Search

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]

While many countries have experienced more than one wave of the pandemic throughout 2020, Australia has been able to contain the virus in a way that makes it a stand out (with New Zealand) in the way that it has been contained, with an exception in Victoria linked to failed quarantine procedures for travellers returning from overseas. Through descriptive analysis, this paper builds on earlier papers by the authors on the Australian response, with a focus on the changing dynamics of travel activity, concern with public transport, and attitudes surrounding activity given the perception of risk of COVID-19 and the level of public support for regulatory intervention and restrictions on movement. We find that Australia continues to suppress travel, particularly that for commuting, that comfort in completing day-to-day activities continues to rise (with the exception of Victoria where confidence feel significantly), and while support for intervention measures remains high, there has been an erosion in sentiment. As with previous work, we discuss what this might mean for future transport policy, and attempt to draw lessons from the Australian experience. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper (Part 2 in the paper series), building on earlier studies examining the Australian response, extends on findings related to travel activity, commuting, and attitudes towards COVID-19 measures (Part 1 in the paper series). In this paper we focus in detail on the impact of, and experiences with, working from home (WFH), perhaps the largest of the positive unintended consequence of the pandemic, with respect to transport, and a key lens through which the changing patterns in travel activity and attitudes discussed in Part 1 need to be understood. We conclude that through the widespread adoption of WFH as a result of nationwide public health orders, there is evidence emerging that WFH is now seen as an appealing instrument of change by employees and employers, there is growing support to continue to support WFH into the future. This represents a significant potential contribution to the future management of the transport network, especially in larger metropolitan areas. We also discuss policy implications of this result and what the international community may take from the Australian experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is based on research conducted with support from the German Academic Exchange (DAAD) Research Stays for Academics funding. While German cities vary in their transport patterns and mobility cultures (Klinger et al. 2013; Scheiner 2012); they have in common federal laws including those defining the purpose of public streets and the basis of rights to them. This paper examines how such higher-level legal norms and rights relating to public streets shape and constrain parking management across heterogenous German cities. Following Treib et al. 's (2007) typology of modes of governance, the paper argues that certain binding or 'hard' federal policy dimensions frame competing claims to curb space. They do so in ways that privilege parked cars as traffic ; and that constrain the limited political frameworks within which German cities may vary their approaches to parking. They also define the conditions through which emerging forms of mobility are able to be established (Marsden et al. 2020). The paper draws on interviews, primarily with transport planners, undertaken to compare car parking approaches across 8 German cities with different transport mode shares; and on a desktop review of parking and related laws mentioned in these interviews. • Examines how higher-level legal norms and rights shape parking management in German cities of varying transport and mobility cultures. • German road laws restrict parking fines and use of revenue, define the purpose of streets as traffic , and define car parking as traffic. • Following Treib et al's (2007) typology of modes of governance, argues 'hard' federal policy dimensions frame competing claims to curb space. • Implications include high rates of illegal parking; limits to pricing or conversion of street space; and uneven take-up. • Road rights privileging parked cars encode 20th century automobility, and define conditions through which new forms of mobility may emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 disease continues to cause unparalleled disruption to life and the economy world over. This paper is the second in what will be an ongoing series of analyses of a longitudinal travel and activity survey. In this paper we examine data collected over a period of late May to early June in Australia, following four-to-six weeks of relatively flat new cases in COVID-19 after the initial nationwide outbreak, as many state jurisdictions have begun to slowly ease restrictions designed to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We find that during this period, travel activity has started to slowly return, in particular by private car, and in particular for the purposes of shopping and social or recreational activities. Respondents indicate comfort with the idea of meeting friends or returning to shops, so authorities need to be aware of potential erosion of social distancing and appropriate COVID-safe behaviour in this regard. There is still a concern about using public transport, though it has diminished noticeably since the first wave of data collection. We see that working from home continues to be an important strategy in reducing travel and pressure on constrained transport networks, and a policy measure that if carried over to a post-pandemic world, will be an important step towards a more sustainable transport future. We find