Volume 8: January 2002

The Value of Research Inputs to the Development of Public Transport
Unlike practitioners in many other technical sectors, those of us involved in the planning and development of public transport have very few formal "rule books" to follow. With the exception of what I would call the engineering and management side of the business there are, in the UK, few or no formal codes of practice, specifications, etc. that guide and/or control our work. Much of what we do as practitioners therefore relies on the application of professional judgement. For those with a "pioneering spirit" this adds some excitement and increases job satisfaction considerably but as an approach it has its dangers.

Perhaps more than in some other technical sectors, we need to rely far more on research inputs in support of our judgement. This is not to say that this has never been the case in those other sectors, far from it. The planning and development of public transport is just a relatively new "science" and the pioneering work in other sectors was undertaken many years ago.

The research inputs most commonly sought come in a number of different "guises":

Typically inputs in the first two categories would come from project specific work. In the latter two categories and, occasionally in the second, external research sources provide what is needed. In some cases this may be existing research, in others it may be specially commissioned.

To illustrate some of the latter categories, let me mention some situations where I have found such inputs of great value and in some cases an absolute necessity:

Behavioural Relationships - Elasticity in respect of fare levels
My practice frequently becomes involved in the need to assess the impact of fare levels on journeys and revenue, especially in the context of the UK concessionary travel market that has undergone substantial changes recently. Neither budgets nor timescales have allowed any new work to be undertaken and we have had to resort to existing research into this vexed issue. This is frequently the main arguing point between the transport operators who are entitled to be reimbursed for allowing travel free or at reduced cost and the local authorities who pay that reimbursement.

The focus of this argument centres on the legal requirement that enables the local authorities to deduct from reimbursement an adjustment to reflect the amount of generated travel which is clearly a function of the elasticity in respect of fares. Whilst there is no problem with the theory in this case, there is a need to "quantify" that theory for each case in question. To advise properly we have needed to resort to existing published research and the UK's Transport Research Laboratory has proven a valuable source of such work commissioned by the UK Government.

Techniques - Application of Geographic Information Systems
GIS are powerful tools and realising what can be done with GIS and finding the best ways of doing it can be a daunting task for the newcomer. When my practice started looking at GIS applications, the cost of calling in specialists to help us up the learning curve was prohibitive. We had to do this ourselves and again needed to resort to published material and a little help from our friends. A good text on the subject, combined with informal networking contacts at conferences and exhibitions gave us the necessary inputs we were looking for. A more recent text - Geographic Information Systems in Transportation Research, edited by Jean-Claude Thill remains a valuable reference text.

Guidance to thinking - Rural Transport Planning
Rural transport issues have recently gained high priority in the UK. Whilst the Countryside Agency (the UK Government agency with primary responsibility for rural development) is doing much to promote and assist good practice, the issues are complex. To develop appropriate strategies, plans and proposals needs a wide understanding of social and community issues and the workings of rural micro-economies, amongst the more traditional factors a transport planner would typically consider.

The need to understand the detailed relationships is paramount to achieving worthwhile project outputs and, again, to draw on texts, published papers and on a contact network adds considerable value to those outputs. In addition to various publications from the Countryside Agency, I always encourage members of my team to refresh their thinking by dipping into one of a number of research-based texts before we embark on a new project in this field.

Accessing research work always seems to be a difficult "hurdle", even in the "information age" in which we live. More can still be done to facilitate the sharing of information and experience between professionals. Having said thus, there are some excellent databases of research work; specialist publishers also play a vital role, as do the organisers of conferences. It is part of the skill of a good professional to be alert to and keep up to date with these sources and it is for the professional bodies to assist in this.

The Association for European Transport (AET), assisted by PTRC, is one such body and through the annual "European Transport Conference" promotes information on a wide range of research through the papers presented. At the same time, it offers an excellent opportunity for the all important exchange of views and information between individuals. AET plans to do more as it evolves and is actively exploring the possibility of providing a web-based contact network between those who have research or project work underway or recently completed and those who are seeking research inputs.

Some of you will read the above and say to yourselves "so what's new". I agree. However, in the present environment of stretched resources and limited budgets, the inputs such as those I have described above can easily be by-passed. The added value of these inputs can be underestimated in the expedient search for ever quicker and cheaper results. Quality of output declines and the reputation of our profession can be, and is, called into question. The practitioner who overlooks the opportunity to make use of wider research is failing his or her profession as well as failing to serve his or her public to the high standards required today.

About the author:
Chris Brown started his career as a Civil Engineer in the transport sector. For the past 30 years he has worked in the transport planning field in the UK local authority and consultancy sectors. For the past 10 years he has run his own small consultancy practice, specialising in public transport. Chris was a founder member of the Association for European Transport and is currently a Council Member of the Association.

The LTAP Program
We feature LTAP here as a leading example of an effort to translate transportation research into practice. LTAP worked together with the US FHWA's Offices of International Programs and Professional Development to organise the 2001 International Symposium on Transportation Technology Transfer. This took place in St Petersburg, Florida, from July 29 to August 2, 2001, and was a truly international event attracting participants from some 50 nations:
http://www.ltapt2.org/ltapconfltap.htm

About National LTAP
Established in 1981 as the Rural Technical Assistance Program, the national Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). LTAP provides local highway agencies with improved access to highway technology to meet the growing demands placed on local roads, bridges, and public transportation.

