en-us Tue, 5 Jun 2012 00:21:53 UTC Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR074E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThis paper describes a method that uses low-cost vehicle classifiers to provide an indication of pavement loading or gross vehicle mass (GVM). The proposed methodology identifies, from a list of candidate weigh-in-motion (WIM) sites (therefore with known GVM frequency distributions), the one that can give the best indication of the GVM distribution at a classifier site. This classifier site needs to be equipped with an intelligent classifier that has a sensor to indicate the level of unladenness. The method consists of two stages. The first stage is used to determine whether the loading characteristics for a vehicle class in a jurisdiction are suitable for correlating classified counts with WIM data. It is based on the analysis of GVM cumulative frequency distributions of WIM sites and the use of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Statistic (KSS). The second stage is used to identify the best site from a list of candidate WIM sites to match the data at an intelligent classifier site, if the loading characteristic of that jurisdiction is found suitable. The method was found robust and the analyses using WIM data from Queensland produced the right matches. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR075E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCIn the last few years, the European Union (EU) has become greatly concerned about the environmental costs of road transport in Europe as a result of the constant growth in the market share of trucks and the steady decline in the market share of railroads. In order to reverse this trend, the EU is promoting the implementation of additional charges for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) on the trunk roads of the EU countries. However, the EU policy is being criticised because it does not address the implementation of charges to internalise the external costs produced by automobiles and other transport modes such as railroad. In this paper, we first describe the evolution of the HGV charging policy in the EU, and then assess its practical implementation across different European countries. Second, and of greater significance, by using the case study of Spain, we evaluate to what extent the current fees on trucks and trains reflect their social marginal costs, and consequently lead to an allocative-efficient outcome. We found that for the average case in Spain the truck industry meets more of the marginal social cost produced by it than does the freight railroad industry. The reason for this lies in the large sums of money paid by truck companies in fuel taxes, and the subsidies that continue to be granted by the government to the railroads. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR187E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCMany urban areas are experiencing growing levels of traffic congestion and increased freight demand due to population growth, globalization and contemporary logistics systems. Performance Based Standards (PBS) is a flexible non-prescription framework for regulating the weight and dimensions as well as network access of road freight vehicles. This paper presents details of case studies used to estimate the productivity gains from operating PBS vehicles in urban areas. A range of PBS vehicles have been identified as being suitable for urban freight operations including Super B-doubles and rigid trucks. This paper demonstrates how the productivity gains from PBS vehicles operating in urban areas can be estimated. The results of simulations of a number of freight networks for specific commodities are presented. The analysis presented shows that substantial benefits can be achieved by the take-up of PBS vehicles in urban freight networks. Case studies show a lowering of several key freight exposure metrics, which involve kilometers, trips, task travel times and vehicle numbers. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR196E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCThe National Transport Commission (NTC) has proposed a national framework for B-triple operations that includes basic vehicle specifications and operating conditions. The Commission anticipates that the national framework will replace the inconsistent state-by-state approaches currently adopted for B-triples, which largely discourage the use of B-triples for interstate operation. This paper presents a productivity analysis, a safety analysis and an infrastructure impact analysis (pavements and bridges). It also presents a cost-benefit analysis that includes the monetised safety and environmental benefits of national B-triple operation. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR204E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCPerformance Based Standards (PBS) brings an alternative approach to heavy vehicle regulation. It focuses on how well the vehicle behaves on the road, through a set of nationally agreed safety and infrastructure protection standards, rather than how big and heavy (length and mass) it is. Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) encourage innovative vehicle concepts that improve the productivity of road transport, and maintain or improve road safety. Queensland has played a major role in the development of PBS A-double combinations for container transport. The PBS approach for these innovative combinations involved detailed examination of the dynamic performance of the candidate heavy vehicle combinations, and how these vehicles may interact with the existing infrastructure and traffic. Assessing and opening up strategic road networks that unlock the potential for PBS vehicles is seen as a means of addressing increasing road freight. Over 2009 and 2010, TMR undertook a project to assess a key strategic road freight route between Toowoomba and the Port of Brisbane for larger PBS style vehicles that would provide significant productivity increases, particularly for containerised grain for export markets. This paper summarises the procedures and policy considerations developed for providing access for the operation of these 30m long combinations. It also discusses some of the innovative heavy vehicle management practices that enabled the introduction of PBS A-doubles. The productivity and environmental benefits of the operation of PBS A-doubles on the Toowoomba to Brisbane freight corridor are also demonstrated. This project has provided a useful example of the potential for a PBS approach to containerised freight. http://114.111.144.247/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=inroads&QY=find+RC+=+1205AR207E Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 UTCA non-intrusive method for periodically recording the location and mass of an in-service heavy vehicle using on-board systems was devised, tested and improved. The method was deployed on commercially operating buses in Victoria, Australia, for a period of 12 months. The purpose was to gain insight into the typical ranges of in-service front and rear axle loads as they varied throughout the day, and to test the appropriateness of existing legal axle load limits relative to actual daily loading. While traditional infrastructure-based Weigh-In-Motion systems collect vehicle weight data for many different anonymous vehicles at a fixed point on a transport network, for this purpose it was desirable to collect vehicle weight data for a small number of specific vehicles at any time during their travel, wherever they may have gone on the transport network. This necessitated the use of a vehicle-based system. A bus is an interesting subject for this method of data collection because its mass can change frequently during a journey and is often unknown. On-board electronic weighing systems are designed to accurately indicate static weight only under controlled conditions. Application of such a system to a commercially operating vehicle at any time during travel presented measurement accuracy challenges that were overcome during this project through the use of basic data processing algorithms to remove unwanted variations and spikes in the data. The end result was a procedure of sufficient accuracy to enable a policy decision to be made about the regulation of bus mass in Victoria.