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Traffic congestion negatively impacts our society. Most of the traditional transportation planning techniques - though effective - require rigorous amounts of data and analysis which consumes time and resources. This paper uses social network analysis (SNA) to analyze transportation networks, and consequently corroborate the effectiveness of SNA as a complementary tool for improved transportation planning. After creating the connection between the language and concepts of SNA and those of transportation systems - as well as developing a model that utilizes different SNA centrality measures within the transportation context - the authors utilize SNA to investigate traffic networks in three case studies in the state of Louisiana, analyze the results and draw conclusions. To this effect, with minimal cost and time, the model identifies the most critical intersections that should be further investigated using traditional techniques. These results are in agreement with the findings of Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The study compares two alternative ways of reducing congestion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana: construction of a northern bypass and improvement of the existing road network. Baton Rouge provides a very interesting case study because it is ranked the worst for congestion among medium sized urban areas in the nation. A travel demand model is used to estimate total travel for each alternative as well as for the status quo. Reduction in total travel resulting from implementation of each alternative over the status quo is evaluated in terms of the estimated change in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and vehicle hours traveled (VHT). The reduction in travel is compared with the estimated construction cost of each alternative. The analysis revealed that improving the existing road network was more effective in reducing traffic congestion and cost approximately one-third of the cost of the northern bypass. Applying tolls on the bypass did not improve the situation and further proved the superiority of the improved network in reducing traffic congestion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This case study compares the Auto Restricted Zone Policy (ARZ) with price changes for parking permits in Louisiana State University (LSU). We find that ARZ has a more significant effect on the reduction in purchase of parking permits than price increases, albeit with a lag. We also find that while driving continues to be the primary mode of choice, a significant number of students are willing to adopt alternative means of transportation, if facilities associated with them are improved. Since LSU is fairly representative, we believe that this case study contains lessons for other universities in the country facing traffic congestion issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study explores the optimal investment in the length of an expanded section of road to mitigate the congestion on a transportation corridor. It is assumed that one end of the road is in the central business district (CBD) and that the households are uniformly distributed along the road. Each individual makes trips from his/her residence to the CBD. Trip demand is elastic and depends on the cost of the trip (including congestion costs). During the first stage, the government determines the length of the expanded section given the width of that section. In the second stage, road users determine their trip demands by taking into consideration the trip cost function. In the process of solving this problem, the equilibrium traffic volume is first solved using differential equations. The optimal length of the expanded section is then solved by maximizing the social welfare. The analysis is then applied to the case of the Tucheng city – Banciao city – Taipei CBD corridor in the Taipei metropolitan area. The scheme of road expansion without tolling performs closely to the first-best scheme for the case of a high potential demand. This study’s approach can serve as valuable reference for city planners engaged in road planning in a transportation corridor between the CBD and satellite cities in a metropolitan area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstracts of articles related to state and national planning are presented which include "Analysis of Rail Transit Project Selection Bias With an Incentive Approach," by Wenling Chen, "Urban History for Planners," by Carl Abbott and "Rebuilding the Modern City After Modernism in Toronto and Berlin," by Douglas Young.