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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (5 results)

  • Article
Research Reports (2000)

This paper examines the deployment of electronic toll collection (ETC) and develops a model to maximize social welfare associated with the toll plaza.

    Cover page: Deploying Electronic Tolls
    • Article
    Working Papers (2000)

    The research reported in this document uses Total Factor Productivity (TFP) techniques, with which we develop measures of productivity performance of public transit systems of varying sizes and locations, and use this baseline to examine the potential contribution of alternative ITS applications. TFP aggregates outputs on the basis of their revenue contribution and inputs on the basis of their relative importance to total costs to calculate the overall firm productivity as a function of these quantities. The focus of this research was how the opportunities for improving efficiency via AVL are manifest in the transit operation, if at all, through the use of FTP. Overall, the results indicate a number of efficiency gains resulting from the use of AVL systems. As transit agencies across the country strive to offer the best service possible, the use of ITS and specifically AVL will be of the utmost importance. Since the number of agencies using AVL has increased greatly in the last few years, there will be excellent opportunities to revisit this topic in the years to come.

      Cover page: Productivity Benefits and Cost Efficiencies from ITS Applications to Public Transit: The Evaluation of AVL
      • Article
      Research Reports (1999)
      Recent literature has extensively discussed the social costs of highway travel.  Over the next few years, driver behavior should become more informed with the advent and deployment of in-vehicle navigation systems. Information technology will provide the driver the minimum travel time between his or her current location and final destination, updated to consider real-time recurring and non-recurring congestion. This paper considers the effects of those systems, which not only reduce the driver's travel time and vehicle operating costs, but also have positive or negative external travel time effects for other commuters and environmental effects for society at large. Furthermore, over the long term, such systems may reduce the need to construct additional highway infrastructure, or may induce additional demand.
        Cover page: Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Intelligent Transportation Systems: The Value of Advanced Traveler Information Systems
        • Article
        Research Reports (1999)
        In this document a framework for evaluating ITS projects is developed. One of the central issues addressed is whether ITS projects are distinctly different from other more conventional transportation projects and  thus the traditional decision methods such as Benefit-cost analysis cannot be used. The answer is mixed. The decision models used in the past are still relevant, however, these have been applied in an environment in which there was a well developed data base. The models identified, selected, assembled and evaluated data to make judgements as to whether the proposed projects were good or less good public investments. With ITS there is not the history of data on either the cost or benefit (demand) side. Therefore, ITS projects are much more model oriented than data collection oriented. In effect the data or information to be used in the decision models applied to ITS project evaluation must be generated through the use of models including simulation models.
          Cover page: Assessing the Benefits and Costs of ITS Projects: Volume 1 Methodology
          • Article
          Research Reports (1999)
          The Carquinez Bridge ETC project is a pilot project of a statewide toll bridge improvement project undertaken by Caltrans. Caltrans owns and operates nine toll bridges statewide. Over the last five years, traffic on all area bridges has increased from 129 million vehicle crossings in Fiscal year (FY) 1992-93 to 140 million in FY 1996-97, with an average annual rate of 2 percent as indicated in Figure 1.  However, the toll facilities are antiquated.  The bridges use a toll collection system known as Toll Registration, Audit and Collection (TRAC) installed in the early 1980s, and tolls have been collected manually by toll collectors in tollbooths. With the significant growth in traffic volume in the bridges and deterioration of the facilities, Caltrans decided to replace the TRAC system with the ETC system on all bridges.
            Cover page: Assessing the Benefits and Costs of ITS Projects: Volume 2 An Application to Electronic Toll Collection
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