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As a trending mobility choice, e-scooters have become popular in many cities. A number of authorities have initiated shared e-scooter trial schemes to assess the feasibility of the vehicles prior to enacting official legalisation. This paper aims to provide an evidence review of shared e-scooters and investigate how existing evidence may inform long-term policies. This carries significant relevance for jurisdictions that are in a conflicting position with e-scooters, such as New South Wales (NSW), Australia whose context motivates this study. The evidence review focuses on three themes derived from experience with shared e-scooters within the broader micromobility landscape, namely: safety; where shared e-scooters fit into the modal landscape; and the environmental impacts. Findings confirm that ensuring the safety of shared e-scooters requires complex solutions, which may include a clear regulatory framework for e-scooters, safety education and skill training, innovative data collection and analysis methods, and an approach to safety management that is user-based, location-based, and time-based. In terms of modal fit policymakers should encourage first and last-mile combinations with public transport, with consideration of user characteristics; while climate impact is strongly correlated to the mode replaced by e-scooter trips. The paper provides insights for policymakers on the regulation and positioning of shared e-scooters. • Many jurisdictions are struggling to determine policies for e-scooters. • Existing e-scooter evidence sheds light on possible long-term policies. • Safety management should consider different users, locations, and times. • First and last-mile combinations with public transport should be encouraged. • Climate impact is strongly correlated to the mode replaced by e-scooter trips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel Demand Management (TDM) initiatives are widely applied by transport planners to establish and enable appropriate use of critical transport infrastructure. Less attention has been given to the specific case of TDM in an education precinct (university) context. Travel Plans have been promoted as a means for an organisation to encourage sustainable travel choices by their employees, visitors and customers. This paper offers an empirical contribution to the literature through a comparative qualitative evaluation of selected University Sustainable Travel Plans (USTPs) in Australia to identify the most important questions that a USTP should address explicitly. The evaluation comprised identification of a set of evaluation questions, completion of a template for each USTP considered and application of a simple scoring exercise. We also identify TDM measures that have been introduced as part of a USTP in response to the typical travel patterns exhibited in university settings. A contribution of this paper is to create a means of comparison of USTPs and to establish the components of a comprehensive travel plan. • Conducts a comparative analysis of University Sustainable Travel Plans. • Explores international experience of Travel Demand Management (TDM) in an education precinct context. • Key components of University Sustainable Travel Plans are identified. • The important role of regular surveys of staff and student travel behaviour is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the propensity to use public transport, with many countries seeing a decline in patronage to as low as 20% of the pre-pandemic levels. Although public transport use is recovering with 60% of pre-COVID-19 levels being a common statistic, there is a view that it could take many years to fully recover, if at all. This paper presents evidence on societal perceptions and attitudes about the use and return to public transport that was obtained from surveys undertaken during COVID-19 at a period in early 2021 in which there were no lockdowns, and during a subsequent period of varying durations of lockdowns in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area and South East Queensland. Together with views on future plans, this paper offers policy useful evidence on the challenges that the public transport sector currently faces, and is likely to continue to face, in developing a plan to support a return to using the more sustainable mode of public transport, rather than increased use of the private car. The focus of the paper is on an analysis of attitudinal and open-ended qualitative responses using a mixture of descriptive interpretation and analytical methods of factor and cluster analysis to identify the spectrum of attitudes and concerns about using public transport as a way of guiding future messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper has the aim of providing an evidence base for framing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) - or MaaS-like - solutions (i.e. technology-led) in rural or remote areas. This is explored particularly within the context of the policy of reducing transport disadvantage. We begin with a definition of MaaS – what it is and what it is not. This is followed by discussion of the array of existing mobility solutions typically found in rural areas which may be incorporated within MaaS. The main body of the paper focusses on the experience to date with MaaS in a regional and rural setting with consideration of recent evidence in an international context. We consider the elements of rural MaaS, and a variety of MaaS schemes, their status and levels of integration. A key discussion point is the finding that most previous and extant "Rural MaaS" schemes do not go beyond "MaaS level 2", suggesting the need for a renewed focus on understanding the barriers to the implementation and growth of MaaS in a regional and rural setting. Findings show that MaaS in a rural context is dominated by a preponderance of short-lived pilots with only a small user base, even in Finland and Sweden which can be described as the trailblazer locations. There are examples of niche schemes such as tourist focussed and there is evidence that car-based services are becoming more prevalent. Ultimately, prospects for scalability appear limited in current Rural MaaS activities since this will depend on how well MaaS segments the market. • An investigation of recent experience with MaaS in a rural and regional context. • MaaS in a rural context is dominated by a preponderance of short-lived pilots. • Prospects for scalability appear limited in current rural MaaS activities. • There is evidence that car-based modes are becoming more prevalent. • Barriers to the implementation and growth of rural MaaS need to be better understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The design, management and operation of transport systems is a complex activity and this has only been exacerbated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concern has been raised over the likelihood of the public transport sector surviving in some locations given the significant drops in patronage; this is especially so in rural environments where the existing provision was already limited. Furthermore, within the growing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on travel behaviour most of the