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Abstract Commuting is an essential part of urban life. Long commutes have negative impacts on individuals and society, such as stress, loss of productivity, traffic congestion and air pollution. However, researchers often face the challenge of lack of data such as commute distance, duration, departure/arrival time, and origins/destinations in countries such as China. This study uses points of interest (POIs) to estimate employment locations, and implements a gravity-based model to estimate interzonal commuting patterns in central Shanghai, China. The results reveal a "busy corridor" in the west of the central city, especially during the morning peak hours. This pattern corresponds well with reported real-time traffic conditions in Shanghai. Our methodology offers a promising alternative for studying commuting patterns when such data are limited. Highlights • This study uses a gravity-based model to estimate commuting patterns. • It shows that POIs can be used to estimate employment. • Employment in Shanghai has a monocentric structure. • There is a busy commuting corridor in the western part of central Shanghai. • It offers an alternative to study commuting patterns when there are limited data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the design and efficiency of a highway use reservation system where commuters need reservations to access a highway facility at specific times. We show that, by accommodating reservation requests to the level that the highway capacity allows, traffic congestion can be relieved. Generally, a more differentiated design of the reservation system yields a higher reduction of travel cost and thus achieves a higher efficiency. The efficiency bound of the system is established. We also show that braking or tactical waiting behaviors of drivers would cause a loss of efficiency, which thus need be proactively accommodated. Given that user heterogeneity cause further loss of efficiency, we explore how two specific types of user heterogeneity affect the system efficiency. Auction-based reservation is then proposed to mitigate the efficiency loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – In order to alleviate the impacts of traffic congestion that undermine the mobility and accessibility conditions of the Aristotle University campus, the paper aims at the presentation and description of a complementary network of alternative modes (i.e. pedestrian and bicycle) and the discussion of the appropriate measures for its successful implementation in the campus. Design/methodology/approach – The methodological approach of the paper is twofold: the overview of good practices for implementing cycling and pedestrian networks in European university campuses in an attempt to identify an integrated activity framework compatible to the European approach; and a questionnaire survey for the assessment of the modal split for trips towards and from the campus and the current mobility and accessibility conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in the Aristotle University campus. Findings – The successful implementation of alternative transport networks in university campuses depends on the specific features of each campus in relation to the urban transport network and the commuting characteristics of staff and students. In the case of the Aristotle University campus, the modal split shows that 2/3 of campus-related trips are conducted by motorised transport while the share of bicycle use is very low. In order to promote cycling and walking in the campus, a combined approach must be adopted based on five fields of activity: policy; research; design; support and promotion; and monitoring. Research limitations/implications – The paper derives from the research initiatives of the Aristotle University's Sustainable Mobility Committee, which was founded in order to promote sustainable solutions for the campus's transport system. Originality/value – The paper provides a common and integrated activity framework for the implementation of an alternative transport network in a university campus based on the extensive overview of European experience. Furthermore, it develops for the first time a full proposal for the implementation of a pedestrian and bicycle network in the Aristotle University campus, which is one of the oldest and largest campuses in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We introduce the idea of a European-type congestion call option to value commuting to work along a given path for a given departure time selected by automobile drivers who are modeled as Cournot–Nash non-cooperative agents competing for limited roadway capacity when the alternative of telecommuting exists. We show how to compute flow patterns based on congestion call options and contrast these to traditional user optimized flow patterns. In particular, a numerical example is presented that shows congestion options have the potential to lower the network-wide social costs of congestion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]