[sustran] VTPI News - Winter 2009
Todd Alexander Litman
litman at vtpi.org
Wed Jan 7 04:43:25 JST 2009
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VTPI NEWS
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Victoria Transport Policy Institute
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
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Winter 2009 Vol. 12, No. 1
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The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research
organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to
transportation problems. The VTPI website (http://www.vtpi.org ) has
many resources addressing a wide range of transport planning and
policy issues. VTPI also provides consulting services.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW DOCUMENTS
==============
"Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis: Techniques, Estimates and
Implications" [Second Edition] (http://www.vtpi.org/tca )
This fully-updated document is a comprehensive study of
transportation benefits and costs, and a guidebook for applying this
information for policy and planning analysis. It is unique in several
important ways. It includes many impact categories that are often
overlooked. It explains economic evaluation techniques and how to
apply them. It provides extensive reference information, mostly
available through the Internet. It provides costs values in a format
designed to easily calculate costs and benefits in a particular situation.
"Climate Change Emission Valuation for Transportation Economic
Analysis" (http://www.vtpi.org/ghg_valuation.pdf )
This paper describes climate change impacts and costs, presents
methods for quantifying and monetizing (measuring in monetary units)
these impacts, summarizes published unit cost estimates, and explains
the values used in the 'Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis Guidebook.'
"Setting Up Superstores and Climate Change"
(http://www.vtpi.org/superstores.pdf ) by Jean-Marie Beauvais.
This short paper describes the results of a study indicating that
shopping at large, suburban 'superstores' consumes more than four
times as much transportation energy and produces more than four times
the carbon emissions as local grocery store shopping.
"Costs and Benefits of Varying Per-Mile Insurance Premiums Based Upon
Measured Risks Specific to Each Mile Driven"
(http://www.vtpi.org/AG_PAYD.pdf ) by Allen Greenberg.
This paper evaluates various price structures for Pay-As-You-Drive
(PAYD) insurance based on actuarial accuracy and other public policy
objectives such as reducing crashes and air pollution.
NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA CHAPTERS
========================
"Performance Evaluation" (http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm131.htm)
"Transportation Demand" (http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm132.htm
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PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE
===================
Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com ):
"Troubles In Dubai" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/36456 )
"Smart Economic Stimulation" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/36303 )
"Rethinking Transportation Safety" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/36138 )
"A Very Good Example of Very Bad Transportation Performance
Evaluation" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/35979 )
UPCOMING EVENTS
=================
Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (http://www.trb.org )
takes place 11-15 January 2009 in Washington DC. The Victoria
Transport Policy Institute will participate in the following TRB sessions:
Workshop 117, "Developing Transportation Data Quality Standards"
11 January 2009, 9:00am to noon, Hilton, Military
This workshop explores ways to improve transportation-related data
quality, particularly a research program to develop international
standards for data collection and distribution. For background see,
"Sustainable Transportation Indicators: A Recommended Research
Program For Developing Sustainable Transportation Indicators and
Data" http://www.vtpi.org/sustain/sti.pdf ).
'Incorporating Social and Health Indicators into Transportation
Policy and Project Evaluation'
Workshop 169, "Sustainability and Social Measures for Transportation"
Sunday, January 11, 2009, 1:30pm- 4:30pm, Hilton, Lincoln East
This presentation will describe ways to incorporate social and health
impacts into transportation policy and project evaluation. It will
discuss how more comprehensive analysis of social impacts contributes
to sustainable transportation planning.
Evaluating Carbon Taxes as an Energy Conservation and Emission
Reduction Strategy (09-3433)
Session 314, "Taxing Our Way to a Greener Future?"
DATE: Monday, January 12, 2009, 1:30pm- 3:15pm, Hilton, International East
Carbon taxes are based on fossil fuel carbon content, and therefore
tax carbon dioxide emissions. This paper evaluates this tax.
(http://www.vtpi.org/carbontax.pdf )
'Win-Win Emission Reduction Strategies: Smart Transportation
Strategies Can Achieve Emission Reduction Targets And Provide Other
Important Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits'
Session 364, "Integration and Co-Benefits of Climate Change
Mitigation Policies"
Monday, January 12, 2009, 3:45pm- 5:30pm, Hilton, Monroe West
Win-Win Transportation Solutions are cost-effective, technically
feasible market reforms that solve transportation problems by
improving mobility options and removing market distortions that cause
excessive motor vehicle travel (http://www.vtpi.org/wwclimate.pdf ).