focus is on urban areas with little documented experience of how rural travel behaviour has been impacted. Purpose: This paper investigates the impact of COVID-19 on the transport sector and travel behaviour in the rural periphery. Methods: Drawing on the work of the International Transport Forum (ITF) Working Group on Innovative Mobility for the Periphery, augmented by additional evidence and findings from the literature, this paper addresses three specific questions: Firstly, how COVID-19 has affected rural mobility. Secondly, how we can plan for sustainable rural transport solutions in the post-COVID world. Thirdly, the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 with implications for mobility. Results: There will be substantial impacts from COVID-19 on rural societies and while the short-term impacts have been negative, in the longer-term there may be opportunity for changed mobility behaviours (including in response to modified work and activity patterns). Evidence suggests that it would seem likely that there are opportunities to foster new rural mobility solutions to support sustainable mobility (including Mobility-as-a-Service) and counter the traditionally fragmented transport base; this will be important as we learn to live with COVID-19. Conclusions: While recognising the impact of changing funding priorities and the possible shift in economic activity as a result of the pandemic we conclude with suggestions for future rural transport policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short topical issues paper supports a rethink of the role of the car in a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) program. In particular, we consider the appeal of including electric cars as part of the sharing service, which we call electric car sharing as a service (ECSaaS). With the inclusion of more sustainable modes, this might be rebadged as eMaaS. This position is in part designed to try and offer an improved potential commercial future for MaaS which, we suggest, without subsidy from government does not at present look promising. • This short topical issues paper supports a rethink of the role of the car in a Mobility as a Service program. • We consider the appeal of including electric cars as part of the sharing service We call this electric car sharing as a service (ECSaaS). • With the more sustainable modes, this might be rebadged as eMaaS. • This position is in part designed to try and offer an improved potential commercial future for MaaS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted travel behavior across diverse socio-economic areas, with a significant impact on transportation systems, public health, and the economy. As countries both recover and plan for future virus-driven stresses, it is crucial to identify the drivers of building travel behavior resilience, such as vaccination. Using an integrated dataset with over 150 million US county-level mobile device data from 01/01/2020 to 20/04/2021, we employ Bayesian structural time series (BSTS) models to infer the relative impact of the vaccination intervention on five types of travel behavior across Metropolitan, Micropolitan and Rural areas. Further, we develop partial least squares regression (PLSR) models to accurately estimate how COVID-19 vaccination rates, epidemiological indicators (i.e., COVID-19 incidence rates, death rates, and testing rates) and weather conditions (i.e., temperature, rain, and snow) would impact various travel behaviors across the diverse areas during the recovery period of the pandemic. The model results shed light on the positive role of vaccinations in fostering the recovery of travel behaviors and reveal the disparities in travel behavior resilience in response to vaccination rates, epidemiological indicators, and weather conditions across diverse areas. Our findings can offer evidential insights for policymakers, transport planners, and public health officials, guiding the development of equitable, sustainable, and resilient transportation systems prepared to adapt to future pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Future policy should consider both LCA and operating emissions models. • Decline in BEV emissions are dependent on electricity generation mix. • The UK will struggle to meet emission targets if BEVs are introduced in 2030. • Current UK policies miss operating emission targets by 48.9 MtCO 2. • In 2050 for cars, total LCA emissions were 44% higher than operating emissions. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are being integrated into the UK transport network to reduce operating emissions (OEs) as BEVs produce zero emission at point of use. True OEs depend upon fuel source emissions, and 'cradle-to-grave' life cycle emissions. This paper investigates method comparisons of a simple operation emissions model (OPEM) against a life cycle analysis (LCA) (Transport Energy and Air Pollution Model (TEAM-UK)) approach to inform on the UK's target to achieve net zero emissions. Emission comparisons from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and BEVs between 2017 and 2050 using TEAM-UK (estimating both OEs and full LCA) and the OPEM (OEs only) across three vehicle scenarios were analysed: (S1) 100% ICEVs, (S2) new ICEVs banned from 2040, and (S3) new ICEVs banned from 2030. Both model outputs varied between scenarios. The OPEM predicted 19% more emissions in S1 (OEs only comparison). Differences between methods in S2 and S3 were minimal (<0.1% and <3% respectively). Comparing the LCA with its own OE estimate indicates OEs remain at approximately 40% of total emissions suggesting they are a strong candidate for monitoring and policy targeting. These comparisons would imply the simpler OE approach is robust for a precautionary approach to assessing changes in OEs for policy implementation impact assessments of ultra-low emission vehicle initiatives. Development of future emission policies should consider both LCA and OPEMs, as although LCAs give more complete results, OPEMs can provide rapid, low data requirement, useful policy guidance. A stringent shift towards earlier BEV adoption is recommended, however, to approach net zero emissions a mode shift away from private cars is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazards threaten railway safety by their potential to trigger railway accidents, resulting in significant costs and impacting the public's willingness to use railways. Whilst many prior works investigate railway hazards, few offer a holistic view of hazards across jurisdictions and time because the large number of primary sources make synthesising such learnings time consuming and potentially incomplete. The conceptual framework HazardMap is developed to overcome this gap, employing open-sourced Natural Language Processing topic modelling for the automated analysis of textual data from Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) railway accident reports. The topic modelling depicts the relationships between hazards, railway accidents and investigator recommendations and is further extended and integrated with the existing risk theory and epidemiological accident models. The results allow the different aspects of each hazard to be listed along with the potential combinations of hazards