1997 Research and Publications Report table of contents faculty of Engineering 4

Radio or television

Bougatsias J, 1997, Radio 5AN, Adelaide, ABC, 25/09/1997

Harbutt P, 1997, Jeremy Cordeaux, Radio 5 DN Adelaide, Radio 5 DN, 27/08/1997

Harbutt P, 1997, Tonya Roberts, 3LO, ABC, 26/08/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 18/11/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 14/10/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 07/10/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Terry Laidler, 3LO, ABC, 30/09/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Lou Garnier, 3LO, ABC, 26/08/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, ABC Radio AM News, ABC, 26/08/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 19/08/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Lou Garnier, 3LO, ABC, 22/07/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Lou Garnier, 3LO, ABC, 08/07/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Lou Garnier, 3LO, ABC, 01/07/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Lou Garnier, 3LO, ABC, 24/06/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 10/06/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Lou Garnier, 3LO, ABC, 29/04/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Terry Laidler, 3LO, ABC, 15/04/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 01/04/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, SBS radio, SBS, 19/03/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 18/03/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, ABC Radio Canberra, ABC, 13/03/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Terry Laidler, 3LO, ABC, 12/03/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 04/03/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Terry Laidler, 3LO, ABC, 21/02/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, Gael Jennings, 3LO, ABC, 06/02/1997

Richardson A J, 1997, 3LO, ABC, 29/01/1997

Print media

Harbutt P, 1997, 'A Creative Shade of Green', RMIT Openline, vol. 5, no.5, 01/06/1997, June, pp. 3-4

Richardson A J, 1997, 'The Public's Transport Better in Private Hands', The Age, vol. -, no.-, 12/03/1997, March

Research topics

Bougatsias J, 1997, Development of a landmarks database, (Continuing), Initially created as a help tool for data enterers of the VATS survey, the landmarks database has grown to approximately 50,000 landmarks. These landmarksare now used in many projects such as the Retail Review Panel analysis and thePublic Transport Passenger Information System project. The intention is to maintain the existing database and increase its size and scope over coming years.

Bougatsias J, & Richardson A J, 1997, Travel Demand Estimation for AFL Football Games, (Continuing), The main objective of this project is to construct a predictive model which canbe used to assist in the planning of transport facilities for travel to majorsporting events. Specific sub-objectives are development of: a statistical modelof crowd prediction at AFL games; a catchment area model showing the regions fromwhich patrons travel to/from games; a transport network model predicting the modes,routes and parking decisions made by patrons attending the game.

Brunton P, & Richardson A J, 1997, Demand Modelling for Melbourne Parks and Waterways Off-road Bicycle Trails, (Continuing), This study was commissioned by Melbourne Parks and Waterways to undertake anassessment of bicycle trail demand, and to develop a model for estimating futuredemand for bicycle trails. The model developed was based on the definition ofcatchment areas around existing MPW bike trails and the estimation of the probability of usage of the trails as a function of the access distance to thetrail, both by bike and by car.

Brunton P, & Richardson A J, 1997, The Relationships between Home and Workplace, (Continuing), This project involves a detailed examination of the distribution of workersresidences and workplaces in Melbourne. Data is derived from the AustralianBureau of Statistics Census Data (CDATA91) and the VITAL toolkit produced by The Transport Research Centre. A number of different measures of home and workplace spatial relativities are developedand used to examine the relationships between home and workplace, and theconsequent travel patterns.

Guo J, 1997, GIS-based Optimal Zoning Algorithms, (Continuing), This study investigates criteria commonly involved in zone design and exploreshow various optimisation techniques, especially those used in the field ofMulti-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), can be applied in building a GIS-basedsystem to automate the process of zoning.

Harbutt P, 1997, The City of Melbourne Parking and Urban Transport Evaluation model (COMPUTE), (New), City of Melbourne is currently acquiring transport modelling capabilities to allow assessment of the impact of projects such as CityLink, the Docklands and otherurban projects. CoM engaged the TRC to develop the first stage of providing transport modelling capabilities. Stage 1 involved acquiring TransCAD software, assembling the transport and land-use inventory and population characteristics data for the CoM which form the basis of the CoMPUTE model on the TransCAD platform.

Kam B, & Lau C, 1997, ASSIST - A Service-orientated Spatial Information System Toolkit, (New), ASSIST's principal feature is its ability to harness information embedded in manydatabases in an integrated Geographical Information System format, transformingthem into envisioning charts and maps to aid policy, managerial and other strategicdecisions. Designed as a decision support system, ASSIST will be very useful in areas where spatial information constitutes a crucial part of the decision process.

Kam B, 1997, Review of Public Transport Performance Standards used by the Public Transport Corporation, (New), The TRC was commissioned by the Victorian Auditor-General's Office to review theadequacy of performance standards utilised by the Public Transport Corporationwith those used by other transit or related industries. The review covered systemefficiency; service availability, service frequency, delivery and capacityavailability; service reliability; cleanliness; passenger safety and provisions;and employee safety.

Kayak H, 1997, City of Port Phillip Street Tree Study, (New), Port Phillip City Council commissioned SKM and the TRC to design and conduct an asset inventory survey of its 25,000 street trees. This project drew upon thehorticultural expertise of specialist TRC contracted field staff and the TRC's GIS expertise. The field teams used laptop computers for direct data entry to locate and record tree and site details. The methodology developed in the study is applicable to all forms of asset data capture and property valuations.

Lau C, & Richardson A J, 1997, Bus Costing Analysis, (Continuing), This is a project commissioned by the Bus Proprietors' Association of Victoriato develop a bus cost model with the aim of analysing the efficiency ofoperating a bus network. Seven private bus companies and larger country centreswere studied in order to develop and test this model. A spreadsheet model for eachcompany was developed which enabled the operator to readily derive unit costs of his operation.