that work from home has been a generally positive experience with a significant number of respondents liking to work from home moving forward, with varying degrees of employer support, at a level above those seen before COVID-19. Thus, any investment to capitalise on current levels of work from home should be viewed as an investment in transport. • Aggregate travel has increased by 50% but is still less than two-thirds of that which occurred prior to COVID-19. • Motor vehicle travel rebounding more than other modes, those planning a return to train and bus intended to do so strongly. • Large increases in activity planned for shopping and social and recreation purposes. • People feel most comfortable with meeting with friends, going to the shops and visiting restaurants. • Working from home continues, and has been largely positive for those who have been able to do so.. • Concern about the risk of COVID-19 has decreased significantly since the initial outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Funding of new public transport infrastructure is challenging because of the typically large up front costs. Funding bodies are keen to find new ways of delivering new infrastructure and several funding schemes have been implemented which are based on the way in which better public transport from new infrastructure improves accessibility and raises land values have been implemented. Value capture, the term for a funding mechanism whereby the increase in land value following new infrastructure, has been widely viewed as an alternative funding tool for future public transport infrastructure and has been practiced in a number of forms (e.g., Tax increment financing (TIF)). However, few studies have addressed the equity implications in relation to value capture funding schemes. This study investigates the equity implications using Gold Coast Light Rail Transit (GCLRT) stage one in Gold Coast, Australia as the case study. This case study is used to evaluate four different funding schemes based on previous and existing value capture strategies, such as land value tax, value capture strategies (e.g., TIF and special assessments), and a public transport levy. The paper considers vertical and horizontal equity. There is some evidence of high levy for low income households in the GCLRT catchment areas for value uplift based schemes. The conclusions of the paper contribute to implementation of value capture scheme for many cities in Australia and elsewhere wanting to implement similar funding schemes to fund transport infrastructure. • This paper explores the equity implications of different value capture funding alternatives. • This study investigates the equity implications using Gold Coast Light Rail Transit (GCLRT) stage one in Gold Coast, Australia as the case study. • Four schemes are considered (i.e., land value based, household based, value uplift based and combined land value and value uplift based scheme). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty of how fully automated vehicles (AVs) will interact with other road users, including vulnerable road users and other manual automated operated vehicles in towns is one major concern with introducing these vehicles. Based on Walker, Rahman, and Cave's (2001) adaptive policymaking model, this paper illustrates how the adaptive approach can be applied to trial fully automated private vehicles. Specifically, the focus is on policy elements which surround consumer acceptance and other road users' acceptability of private AVs. The State of Queensland, Australia was selected as the focus of this paper given that there are no current policies for fully AVs in this country. It is acknowledged, however, that similar frameworks may also be applied outside of Australia. This paper will also briefly discuss legislation barriers for trialling private AVs in Australia, whilst reviewing the regulations which have been introduced to overcome these barriers at an international level. It was concluded that private AV policymaking is required to be flexible in order to keep up with continued advancements in technology, both in Australia and beyond. • Case study of an adaptive approach for fully AVs in Australia and beyond. • Automated vehicle policymaking required to be flexible and adaptable to change. • Amendments to current legislation are required to facilitate on-road trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Price cuts and price wars, a frequent phenomenon in Australia's domestic airline market that have been widely reported in the Australian news media, are documented in this research. This paper examines the determinants of price wars in Australia using monthly data from 72 airline routes for the period from January 2013 to August 2017. Our finding is consistent with the widely held view that an increase in the major airlines' capacity was a main cause of price cuts and price wars. Our research shows that price wars continued after Qantas announced that it would stop adding domestic capacity and give up defending its 65% market share policy in 2015. Indeed, Qantas' 65% market share commitment has led to fierce pricing competition and the occurrence of price wars. Multimarket contact promoted price wars in Australia's domestic airline market. • This paper examines the determinants of airline price wars in Australia using monthly data. • An increase in the major airlines' capacity was a major cause for price cuts and price wars. • Price wars continued after Qantas announced that it would stop adding capacity. • Qantas' 65% market share commitment has led to fierce pricing competition and the occurrence of price wars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major metropolitan airports in Australia have become increasingly