that could trigger railway accidents. Better understanding of the aspects of individual hazards and the relationships between hazards and previous accidents can inform more effective hazard mitigation policies including technical or regulatory interventions. A case study of the risk at level crossings is provided to illustrate how HazardMap works with real-world data. This demonstrates a high degree of coverage within the existing risk management system, indicating the capability to better inform policymaking for managing risks. The primary contributions of the framework proposed are to enable a large amount of knowledge accumulated to be summarised for an intuitive policymaking process, and to allow other railway investigators to leverage lessons learnt across jurisdictions and time with limited human intervention. Future research could apply the technique to road, aviation or maritime accidents. • A framework HazardMap is developed for mapping hazards in the railway system. • A case study of the risk at level crossing is implemented. • Opportunities for practitioners in learning across jurisdiction and time. • Enabling knowledge accumulated to be summarised for policymaking process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept and potential of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has been the subject of significant debate in academia and industry for nearly a decade. There are several city-based Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilots globally. There remains a significant lack of practitioner evidence of MaaS with the focus on city-based solutions rather than in rural and suburban areas. To that end, this paper asks four research questions to contribute to the gap in Rural MaaS (RMaaS) and Urban MaaS (UMaaS); firstly, is MaaS a mobility option for rural areas given the identified evidence in scientific literature? Secondly, how do practitioner experiences with MaaS (in all areas) differ considering factors like phraseology, geography, available modes, transportation, the origin and implementation stages? Thirdly, what practical learnings can be drawn from practitioners in the field? Fourthly, what is the future of MaaS for rural and urban areas. The research and findings are based upon grey literature and twenty semi-structured interviews with representatives from research or government organisations, public bodies, MaaS technology suppliers, transport operators and experts. Each participant discussed and contributed to the practicalities around real-world applications of MaaS in urban, regional, or rural areas. The analysis produced 2 applied tools which will be useful to practitioners interested in MaaS; a Thematic Map visualising the common matters emerging from the interviews revolving around 'People, Policy, Practice and Pilots (4Ps); a Practical Framework for Implementing MaaS tool, which can be used by any practitioner at any stage of a MaaS project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is often cited as providing an alternative solution to car ownership and car dominated lifestyles. However, MaaS as it currently exists appears to cater mainly for a specific segment of society – those who live close enough to walk to good quality public transport for daily journeys and close enough to access car share/car rental for other trips which public transport cannot serve. By default, this is limited to large, dense urban areas. This paper considers the evolution of intermodal journey planning that incorporates carpooling with public transport in the transition towards MaaS for suburban areas. It introduces a new journey planning App (known as RideMyRoute) that allows users to discover and make connected journeys involving carpooling and public transport, presenting key aspects of its design, development and testing. Results from a trial of the RideMyRoute App in four European test sites (Canton Ticino, Brussels, Zagreb and Ljubljana) revealed that the App was able to suggest trip planning solutions which included carpool options for one in five journey planning solutions and that the majority (85%) of these were solutions that involved connection from carpool to public transport. This is a significant advance on what is currently available through existing carpool provider systems or journey planning apps/services and could potentially increase the attractiveness of MaaS options in suburban markets. However, quality of data feeding the App from external sources remained an issue, as it is with all MaaS systems, and recommendations for future practice are presented. In conclusion, the new intermodal trip planning algorithm and data structure supporting it provide a fundamental stepping stone towards incorporating carpool services within MaaS-type offerings in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An overview of underground transport is presented. • Origins, development, advantages and challenges of underground transport systems are explored. • Key policy challenges for underground transport and directions for research are discussed. Abstract Transport systems play an essential role in urban, economic and social development. Utilising underground space for transport is a continuing trend across the globe during past decades. Underground transport systems have been chosen by cities as potential solutions for solving urbanisation problems such as traffic congestion, land shortage, and noise and air pollution. This paper provides an overview of five main forms of underground transport: underground railway systems, underground car parks, urban underground roads and expressways, underground freight transport systems and underground pedestrian systems. In each case the overview explores their origins, development, advantages and challenges, as well as other research foci. The paper then discusses key policy challenges for underground transport systems and provides recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract City transport systems often struggle to cope with high volumes of traffic and become congested, despite the use of various traffic management strategies. The concentration of traffic around city centres results in pollution and poor urban air quality, although the increasing popularity of electric vehicles is helping ameliorate these effects. One reason for the growing momentum behind electric vehicles is the emergence of mobility operators such as car-sharing companies, who target users wishing to rent out vehicles on a short-term basis. There is currently rapid growth in one-way car-sharing, in which the vehicle can be dropped off at a different location to the pickup point. Crucially, one-way car-sharing gives the opportunity for travellers to utilise car-sharing in conjunction with other modes, such as public transport modes, for their journey provided the requisite intermodal connections are present. This paper looks at how one-way electric vehicle car-sharing systems have the potential to become important components of future city transport systems. The future role of shared autonomous vehicles is also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

