Continuously connected customer: Final project report

This report finalises the research collaboration between Chiltern Railway and the Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England (UWE) for the project ‘Continuously Connected Customer’, which was funded by the RSSB through TOC15 from May 2016 to February 2018.The project has investigated the impact of free WiFi on how rail passengers’ connect to the Internet on trains (Chiltern Railway) and what they do with their travel time.It is the first study of WiFi on trains in the UK, and possibly globally, that investigates actual passenger behaviour; preceding Government commissioned work used Stated Preference to predict how much passengers would pay for improved connectivity (phone and Internet).It is also unique in testing out different data allowances in the field. Chiltern Railways ran two 20 week trials on its mainline route between Birmingham and London Marylebone increasing the free WiFi offer from 20MB firstly to 75MB and secondly to 125MB. Chiltern Railways ran a third trial on its commuter route between Aylesbury and London Marylebone offering passengers 20MB for the first time.The main findings are based on evidence from over 5000 survey responses and 54 qualitative interviews, plus additional analysis of relevant tweets and integration of WiFi use data from the WiFi supplier Icomera. The research design is outlined in section 2. Externally produced data was not made available to the research team to fully investigate all the research questions; however, the data does give important new insights.Interim reports have been provided to the RSSB, and form the appendices to this report. The interim reports provide all the data tables and full discussion of the analysis.The report focuses on three key issues in evaluating the increased data allowances:1. How passengers connect to the Internet – free WiFi and mobile data (section 3)2. What passengers do with their time and the importance of connectivity (section 4)3. The broader journey experience and customer satisfaction (section 5)Insights from the analysis also provide indicative insights into the timing of journeys and modal choice

Encyclopedia of Developing Regional Communities with Information and Communication Technology

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE FULL BOOK TEXT - PUBLISHER POLICY ONLY ALLOWS ACCESS TO AN EXTRACT OF THIS BOOK IN THE UWE BRISTOL RESEARCH REPOSITORYIn many international settings, regional economies are declining resulting in lowered opportunities for these communities. This result attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies, and increases social, health, economic and sustainability problems. Community Informatics research, education and practice is an emerging area in many countries, which seeks to address these issues. The Encyclopedia of Developing Regional Communities with Information and Communication Technology is an important and timely reference source on all topics related to the emerging field of information and communication technology (ICT) and its role in developing regional communities. This single-volume provides a thorough examination of concepts, technologies, policies, training, and applications of ICT in support of economic and regional developments around the globe. With 171 leading international contributors from 40 countries, over 940 terms and definitions, and more than 2,200 references, this publication is the single indispensable source of knowledge related to ICT and its strong positive impacts on the economic development of regional communities around the world. © 2006 by Idea Group Inc. All rights reserved