congested, resulting in substantial increases in operational costs and waiting time at these airports. This paper assesses the effectiveness of subsidy programs in shifting airfreight from metropolitan airports to regional airports assuming the vehicle routing problem approach is used to optimise the downstream (i.e., road) logistics. We analyse the freight distribution network structure and logistics decisions under two (government) subsidy scenarios. We develop a mixed integer linear programming model incorporating the time-window and release-time constraints. A case study in Australia is used to illustrate the application of the proposed framework. The results show that introducing subsidies can effectively reduce the total costs from the prospective of industries involved in the airfreight distribution. The subsidy program under a non-linear subsidy provides a better performance from the economic and delivery time perspectives. However, if the primary goal is to reduce the volume of cargo traffic at the metropolitan airport, a linear subsidy program is preferred. • Subsidy programs are proposed to shift airfreights from metropolitan airports to regional airports. • The vehicle routing problem model is used to evaluate the effects of the subsidy schemes. • A case study of Australia is presented. • A non-linear subsidy provides a better performance from the economic and delivery time perspectives. • A linear subsidy is preferred to reduce cargo traffic at metropolitan airports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the short-term reduction in money and time costs associated with a reduction in car and public transport commuting activity in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area (GSMA) during a period of the COVID-19 pandemic in which Australia started to see an easing of restrictions (see Beck and Hensher 2020a). As of late May 2020, three months after COVID-19 resulted in restrictions in Australia, we saw an annual travel time reduction for car and public transport commuters in the GSMA of $5.58 billion, representing a 54.02% reduction in the Pre-COVID-19 total time costs, much of which we would suggest can be associated with reductions in congestions costs. Adjusting further for reduced employment volumes relative to pre-COVID-19 levels, to take into account reduced commuting activity due, in part, to a lower volume of work associated with a loss of employment or lower employment hours, the annual time cost reduction for all commuters who still have regular pre-COVID-19 levels of employment are estimated as $4.4 billion. Hence there is $1.17 billion worth of reduced time costs associated with significantly reduced employment hours, including a loss of employment. The implications for road investment linked to congestion in particular is profound, and shows how much of an increase in benefit to society, through congestion busting, can be obtained by more flexible work arrangements, even allowing for some switching into car out of public transport. Whether the current decrease in travel costs will be long-lasting is unknown, but it does support the appeal of working from home, if it is sustainable, as a policy lever to reduce levels of congestion on the roads and crowding in public transport. • Estimates the short-term reduction in money and time costs associated with commuting activity during a period of the COVID-19 pandemic. • Annual travel time reduction for all car and PT commuters of $5.58 billion, a 54.02% reduction in the Pre-COVID-19 total time costs. • The implications for road investment linked to congestion in particular is profound. • Shows how much of an increase in benefit to society, through congestion busting, can be obtained by more flexible work arrangements. • Support the appeal of working from home as a policy lever to reduce levels of congestion on the roads and crowding in public transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When 2020 began, we had no idea what was to unfold globally as we learnt about the Novel-Coronavirus in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China. As this virus spread rapidly, it became a matter of time before many countries began to implement measures to try and contain the spread of the disease. COVID-19 as it is referred to, resulted in two main approaches to fighting the viral pandemic, either through a progressive set of measures to slow down the number of identified cases designed to 'flatten the curve' over time (anticipated to be at least six months), or to attack it by the severest of measures including a total lock-down and/or herding exposure to fast track 'immunisation' while we await a vaccine. The paper reports the findings from the first phase of an ongoing survey designed to identify the changing patterns in travel activity of Australian residents as a result of the stage 2 restrictions imposed by the Australian government. The main restrictions, in addition to social distancing of at least 1.5 m, are closure of entry to Australia (except residents returning), and closure of non-essential venues such as night clubs, restaurants, mass attendee sporting events, churches, weddings, and all social gatherings in any circumstance. With some employers encouraging working from home and others requiring it, in addition to job losses, and many children attending school online from home, the implications on travel activity is extreme. We identify the initial impacts associated with the first month of stricter social distancing measures introduced in Australia. • General support for the actions of government and business. • Widespread suppression of travel demand for all trip purposes across all modes. • Sizeable shift to working from home by those who can. • Public