March 2020 will forever be etched in our minds as the beginning of the most concerning health pandemic faced by all generations of the living population. Two-and-three quarter years on, we are starting to see signs for what the future might evolve into through structural change brought about by many events, and no more so than the burgeoning growth in working from home (WFH). WFH is no longer associated with negative stigma, and along with remote working more generally, has become recognised across most sectors of society as a way of work that has benefits for many and is to some extent here to stay. We draw on the research undertaken since March 2020 to summarise the evidence that we use to speculate on what are likely to be the big changes in the land transport sector that would not have been considered, at least to the same extent, pre-COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Country of residence influences the perception of speed limits. • Cycle lanes influence the visual perception of speed limits. • Familiarity with cycle lanes is associated with a safer and broader understanding of cycle lanes and speed limits. • Lack of familiarity with cycle lanes contributes to a misperception of speed limits. • Lower speed limits and a connected network of cycle lanes results in a more accurate (and safer) understanding of the road environment. Speed plays a key role in road safety research. Recent studies have indicated an association between speed limits and driving behaviour. However, less attention has been paid to the role of context in the perception of speed limits, and the way cycle lanes influence this perception. This study examines how respondents in different countries of residence perceive speed limits, and how cycle lanes influence their perception of speed limits. An online survey provided quantitative data for a cross-country comparison from 1591 respondents in Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The findings show that country of residence influences the way speed limits are perceived, and cycle lanes are interpreted distinctly. In locations where cycle lanes are common, they act as indicators of either lower or higher speed limits, while in countries with less familiarity with cycle lanes respondents associate cycle lanes only with lower speed limits. Suggesting a safer and broader understanding of cycle lanes where they are familiar (the Netherlands) and a narrower understanding where cycle lanes are not common (Australia and the United Kingdom), this study provides evidence for policymakers explaining resistance to implementing cycle lanes and implies that implementing lower speed limits and cycle lanes are a road safety measure. Suggestions are identified for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile real-time passenger information (RTPI) systems are becoming ubiquitous in public transport and a plethora of studies have explored the effects they have on passengers. However, these studies mostly focus on urban areas and largely ignore rural dwellers. In this paper, we present results of a study that looks into the effects that mobile RTPI has on passengers in rural areas. The results indicate that the participants primarily used the mobile RTPI system to gain situation and geospatial awareness and to adapt their travel behaviour in disrupted circumstances. Further, we have identified that mobile RTPI significantly affects the everyday public transport travel of individuals. The outcomes of this study provide an initial understanding of the effects of a mobile RTPI system on rural users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessibility measures are usually designed to be objective representations of the ‘real’ conditions to provide a baseline for planning decisions and to track change over time. A wide range of approaches to measuring accessibility have been developed, usually based largely on quantifiable factors such as journey time. The simplest of these are based on the time taken to reach the nearest destination from an origin point. Destinations might include healthcare, education, employment or supermarkets, amongst others. This paper posits that people’s perceptions and experiences may differ from objectively measured conditions and crucially may be more important for understanding behaviour. An understanding of the difference between objective and subjective measures, and how they relate to each other is therefore vital before using either measure to inform policy decisions. This paper compares two approaches to measuring journey time accessibility to a range of destinations using objective measures of accessibility, calculated using GIS and individuals’ self reported values, based on travel survey data. Using two publically available datasets for England this paper explores the two approaches to measuring journey time accessibility to a range of destinations. Discordance between the two is found. Survey reported measures are found to be greater than objective measures in urban areas, but less in rural areas. This can be understood partly due to differences both between objective measures and reality and between perceptions and reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the authors of the article "Design Procedure and Considerations for Piers in Expansive Soils" is presented.

In this research, a passenger-centric passenger information system is proposed, which uses crowd sourcing and mobile phones so that passengers are not only information consumers but are also providers of information to the system. Passengers can allow the system to track their location through their smart phones when they are traveling on public transportation; this will compensate for the lack of a vehicle tracking system in public transportation, particularly in nonurban areas. Map-matching (MM) algorithms integrate location data (i.e., latitude and longitude) obtained from positioning sensors (in this case, mobile GPS) with a digital geographic information system (GIS) road map. Any map-matching algorithm first identifies the road link on which a vehicle is traveling and then determines the vehicle's location on that road segment. In the proposed information system, at a given point of time, a number of vehicle locations (latitude and longitude) are received from passengers traveling on a bus. In order to provide a precise vehicle location at a given point of time, a novel map-matching algorithm using fuzzy logic, which integrates multiple vehicle locations (obtained from passenger's smart phones) with a GIS road map, has been developed. The developed map-matching algorithm was tested using real-world data collected on four different bus routes in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and also GPS data collected in and around Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was identified that the developed MM algorithm is efficient and capable of supporting the proposed passenger information system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the article "The State of the Practice in Foundation Engineering on Expansive and Collapsible Soils" by William N. Houston and John D. Nelson. The authors of the article say that do not agree with the assertion by all of the discussers that the state of the practice and professional standard of care means exactly the same in the context of verifying the professional performance of design professionals.