Sustainable Transportation Indicators Subcommittee, ADD40(1)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM, Hilton
Todd Alexander Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Canada, presiding
Agenda at http://www.trb.org/am/ip/assembly_detail.asp?id=14003&e=445&pre_ff=
'Sustainable Transportation Indicators: A Recommended Research
Program For Developing Sustainable Transportation Indicators and
Data' (http://www.vtpi.org/sustain/sti.pdf )
Session 713, "Sustainable Transportation"
DATE: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 10:15am-12:00pm, Hilton, International East
This paper, developed through a cooperative effort by the
Transportation Research Board's Sustainable Transportation Indicators
Subcommittee (ADD40 [1]), identifies indicators that can be used for
sustainable transportation evaluation. This paper describes factors
to consider when selecting indicators, exemplifies specific
sustainable transportation indicators, discusses issues of data
quality, and identifies research needs. We hope these recommendations
will be endorsed by professional organizations, leading to the
development of universal sustainable transportation indicator sets.
* * * * *
UrbanRAIL (www.informa.com.au/urbanrail/spk )
17th-18th March 2009, Sydney, Australia
This conference will bring together government agencies, rail
operators, track owners, transport consultancies and engineering
companies to discuss key trends, major projects, and the future of
Australasia's urban rail. VTPI Executive Director Todd Litman will
speak about rail benefit evaluation.
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IN THE NEWS
=================
"Transportation Study That Rated N.S. Highly Was Flawed - Expert,"
The Chronicle Herald (http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1092273.html ).
Todd Litman says thanks to Clark Williams-Derry of the Sightline
Institute (http://www.sightline.org ) for raising his rank from
'Sustainable Transportation Geek' to 'Sustainable Transportation Geek
Overlord' in a blog concerning our critique of the Fraser Institute's
transportation studies
(<http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2008/11/06/dont-like-reality-ignore-it>http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2008/11/06/dont-like-reality-ignore-it
)
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USEFUL RESOURCES
=================
The Happy Research Team invites people to participate the 10-minute
Happiness in Transport Decision Making Survey
(<http://www.civil.ist.utl.pt/~aduarte/>http://www.civil.ist.utl.pt/~aduarte )
"Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance: Resources for the Future Weekly
Commentary," by Jason Bordoff and Pascal Noel
(<http://www.rff.org/Publications/WPC/Pages/12_15_08_pay-as-you-drive_insurance.aspx>http://www.rff.org/Publications/WPC/Pages/12_15_08_pay-as-you-drive_insurance.aspx
)
Automobile use in the United States is underpriced as motorists do
not pay for the full costs of pollution, congestion, and traffic
accidents when deciding how much to drive. However, there is intense
opposition to gasoline taxes, peak-period congestion fees, and other
policies that would reduce these externalities by raising the costs
of driving. This week, Jason Bordoff and Pascal Noel discuss
pay-as-you-drive insurance, which offers a novel approach for
reducing automobile use, without raising the private costs of vehicle
ownership and use for the majority of drivers.
In an important development, MileMeter (http://www.milemeter.com) now
offers Pay-As-You-Drive insurance in Texas, and plans to expand to
other jurisdictions. Instead of purchasing coverage for six months or
a year, a Texas motorist may purchase between 1,000 and 6,000 miles
of coverage, and make additional purchases as needed.
Mikhail Chester and Arpad Horvath (2008), Environmental Life-cycle
Assessment of Passenger Transportation: A Detailed Methodology for
Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Inventories of
Automobiles, Buses, Light Rail, Heavy Rail and Air v.2, UC Berkeley
Center for Future Urban Transport, Paper vwp-2008-2; at
<http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/future_urban_transport/vwp-2008-2>http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/future_urban_transport/vwp-2008-2.
HUD (2008), Impact Fees & Housing Affordability: A Guide for
Practitioners, Office of Policy Development and Research, Department
of Housing and Urban Development
(<http://www.huduser.org>www.huduser.org); at
<http://www.nmhc.org/Content/ServeFile.cfm?FileID=6877>www.nmhc.org/Content/ServeFile.cfm?FileID=6877.
RAND (2008), "Moving Los Angeles: Short-Term Transportation Policy
Options for Improving Transportation," Rand Corporation
(<http://www.rand.org>www.rand.org); at
www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG748.pdf . This paper
describes practical ways to reduce traffic congestion in large urban
areas. For an excellent summary of this paper see Clark Williams-Derry's blog
http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2008/12/18/fighting-congestion-rand-style?searchterm=rand%20corporation
.
BEAT (2008), BEAT The Path To Health, Built Environment and Active
Transportation (BEAT), ActNow BC
(<http://www.physicalactivitystrategy.ca>www.physicalactivitystrategy.ca);
at
<http://physicalactivitystrategy.ca/pdfs/BEAT_Publication.pdf>http://physicalactivitystrategy.ca/pdfs/BEAT_Publication.pdf
.
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Please let us know if you have comments or questions about any
information in this newsletter, or if you would like to be removed
from our email list. And please pass this newsletter on to others who
may find it useful.
Sincerely,
Todd Alexander Litman
Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)
litman at vtpi.org
Phone & Fax 250-360-1560
1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
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