transport will face the largest hurdles in regaining confidence. • Retail and food logistics will need to examine distribution processes • The aviation sector will likely need to restart with a heavy focus on domestic travel. • Public transport will need to take overt measures to restore confidence. • The dominance of the car is further enforced in the context of biosecurity concerns. • Active transport is a viable option for short inner-city trips. • Infrastructure investment should be carefully considered. • Flexible working arrangements are perhaps the biggest policy lever available to governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the challenges faced by remote, rural and regional airports in Australia. The deregulation of airports over the past decades has resulted in local councils owning most of the rural and regional airports across Australia. The paper provides an overview of the international literature on regional airports and research directed at defining the issues faced by regional and rural airports in Australia. A survey of airport managers, regulators and local councils was undertaken across Australia to outline the challenges and stresses that regional airports are facing. Core findings indicate that the operation of rural and regional airports is under stress due to the interrelating factors of infrastructure costs, high cost of maintenance, and security infrastructure upgrades. Small airports often compete with one another to attract airlines and maintain their infrastructure advantage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reviews public transport crowding valuation research, using a number of primary studies conducted in the UK, USA, Australia and Israel. We identify three measures used to value crowding (a time multiplier, a monetary value per time unit and a monetary value per trip), and associated ways of representing crowding in stated preference experiments. Although a number of different types of crowding in terms of location are identified, namely in-vehicle, access-way, entrance and platform/station, the majority of reviewed studies investigate only in-vehicle crowding. Despite the different characteristics of the reviewed studies, they all report that crowding would increase the value of travel time savings, which can be viewed as an additional component of generalised time. This paper also comments on the role that the WTP for crowding reduction can play in project appraisal, and suggests some important avenues for future public transport crowding valuation research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Peak oil is the term used to describe the point at which global oil production will peak and thereafter start to decline. Recognising that transport uses a significant portion of global energy, the shortage of fossil fuel in post peak oil era will pose a global challenge in the transport sector. The paper presents an assessment of international research to illustrate the possible time frame of peak oil. It investigates the key implications of the oil shortage that threaten to render the urban transport system of Australia ineffective. Synthesis of documented research evidence suggests three major implications in the urban transport sector: (1) a reduction of mobility for individuals, (2) an increase of transport disadvantage, and (3) a disruption of urban freight movement. In addition, the paper explores strategies to cope with the devastating effects of the shortage of the fossil fuel in the post peak oil era. A number of strategies to achieve sustainable mobility in the future urban transport system are presented. These strategies are summarised into three main themes: (1) a mode shift to alternate transport modes, (2) an integration of land use and transport planning, and (3) a global technical effort for alternate fuels and vehicles. It is expected that a concerted global effort in this regard can have a far-reaching effect in achieving sustainability in urban transport mobility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are an increasingly popular public transport option internationally. They provide rail-like quality for bus services for a fraction of the cost of fixed rail. Many claims of high and increasing ridership have resulted from BRT system development; however, it is unclear exactly which aspects of BRT system design drive this. This paper explores whether BRT design features, among other influences, significantly increase ridership above and beyond the impact of service levels. It does so using a series of regression models undertaken on 77 BRT and non-BRT bus routes in Australia which is known for its diversity in BRT route design. Explanatory variables used included service level, frequency, speed, stop spacing, share of segregated right of way, vehicle accessibility, employment and residential density, car ownership levels and BRT infrastructure quality. Five models explored the role of these variables. Two models found that service level dominates predictions of boardings per route km although they suffer from endogeneity. Further models control for this influence by modelling boardings per vehicle km. Overall results suggest that some BRT infrastructure treatments such as right of way have a significant impact on ridership but the influence of infrastructure is within the context of high service levels. The role of accessible vehicles has also been highlighted in this research, although more research is needed to clarify this influence. The paper concludes with a discussion of the various influences on ridership and recommendations for existing policy and future research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper explores the separate and combined effects of transport