Analysis of the vulnerability of rail transport systems has received considerable attention in the literature over several decades. Since economic development is usually associated with increasing demand for railway transport as more and more passengers rely on railways, the consequence of disruptions to the railway system becomes unaffordable and creates significant impact on society and economies. Hence, there is a growing need for effective mitigation strategies and greater appreciation of the linkage between vulnerability analysis and policy implementation. This paper reviews recent studies of methods applied for vulnerability analysis of rail transport systems and assesses their policy or strategy-related content. The result shows the predominance of topological approaches in the railway vulnerability analysis context; however, very few provide concrete policy- or strategy-related implications and suggestions. The findings also show that the link between research in the context of vulnerability analysis and risk analysis is weak, and practice-oriented studies are limited; this is identified as an area for future work. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive insight into the state-of-the-art vulnerability analysis of rail transport systems, drawing on both research and practice and offers a guide for future studies. The remaining gap between theory and policymaking is clearly elaborated. • A review focusing on policy-related vulnerability analysis of rail transport systems is conducted. • Co-occurrence of critical keywords in abstracts of reviewed papers is displayed virtually. • The result shows very few provide concrete policy-related implications and suggestions. • The link between research in vulnerability and risk analysis is weak, practice-oriented studies are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of pier foundations in expansive soils is an important and challenging aspect of geotechnical engineering. Established methods for pier analysis include rigid and elastic methods. These methods have certain limitations that restrict their applicability to evaluate certain complex aspects of pier heave, including variable soil profiles, complex wetting profiles, large length-to-diameter ratios, and complex pier configurations and materials. To address those limitations, a method of analysis was developed providing a versatile and robust tool to predict both pier heave and axial forces developed by expansive soils. This method utilizes a standard finite-element code to solve for pier heave and force in the pier for the given boundary conditions. This paper contains both a discussion of the general design procedure and the finite-element formulation. This design procedure, including the finite-element code, accurately determines pier heave and force in a pier compared with field-measured data. The design procedure and the finite-element code in particular, address the limitations of the established rigid and elastic pier analysis methods with the flexibility to evaluate complex design situations. A comparison with field-measured pier heave and tensile force in the pier demonstrates that the design procedure accurately models both the magnitude of pier heave and force in the pier. The results obtained using this design procedure have been compared with those obtained using the established pier analysis methods for simplified drilled pier examples. The comparison of the various methods of analysis demonstrates that the finite-element design procedure predicts pier heave values that are generally less than the existing elastic and rigid pier analysis methods. It is believed that the proposed design method is more realistic and provides a design tool with improved accuracy compared with existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged as a cost-effective transport system for urban mobility. As a relatively new form of Mass Transit, its ability to provide a high-quality transport service and potential to stimulate land development remain largely unexplored. This study intends to investigate the public attitude towards BRT services, as well as respondents’ perception of living near BRT stations, using the Beijing Southern Axis BRT system as a case study. A data-set of responses to 525 questionnaires were assembled and analysed using a combination of statistical techniques. The results show that BRT has gained great popularity among passengers, and brought about a positive impact on the attractiveness of residential property. The data identify that the majority of passengers are work-related commuters and use BRT more than once a day. The captive users have a higher satisfaction than choice users with respect to reliability, comfort & cleanliness and overall satisfaction with the BRT service. It is argued that the BRT has significantly improved the attractiveness of residential property along the BRT corridor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study explores the possibility of creating landslide susceptibility mappings by using two types of data: (i) an existing subjective geomorphic mapping; and (ii) landslides already identified in the area analyzed. The analysis is conducted using a type of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) named Learning Vector Quantization. For the subjective geomorphic mapping various definitions of stability were considered/analyzed, some using a 2-class system and some using a 5-class system. The study concludes that mappings using an existing subjective geomorphic classification and based on two stability classes can be successfully replicated with the ANN-based approach. However, mappings based on existing landslides and on the 5-class system do not yield results sufficiently accurate for practical applications. Creation of landslide susceptibility mappings involved utilization of data of numerous types (numerical and class-type variables). This study also investigated various methods of data coding and identified the most appropriate method for this type of analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a discussion on the study entitled "Method for Evaluation of Depth of Wetting in Residential Areas," Kenneth D. Walsh and colleagues. It relates on several terms which are believed to be inappropriately use in the cited article including active zone, depth of seasonal moisture fluctuation, and depth of wetting. Moreover, its claims that the study did not provide statistically significant results but rather a case study of the 32 cites being examined in Colorado.