The national mission of LTAP is to foster a safe, efficient, environmentally sound transportation system by improving skills and knowledge of local transportation providers through training, technical assistance, and technology transfer.

LTAP has established a nationwide system of technology transfer (T2) centers, some of which are located in universities and some in state highway agencies. Six centers serve American Indian tribal governments. Each center develops a mix of technology transfer tools and information to most effectively address the needs of the local/tribal highway community.

Funding for the centers comes from federal LTAP funds, state departments of transportation, universities, local agencies, funds designated by state legislatures, and where appropriate the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Technology Transfer Clearinghouse, operated under contract to the FHWA by the American Public Works Association, links the centers with information and technology available from other sources.

Transportation and Tourism
As publishers of a wide range of journals and books in the social and management sciences, we are frequently struck by the interconnectedness of so many topics and subjects. A prime example of this process at work lies in the two applied research areas of transportation and tourism.

Elsevier Science publishes what are by common consent the two leading journals in the field of tourism, Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Management, together with two book series stemming from them. Details of these, and of other allied journals in hospitality and museum management, may be found on our Tourism and Hospitality Management website: www.rithmic.com

Annals, while primarily a social science rather than a management journal, by no means eschews applied research. Within the pages of the 2000 volume alone, the transportation specialist may find articles on such topics as:

"Spectral analysis of international tourism flows" - the application of univariate spectral method to analysis of quarterly passenger movements from the UK to the US by air and sea over a 22 year period.

and:

"Air tour impacts" - the economic impact of Grand Canyon air-tour operators on the Southern Nevada economy estimated using a regional impact model.

- as well as a review of G?rling et al, Theoretical Foundations of Travel Choice Modeling, which, the reviewer concludes, 'speaks primarily to the needs of the transportation specialist'.

Similarly, Tourism Management in its June 2001 issue contains a paper potentially of mainstream interest to air transport management researchers: "Collaborative strategy: an analysis of the changing world of international airline alliances"; while the latest volume in the linked Advances in Tourism Research book series* has a chapter by Stephen Page on "Gateways, hubs and transport interconnections in S.E. Asia".

These are just a few of the many instances which could be cited. All of them serve to underline the point that neither subject boundaries nor the aims and scope of individual journals are in any way exclusive: on the contrary they are permeable, inclusive and for ever looking to expand their formal remits. Individual researchers may seek published work in their own or in a huge variety of linked fields, which are easily explored via modern search engines and dedicated websites such as www.rithmic.com and www.transportconnect.net

* Interconnected Worlds: Tourism in South-East Asia, ed. Teo, Chang and Ho, published July

KonSULT
KonSULT is the Knowledgebase on Sustainable Urban Land Use and Transport, being developed by the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT.

Its mission is to provide up to date information on the performance of a wide range of urban transport policy instruments. The Knowledgebase should contribute significantly to the achievement internationally of urban transport policy objectives of reduced congestion; an enhanced environment; greater safety; better access; fairer opportunities; improved quality of life and increased sustainability.

The knowledgebase allows each policy measure to be described, with multimedia images of operation where appropriate; to be assessed against a common set of potential objectives of urban transport policy; and to be represented by case studies of good practice in their use. Where possible, an assessment will be made of the contexts in which each policy measure performs best. Links will be provided between the policy instruments so that opportunities can be identified for integrating them to achieve enhanced performance against the objectives.

The following levels of information are available:

Level 0	is dedicated to general introductory material.
Level 1	includes material on approaches to urban transport strategy development, related policy objectives and measures, past trends and future scenarios, approaches to the assessment of individual measures, barriers to implementation, and ways of developing an integrated strategy.
Level 2	includes specific material for individual policy measures, with detailed appraisal of the nature of the measure, a first principles assessment, evidence on its performance, its contribution to objectives and problems, and an identification of complementary instruments. Over 60 measures will be included when KonSULT is fully developed. It is currently in its pilot stage.
Level 3	will provide information on packages of measures and integrated transport strategy applications. It will be developed at a later stage.

In addition to these levels, there is a comprehensive glossary, sitemap and help facility.

The Knowledgebase will be of benefit to transport professionals in developing urban transport strategies and in selecting, designing and implementing specific measures. It will assist politicians and other decision-makers, as well as community organisations and other interest groups, in understanding the role and potential of different measures. It will provide a key source for those involved in transport research and teaching.

During 2002 KonSULT will be a free public resource, accessible via TransportConnect

New Editor
New editor for Research in Transportation Economics!
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Martin Dresner as the new RTE series editor. Professor Dresner succeeds Professor Starr McMullen, who has relinquished the role due to increased department responsibilities; we thank Professor McMullen and congratulate her on the volumes published under her editorship.

All future RTE volumes will each be constructed around a single unifying theme. The next volume in the series is provisionally planned to be on "Transportation Labor Issues and Regulatory Reform".
Proposals for further volumes are welcome, and should be addressed to Professor Dresner:

Martin Dresner
Associate Professor
R.H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
USA
email: mdresner@rhsmith.umd.edu