disadvantage and social exclusion on well-being using an empirical analysis of data from a travel and disadvantage survey in Victoria, Australia. Previous research explores the impact of transport on social exclusion but does not study the downstream impacts on well-being. To explore this relationship measures of subjective well-being are compared across four groups: (i) people who are neither transport disadvantaged nor socially excluded, (ii) transport disadvantaged only, (iii) socially excluded only and (iv) both transport disadvantaged and socially excluded. The paper explores which component aspects of social exclusion and transport disadvantage have the greatest impact on well-being and which social groups are most likely to face transport disadvantage and social exclusion together. The paper concludes with a commentary on how the findings might be used to better target policy interventions meant to improve well-being. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Network planning of bus services requires addressing the trade-off between frequency and coverage. Traditional network planning has focused on coverage using the rule of thumb that people will walk four hundred meters to access bus based public transport services. More modern approaches have recognised that encouraging mode shift means improving quality and thus in the presence of budget constraint, a shift of resources is needed to provide better frequency or smaller headways on core corridors. Using a Stated Choice experiment approach, this paper elicits the trade-off between access distance and headways and how this might vary in a number of cities around the world. The key results confirm travellers in all cities forming part of the sample are willing to walk further for a more frequent service: in Australian capital cities between 226 m and 302 m further for a 10-min reduction in bus headways, while in UK and US this is between 370 m and 475 m further for the same improvement in bus headway. The research provides a consistent valuation for the design attributes of service (such as distance to stop, journey time, headway/frequency and crowding) over eleven cities together with an estimation of the role of socio demographics in tempering how far passengers are likely to walk to access a high frequency corridor and potentially achieve mode shift from the private car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since the late 1990s, voluntary travel behaviour change (VTBC) has been an increasingly popular strategy in Australia, applied to reduce both reliance on the car and greenhouse gas emissions. Early efforts to evaluate the impact of this strategy were generally implemented by the agency that also implemented the policy and used small sample, self-report surveys. The paper starts out by discussing the nature and size of travel behaviour changes that are frequently expected in current policy, noting that these are often smaller than the sampling and measurement errors in traditional methods of measuring travel behaviour. The paper then discusses some alternative methods of evaluating voluntary travel behaviour change implementations using panels to reduce sampling error, and using a combination of personal Global Positioning System devices and odometer reading surveys to measure travel patterns. From these considerations, a number of guidelines are suggested for what is required to evaluate voluntary travel behaviour change. The paper describes three recent case studies in Australia in which such methods have been used and evaluates the methodological approaches used in these studies against the suggested guidelines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Australian Government over the last two decades has embarked on an intensive microeconomic reform program. Associated with this has been the deregulation of the rail sector. The mechanism of deregulation has been by vertically separating the below and above rail infrastructure and the creation of a number of rail access regimes. Evidence is emerging which indicates that the mechanism of deregulation is an impediment to the development of an integrated national network, the objective of deregulation and rail reform. This paper will discuss the mechanism of deregulation in Australia within the context of developments overseas. In particular it will discuss the development of a number of state specific rail access regimes and raise some problems and constraints being encountered in the reform process. The paper adds to a growing body of knowledge relating to infrastructure reform and deregulation and highlights some major constraints embedded in the model. The concluding section will discuss the relevance of past and current reform of Australian policies to rail policy makers outside Australia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews the voluntary travel behaviour change programs adopted across Australia in recent times. These programs facilitate individuals and households in changing their travel behaviour through personal choice and individual action. The paper examines the issues relating to the various programs and discusses the techniques used and the results and evaluations. The behaviour change programs reported to date show consistent evidence that participating households make substantial reductions in their usage of private motor vehicles. Further, a range of non-transport benefits have been found, albeit at the local level. These benefits include changes in land use, social interaction, economic development, and health indicators. One consequence is that other government agencies, responsible for areas such as community development, health, environment, energy, public safety, planning and even education, have begun to