Abstract: This paper presents findings from an evaluation of transport to employment (T2E) in rural Highland Scotland. T2E is a centrally co-ordinated shared transport service which provides access to workplace, training and childcare where no alternative transport is available. The paper assesses the social as well as economic impacts on the local community through social return on investment (SROI) analysis. Measurable social benefits were found to outweigh the investment by 3:1 suggesting the concept to be a viable solution in a climate where public transport options are limited and typically restricted by low density and dispersed populations and challenging conditions for delivery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Harvest scheduling decisions are made in an uncertain environment, and current modeling techniques that consider uncertainty impose severe difficulties when solving real problems. In this paper we describe a robust optimization methodology that explicitly considers randomness in most of the model coefficients while keeping the model computationally tractable. We apply the method to schedule harvest decisions when both timber yield and demand of two products are uncertain. Since uncertain coefficients must be independent, uniform, and symmetrically distributed, we only address uncertainty attributable to estimate errors of forecast models. The methodology was applied to a 245 090 ha forest in British Columbia, Canada. We compared the change in harvest decisions and objective function when robust solutions are implemented relative to deterministic solutions. Although probability bounds can be used to a priori define the probability of constraint violations, they produce conservative solutions. We therefore tested the rates of constraint violations by simulation. While traditional deterministic decisions were always infeasible when uncertain data were simulated, robust decisions were much less sensitive to uncertainty and were, to a large extent, protected against the occurrence of infeasibilities. In exchange, reasonable reductions in the objective function were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since public transport deregulation in the UK the provision of solutions to transport demand in areas of dispersed demand has been met by local authorities’ attempts to “fill gaps” in the commercial public transport network, whilst the voluntary sector has addressed the needs of more specialised travel. Over the last five years more innovative solutions have been enabled by the development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which allow more flexible transport services in terms of time and space. In addition, new ways of thinking about the provision of what might be considered public transport has led to more flexible transport modes becoming available, permitting the general public on education contract services, the use of taxis for shared public transport and the provision of vehicles enabling access to work. However, these innovations tend to operate independently leading to overlap, gaps and misunderstandings about the purpose, delivery and receipt of services. To address these issues, future public transport services will need wider area network planning, greater co-operation between service providers (e.g. in the form of partnerships) and improved understanding of passenger requirements. The case study of Northumberland presented in this paper embodies many of the problems faced by residents in rural areas of the UK to-day and illustrates diverse solutions that have been made to address these challenges. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Determination of Mars soil mechanical properties will improve future lander mission success and provide narrower constraints for geomorphological modeling. A soil mechanics investigation was conducted wherein soil mechanical properties were determined by computer reconstruction of mass wasting features observed in photographs of Mars Exploration Rover landing sites and analysis of natural slope stability. Mars soil mechanical properties were compared with thermal inertia measurements and a correlation is presented. Tests with rovers and equipment for Mars surface exploration and various past laboratory experiments have incorporated a number of different Mars soil simulants. Standard laboratory measurements were conducted to characterize the shear strength, grain size distribution, and densities of various Mars soil simulants. From these measurements, the ability of a given simulant to appropriately represent the mechanical properties of in situ Mars soils was judged. Specific simulants are recommended for certain regions of Mars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest managers are faced with complicated road construction and deactivation decisions. When construction, upgrading, and deactivation strategies must be determined simultaneously over broad spatial and temporal scales, the problem becomes very complex and decision support systems are needed. In this paper, we report the development and application of an optimal road class and deactivation model using dynamic programming. We tested our model on projected road networks on Hardwicke Island, British Columbia. Sensitivity of inputs such as construction costs, upgrade costs, hauling and maintenance costs, deactivation costs, length of time horizon, discount rate, and haul volume were tested within and between two road networks. Comparison of road networks revealed that haul volume concentration, average haul distance, and total road length are the most important variables that affect road class decisions and total network costs. Within our case study, the road network with the lowest average hauling distance resulted in the lowest total cost (CAN$0.24/m3 less), because hauling costs are the largest component (46%) of total transportation costs. The dynamic programming model can be used to assess numerous road construction and maintenance assumptions under various silviculture and harvest systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on recent British experience with telematics-based Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services in rural areas. In recent years, the ability of DRT concepts to provide efficient, viable transport services has been greatly enhanced by the use of transport telematics as demonstrated in a variety of environments across Europe. The success of British local authorities in winning substantial funding under the Rural and Urban Bus Challenge programmes for the implementation of DRT has resulted in widespread interest in flexible forms of transport. It is thus timely to evaluate the impact of this substantial investment. Drawing on the experience of a number of UK schemes, the paper assesses the reasons for the new-found success of what is becoming a relatively well-accepted mode by concentrating on a variety of factors including: service characteristics (particularly route flexibility, flexibility of booking method and pre-booking regime), emerging markets and the overall contribution of DRT to increased social inclusion and intermodality. Impediments to the development of DRT services are highlighted. The paper also discusses current research into the next generation of DRT services and concludes by identifying some key issues for policy-makers concerned with the future implementation of DRT services. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Over the last decade Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services have grown in popularity for several reasons including: the shortcomings of conventional regular bus and taxi services; shortcomings of special transport services; and new developments in community transport. Traditional dial-a-ride services have often been criticised because of their relatively high cost of provision, their lack of flexibility in route planning and their inability to manage high demand. The potential for overcoming these limitations may be realised through the introduction of telematics-based DRT and this has been widely demonstrated, for example, in recent research funded by the European Commission (e.g. the DGXIII-funded SAMPO and SAMPLUS projects). This paper provides an introduction to the concept of telematics-based DRT services and presents the results of the evaluation of a set of DRT technologies and operations at urban and rural sites across Europe. The paper offers discussion in terms of the key issues that influence the introduction of DRT services. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study which calculated surface cleanliness and its effect on shear strength in any planetary environment. Characteristics of lunar soil; Conclusions.

