Transport literature review

Growing public awareness
Maddison et al. (1996) provides quite interesting results of surveys regularly conducted by the UK Departament of the Envirnonment on the growing public concern at the impact of road transport. These data could constitute a starting point of my paper on that subject. Other issues tackled here: the Kuznets Curve, or the problematic of unpredictable value of nature, that is difficult to estimate due to lack of physical contact with future generations. As they live in future, they cannot enter in economic transactions with the preceding generations and to pay to them a compensation to avoid the destruction of the environment. This book tackles also such problems as the Hardin’s (1968) “Tragedy of the Commons”.

Transport of future – influence of IT
Mackintosh (1994) argues that technology will begin to exert a profound influence over patterns of transport usage. He shares the opinion that transport is abut shifting goods, persons and „intangibles”. He considers that the physical delivery of intangible entertainment and information will be superseded by electronic delivery systems using the „information superhighways”.

According to him, „The transport of people will also be affected by the near universal availability of high definition full colour low cost video and telephony and video conferencing. Man’s need to observe body language and to engage in social contact will be met partially by these new IT tools thus reducing significantly the need for meetings especially for business purposes . At the same time, easy-to-use tele-everything will reduce the desire nad need for local and domestic travel. .. Only in the transport of goods (such as food, fuels, and materials) is the IT revolution likely to be modest (Mackintosh 1994).

Transport 2050, The Royal Academy of Engineering 2005 does not provide may answers, and do not propose any pricing revolution to tackle the transportation problem. It provides very interesting argument for the need of improvement of the basic economic framework in which the transport is performed. It provides the forecasts up to the year 2050 which are useful in my work. This report shows the amount of space used for transport (less than 2 % of land)and observes that the demand for space is the highest there where land prices are usually the highest.

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, (2000).
Transport 2010: the 10 year plan, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, London 2000

Costs of risk avoiding behaviour
Maddison et al. (1996) lists a number of other papers dealing with this issue. The general remark is that an important part of cost is bored by the pedestrians who simply limit their exposure to risk. The book remarks that this certainly is a social cost, which is not reflected in official government policies nor local road safety policies. Apelyard (1981) shows here his observations from San Francisco. As the flow of traffic in the streets increases from 2000 to 16 000 vehicles per day the number of friends per person drops from 3.0 to 0.9, and the number of acquaintances per person drops from 6.3 to 3.1.

Transport 2050, The Royal Academy of Engineering 2005 provides interesting recent figures on the numbers of people injured and killed (for example 3400 on the roads annually). It does not addresses explicitly this category of costs, but it observes a reduction of personal security. The personal security issue could be then used in my thesis in combination with the network effect or the variation of Mohring effect. The more pedestrians, the safer the streets.

Transport use and space

Maddison et al. (1996) provides a very useful remarks on dependence of mode of transport used and the intensity of urban space use. According to his book, the intensity of space use is expressed by the amount of floors per unit of space, and when this indicator reaches certain value (more than 6, as I remember) then the rail mode is the most suitable one to cover the demand. If the floors/space ratio is low, then the car gains the market.

David Maddison et al. “Blueprint 5 : the true costs of road transport”, London: Earthscan, 1996.

Van Vee (2002) comments on influence of densities (in urban planning) on travel behaviour. He observes that the people value the time spent for travel negatively (the urban travel) and that the losses perceived by transport uses are smaller in more dense structures, where travel times are shorter. Higher densities offer the possibility to travel less and so to lose less time.

Bert van Wee, Land use and transport: research and policy challenges, Journal of Transport Geography, Volume 10, Issue 4 , December 2002, Pages 259-271

Towards Fair and Efficient Pricing, European Commision 1995

Gibbons and O’Mahonyf (2002) do not provide much data except for a detailed analysis of congestion, air pollution, accident and noise, what, according to me, is a traditional, too simplistic approach. The methodology of noise externalities assessment might be useful. TRENEN model is presented- this is an interesting point of departure.

E. Gibbons and M. O’Mahonyf, External cost internalisation of urban transport: a case study of Dublin, Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 64, Issue 4 , April 2002, Pages 401-410

Economic costs of air pollution
Althought these cost are not intended to constitute any important part of my research, Maddison et al. (1996) gives an answer to the question, what are the costs of air pollution imposed on society by mothor vehicle users. He differentiates the costs into categoies of pollutants, often with corresponding cost functions.

Value of statistical life
Maddison et al. (1996) provides interesting data for VOSL . It amounts to approx. 3 million pounds fo a person of 40 years age. VOSL for 60- years old would be approx. 1,5 million pounds.

Proposals for free market in roads market
Maddison et al. (1996) recalls that the existence of private roads was the norm in the middleages and as recently as early 20th Centruy over 1000 turnpike trusts existed. Theoretically there exists a possibility to buy and sell road space like any other commodity and te speed one takes is determined by his ability to pay for the capacity needed to allow higher sppeds than most of the users.
The same book offers detailed critique of road tolling, calling such arguments as the subadditivity of road provision cost function, whichmakes the road network a natural monopoly. It recalls a list of critisism against road pricing, such as high transaction costs.

Transport use and space

Maddison et al. (1996) provides a very useful remarks on dependence of mode of transport used and the intensity of urban space use. According to his book, the intensity of space use is expressed by the amount of floors per unit of space, and when this indicator reaches certain value (more than 6, as I remember) then the rail mode is the most suitable one to cover the demand. If the floors/space ratio is low, then the car gains the market.

David Maddison et al. “Blueprint 5 : the true costs of road transport”, London: Earthscan, 1996.

Van Vee (2002) comments on influence of densities (in urban planning) on travel behaviour. He observes that the people value the time spent for travel negatively (the urban travel) and that the losses perceived by transport uses are smaller in more dense structures, where travel times are shorter. Higher densities offer the possibility to travel less and so to lose less time.

Bert van Wee, Land use and transport: research and policy challenges
Journal of Transport Geography
Volume 10, Issue 4 , December 2002, Pages 259-271