form interests in the programs. Two key challenges have emerged: (1) the actual measurement tools are hard to implement or the changes are on a scale smaller than that at which measurement is usually made, and (2) the clients for travel behaviour change programs have to date been transport organisations for whom the only relevant outcome is travel change. Given that these projects may be of value to other interested organisations, it may be that ultimately travel behaviour change may be intimately linked with all aspects of community life, which could lead to greater change, and certainly to greater sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Increasing global energy prices have created serious pressure on transport and energy in Australian cities. The rising cost of transport and energy, combined with the price of housing in metropolitan areas, has placed households under greater economic pressure. This paper investigates how increased household transport costs interact with housing costs in Brisbane, Australia. Drawing on data from journey to work and Australia’s Green Vehicle Guide, we estimated household transport costs associated with private vehicle fuel use for work travel. By linking household transport costs with housing costs across urban areas we were able to explore: 1) the spatial relationship between household transport fuel costs and direct spending on housing; and 2) areas of households under the highest pressure from transport costs and housing costs. We then estimated how rising fuel prices in Brisbane were likely to affect household housing location. We consider the trends of transport and housing costs and how they might affect urban spatial structure in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of aeronautical and non-aeronautical activities at airports not only creates capacity constraints but also has a substantial impact on the airport's environmental footprint. This paper discusses the different approaches to ground access at airports in the UK and Australia. In the intensifying debate on how to address transport congestion and the related environmental degradation (i.e. CO2 emissions), public ground transport can be seen as a potential cornerstone in an airport's effort to address the issue. It is hence unsurprising that a key element of the UK airport approach has been to promote a shift from the private car to more sustainable transport options for both passengers and employees. Surprisingly, Australia appears (despite its relative poor environmental performance) to focus much more on the expected growth of aviation activity and measures that will aid in addressing the resulting road congestion. In contrast to UK airports, Australian airports do not use environmental targets or educational measures in their ground access plans. Our findings and the lessons learned from the UK approach suggest that more sustainable ground transport strategies could aid Australian airports in reducing their transport congestion and resulting carbon footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although a number of studies have already been conducted on the economic impact of the development of the transport and logistics sector and international trade, these are regarded as two separated topics, and little has been done so far to study in depth the relationship between them. This paper seeks to shed light on this issue in the context of Australia. To this end, the vector autocorrelation (VAR) framework is employed to explore the causal relationship between Australia–China trade and the development of the Australian transport and logistics sector. This framework is then extended to allow for the effect of Australia''s trade with the US, Japan, the rest of the world and other variables. Based on the analysis results, implications for the transport and logistics sector are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: China''s economic rise has had a significant impact on the global economy in terms of trade patterns and orientation. Much has been done to quantify the impact of China''s economic rise on international trade, but very little has been done to assess its implications for logistics. In this paper, we examine the effects of China''s continued economic rise on the Australian logistics sector. Unlike previous work that used partial equilibrium models, we use a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. This allows us to capture the direct and indirect ramifications of trade and other economic developments associated with China''s economic rise. The results are mixed between sub-sectors, but overall the Australian logistics sector would potentially benefit significantly from China''s continued economic rise. However, these potential benefits will hinge partly on the Australian logistics sector''s ability to respond to these opportunities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Melbourne''s bus network serves two-thirds of the city''s population but, until recently, has generally had very poor service levels. The Victorian government has recently embarked on programs to (1) extend a network of premium trunk routes to address a ‘mass transit’ agenda and (2) upgrade local routes to ‘safety net’ minimum service levels, to address a ‘social transit’ agenda (reducing transport disadvantage and social exclusion). The paper reviews recent experience from the service upgrades to assess how effective they have been in terms of these agendas. Analysis of patronage growth trends and the impacts of these upgrade programs suggest reasonable minimum service levels are required to attract new riders in times of modal shift, and are effective at building social capital. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]