Transport policy in Korea is driven by the need to cope with ever-worsening traffic conditions. The development of an intelligent transport systems (ITS) Master Plan for Korea is of particular interest and demonstrates the heavy reliance placed on ITS measures to facilitate both the management of congested (but expanding) highway networks and to encourage a shift to greater use of public transport. The paper highlights the major achievements of ITS in Korea by assessing the evidence provided by the widespread implementation of ITS technologies (such as the creation of 'showcase' demonstrations). Some observations from the implementation of ITS in (so-called) transitional economies are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Operation history is significantly and positively related to metro development. • General public budget revenue is significantly related to metro development. • Prefecture-level cities are significantly associated with metro development. • Economic regions are significantly associated with metro development. As an important form of public transport and utilisation of urban underground space (UUS), metro has been promoted in an increasing number of large cities in China. By the end of 2019, China's 37 cities had developed metro systems with a total length of over 5000 km. It is widely acknowledged that urban and economic factors can significantly influence transport infrastructure development and UUS utilisation. The results of this study indicate that there are statistically significant relationships between urban and economic factors and the level of metro development. The results of the regression analyses show that the variables of metro operation history and general public budget revenue are significantly and positively related to metro operation length, number of lines and number of stations of cities with metros in China. Resident population in urban areas does not appear to be a significant determinant of the level of metro development when other urban economic factors are controlled for. Administrative division (prefecture-level cities) and economic regions (Northeast Region) are significantly and negatively associated with the level of metro development in China. The findings of this study suggest that policy and institutional factors, and operation history of metro, along with urban and economic factors such as economic capabilities, regional differentiation, and administrative divisions, play important roles in influencing the development levels of metro systems in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An overview of recent developments in China's metro systems is presented. • The relationship between economic capabilities and metro development is discussed. • The relationship between resident populations and metro development is examined. • The relationship between administrative divisions and metro development is explored. Along with rapid urbanisation and economic growth, massive development of transport infrastructure has been seen in China, facilitating overall economic development and improved quality of life. Metro is a common form of high-capacity public transport and urban underground space (UUS) utilisation in megacities. On many occasions, for social, environmental, economic and functional considerations a metro system is the optimal choice. China has seen remarkably rapid development of metro systems during the past two decades and is now leading the world with regard to the speed and scale of planning and construction of metro systems. This paper investigates recent developments in metro systems in mainland China, including the history of metro development, metro scale (measured by metro length, number of metro lines, number of metro stations, and metro patronage) and the relationships among three factors: economic capabilities, resident populations and administrative divisions of cities. The results show that China's cities with larger resident populations tend to develop larger-scale metro systems that are longer, with more metro lines and stations. With a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a metro city in China tends to develop longer metro systems, and more extensive metro systems with more lines and more stations, carry more passengers. Cities at higher administrative levels, with greater economic strengths and larger populations, are more likely to develop more extensive metro networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Antibiotic therapy of bacterial meningitis in children may be complicated by reappearance of bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid during therapy (recrudescence) or within three weeks after therapy is stopped (relapse). Clinical and laboratory features of six children with recrudescence and of 21 children with relapse were reviewed. These complications occurred mainly in infants less than 2 years of age and comprised less than 1% of all cases of bacterial meningitis. Neither the initial nor the follow-up CSF findings were predictive of recrudescence or relapse. Prolonged or secondary fever was unrelated to these complications. Recrudescence was usually caused by inappropriate therapy whereas relapse after adequate therapy of bacterial meningitis was usually ascribed to persistence of infection in meningeal or parameningeal foci. Relapse did not become manifest until three or more days after discontinuation of therapy. It is concluded that routine examination of CSF at the end of adequate antimicrobial therapy is not necessary or useful when the patient has exhibited a satisfactory clinical response. Furthermore, the commonly recommended observation period of 48 hours in the hospital after discontinuation of therapy is not justified for a patient who has had an uneventful course. Pediatrics 67:188-195, 1981; bacterial meningitis, recrudescence, relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. In a randomized, prospective, double-blind study infants and children with uncomplicated Salmonella gastroenteritis were treated with ampicillin (15 patients), amoxicillin (15 patients), or placebo (14 patients). The dosage of antibiotics was 100 mg/kg/day in four equally divided doses given for five days. There was no significant benefit from antibiotic therapy on the duration of diarrhea (means 8.8, 7.3, and 7.2 days, respectively) or on the duration of recovery of Salmonella from stool cultures (means 41.3, 37.0, and 20.9 days, respectively). Bacteriologic relapse was not observed in placebo-treated patients but eight patients given ampicillin (53%) and eight given amoxicillin (53%) had relapse (P = .003). Salmonella isolated in relapse were still susceptible in vitro to the antibiotics. Of the 16 patients with bacteriologic relapse six (38%) had concomitant recurrence of diarrhea. It is concluded that ampicillin or amoxicillin therapy provides no benefit to patients with uncomplicated Salmonella gastroenteritis and substantially increases the risk of bacteriologic and symptomatic relapse. Pediatrics 65:1125-1130, 1980; Salmonella, gastroenteritis, diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. A 1-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital with Haemophilus influenzae meningitis. On the second hospital day a heart murmur heard on admission seemed louder. No signs of congestive heart failure were present. An echocardiograna demonstrated a persistent echo-dense mass behind the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. A presumptive diagnosis of endocarditis was made. After ten days of antibiotic treatment the child was considerably improved. Treatment was continued for endocarditis. Over the next several days the infant's condition deteriorated. On the 16th hospital day he died. Autopsy examination showed a large vegetation attached to the posterior mitral valve leaflet. Bacterial endocarditis caused by H influenzae is uncommon at any age and rare in children. Echocardiography provided a definitive diagnosis early in the hospital course of this patient. Pediatrics 64:292-295, 1979; endocarditis, H influenzae, echocardiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Because of our experience with four cases of purulent pericarditis complicating bacterial meningitis during a 13-month period, we performed a prospective study to determine the frequency of this complication. Echocardiograms were done on 100 patients with bacterial meningitis. Small or moderate pericardial effusions were detected in 19 patients, but none had symptoms or signs related to the effusion. Pericardiocentesis was done in one infant; all the other effusions resolved spontaneously. Patients with effusion were significantly younger than those without this complication, but no other significant risk factors were identified. A literature survey indicated that symptomatic pericarditis occurs in fewer than 1% of patients with meningitis. Conversely, in series of cases of purulent pericarditis, associated meningitis was reported in 12% of patients. We concluded that pericardial infection is common in patients with meningitis but that it is usually of no clinical significance and resolves with antibiotic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Thirty-eight cases of Shigella vaginitis were identified in a retrospective review of records kept over the past 14 years. The cases of vaginitis were due to three subgroups of Shigella. Vaginitis varied in severity and duration, persisting for several months in some instances. In 47% of the cases, there was associated bloody vaginal discharge. Only two children had diarrhea temporally associated with vaginitis, but six others had had diarrhea. Many treatment modalities were used. Systemic antibiotic therapy appeared more effective than topical antimicrobials in the few patients who could be evaluated. Review of the literature revealed 32 additional cases, including four in adult women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Ticarcillin was evaluated in 82 neonates and young infants with suspected sepsis and in 16 older children with chronic Pseudomonas infection of the mastoids. The infants also received kanamycin. Individual ticarcillin doses of 75 or 100 mg/kg were given every four, six, or eight hours by intramuscular injection or by a 30-minute intravenous infusion. Mean plasma concentrations one hour after a dose were from 125 to 189 micro g/ml, depending on dosage, age, and maturity. Mean plasma half-lives were approximately 5 hours in the first week of life, 2 hours in infants from 1 to 8 weeks, and 0.9 hours in older children. Volume of distribution was approximately twice as great in infants as in children, and plasma clearance rates correlated inversely with age. Limited efficacy data suggest that ticarcillin is a suitable alternative to ampicillin or carbenicillin, when given concurrently with an aminoglycoside, for newborn infections. When given for several days before mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty, ticarcillin sterilized the mastoids in the majority of patients. A new dosage schedule for ticarcillin in pediatric patients is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the influence of hexachlorophene scrubs on the response to placebo or penicillin therapy in impetigo in children. Materials and methods; Results; Discussion.

Because of its greater activity against Pseudomonas and Proteus and comparable activity against other bacteria, carbenicillin has theoretical advantages over ampicillin or penicillin as initial therapy, along with an aminoglycoside antibiotic, for suspected infections in the neonate. From a previous study of carbenicillin pharmacokinetics, mathematical predictions of dosage and intervals of administration were made and tested in 55 infants from 1 to 45 days of age treated with carbenicillin and gentamicin. Clinical efficacy was compared with a randomly selected group of 55 babies treated with ampicillin and gentamicin. No deaths directly attributable to infection occurred in either group. In bacteriologically documented infections follow-up cultures indicated eradication of the pathogen. All serum specimens tested for bactericidal power against Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas had bacterial titers of 1:2 or greater. Dose response curves and daily serum specimens during subsequent days of treatment were assayed for antibiotic content. Peak serum level and serum half-life were correlated with dosage, interval, age, and weight. The proposed dosage schedule of carbenicillin for neonates is (1) 100 mg/kg initial dose; (2) 75 mg/kg subsequent doses at eight hourly intervals through 7 days of age for infants under 2,000 gm and at six hourly intervals until 4 days of age for babies weighing over 2,000 gm; (3) thereafter, 100 mg/kg every six hours for both weight groups. These dosages should assure therapeutic serum concentrations or carbenicillin when its use is desired or indicated for the neonate. Therapeutic results with carbenicillin and gentamicin were satisfactory in this study, but a larger experience is needed before the relative efficacy of this combination vis-à-vis other antibiotics commonly used for neonatal infections can be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the bacterial etiology and antibiotic management of septic arthritis in infants and children. Information on the complexity of culturing bacteria; Analysis of the etiologic bacteria; Conclusions relevant to antibiotic therapy.

The usually recommended 7- to 10-day course of antibiotic therapy for enteropathogenic Escherichia coil diarrheal disease might be undesirable because neomycin can cause a malabsorption syndrome. One hundred thirteen infants with E. coli diarrheal disease were randomly assigned to long-term therapy of 10 days or to short-term therapy. For short-term therapy neomycin was discontinued when daily fluorescent antibody and culture tests were negative; therapy averaged 3 days with a range of 2 to 4 1/2 days for all but one patient. The pathogens were susceptible to neomycin in vitro. The initial bacteriologic response was the same in both groups. Bacteriologic relapse without return of symptoms occurred in 14 of 57 in the long-term group and in 7 of 56 babies in the short-term group. Organisms isolated during relapse remained sensitive in vitro to neomycin. In the long-term group diarrhea lasted significantly longer with a trend to delayed onset of steady weight gain and infectious complications were twice as common. There was no significant change in indirect hemagglutinin titer between acute and convalescent sera in 91% of specimens. Current recommendations for duration of therapy should be shortened to 3 to 5 days. This study and a literature review also raise doubts about the real value of antibiotics in this disease. Pediatrics, 48:248, 1971, Escherichia coli, NEOMYCIN, DIARRHEA, HEMAGGLUTINATION. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study that examined the antimicrobial susceptibility of both typable and non-typable Hemophilus influenzae to sulfa drugs, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and erythromycin. Methodology of the study; Results and discussion on the study.

Focuses on septic arthritis infections among infants and children. Age groups of the patients in relation to etiologic bacteria; Etiology of septic arthritis in infants; Comparison of historical data and leukocyte counts in patients with and without an established bacterial etiology.