Lau C, Richardson A J, Tudorovic J, & Wilson D, 1997, TRC BusModel, (Continuing), This project involves the development of a spreadsheet model of single-route busoperations to simulate the running of a bus service. Input from various sourcessuch as ABS Census data, VATS data and bus patronage survey data are used todetermine the levels of service on a particular bus route, operating costs,revenue, profit levels and a range of operating characteristics under a varietyof designs and operating conditions.

Loeis M, & Richardson A J, 1997, Development of a Welfare Index for Transport Planning, (Continuing), Various concepts are used to classify households into relative positions of well-being based not only on total household income but also on its composition.These concepts of "welfare index" have now been used to provide three measuresof economic well-being in the VATS data. This new variable will provide a muchbetter measure of economic well-being which will be used extensively whenexamining the equity implications of transport systems.

McGinley F, Richardson A J, & Green J, 1997, Public Transport Information Systems, (Continuing), The TRC Transport Index is an internet information source for public transportusers in Melbourne. The purpose of the index is to help users plan tripsinvolving bus, tram or train services. When fully developed, the index will be anexpert system providing advice on the best ways of making a specific journey.

McGinley F, & Lau C, 1997, The TRC TramModel, (Continuing), This project will develop a model to stimulate the operation of a tram service.As part of this project, a GIS database of the Melbourne tram network is beingcreated. The model developed will assist in the planning of tram operations.

McGinley F, & Richardson A J, 1997, The TRC TrainModel, (Continuing), This project will develop a model to simulate the train service on a station-by-stationlevel using boarding and alighting figures as well as other information providedby the Public Transport Corporation. The model developed will assist in testingthe effects of various infrastructure investment and operational strategies forsurburban rail services.

McPherson C, & Richardson A J, 1997, Pathfinding in Urban Networks, (Continuing), This project investigates the use of constrained path-finding techniques tomodel car drivers' journeys through the urban street network of Melbourne. Destination and route data from VATS is used as input to a GIS-based networkmodel, RoadLink. RoadLink also uses artificial intelligence techniques to estimate likely attributes of the road network.

McPherson C, & Richardson A J, 1997, An Improved Number-Plate Survey Analysis Program, (Continuing), Origin-destination number plate surveys are commonly used to investigate vehicleroutes and travel times. This project involves the review of some present methodsfor matching number plate data and the development of an improved matching algorithm.The algorithm considers vehicle speeds, types, routes, the survey layout andpossible errors in transcription.

McPherson M, Richardson A J, & Morris J M, 1997, Definitions and Measurement of Transport Disadvantage, (Continuing), Conventional definitions of transport disadvantaged have concentrated on thetravel behaviour of specific groups who have been identified as having specialneeds. Others have suggested that a more useful definition of deprivation may belack of access to resources or activities. This research aims to devisealternative definition of transport disadvantage based on a range of factorsconcentrating more on accessibility to activities rather than on the use of transport per se.

Morris J M, & Richardson A J, 1997, Travel Patterns of Women, (Continuing), This project examines gender-based variations in travel behaviour. The focus to-datehas been upon investigating the effects that employment status and the presenceof children have on women's travel patterns. Future phases will explore otherpossible sources of variation in women's travel patterns such as socio-economiccharacteristics and residential location attributes.

Morris J M, Richardson A J, & McPherson M, 1997, Travel Patterns of the Elderly, (Continuing), This project examines travel patterns of the elderly in Australian cities.The focus has been on identifying the way in which travel patterns of theelderly are changing over time, particularly in relation to increasing levels oflicence holding and driving experience among elderly women. Future phases of theproject will investigate variations in travel patterns amongst the elderly population,particularly with regard to age, income and other social-demographic attributes.

Morris J M, Richardson A J, & McPherson M, 1997, Travel Patterns of Children, (Continuing), The travel patterns of children in Australian cities have been studied by drawingon the VATS data, together with findings from other studies. The focus is onlevels of independent mobility of children of varying ages, and the importantcontribution made by parental chauffeuring. Future work will concentrate on comparisons between travel patterns ofchildren in metropolitan and regional cities, and on levels and forms of parentalaccompaniment.

Procko J, & Richardson A J, 1997, Accident Exposure Calculations using the VATS Data, (Continuing), This project attempts to derive detailed measures of accident exposure ratesby demographic group, vehicle type, location and time of day. The project uses datafrom the Victorian Activity and Travel survey (VATS) and the CrashStats databasefrom VicRoads. The CrashStats data will be matched demographically, temporally andspatially with the VATS exposure data to yield demographic, temporal and spatialvariations in crash rates.

Richardson A J, & Taylor S, 1997, Freight Activity and Commercial Travel Survey (FACTS), (New), The FACTS survey is to provide a much needed database of freight-relatedinformation for the Melbourne metropolitan area. FACTS will be an on-going surveycollecting information on travel, loading and unloading activities, the vehicleand some basic information on the driver. Information on vehicle location will becollected using a Geographic Positioning System. Data on stops made during the daywill be collected via self-completion surveys using a touch screen keypad.

Richardson A J, & McPherson C D, 1997, MCL - VATS Database, (New), As part of a marketing research project for Translink Operations, the TRC produceda Melbourne City Link (MCL) database based on responses obtained from the VictorianActivity and Travel Survey (VATS) for 94/95. Essentially, the MCL-VATS databaseconsists of a list of trips recorded in the original VATS surveys which have the potential to use the MCL, had it been open at the time the trips were made (94-95).

Richardson A J, 1997, Preferences for Electronic Tolling Mechanisms, (New), This project was conducted for Translink Operations Pty Ltd. It consists of computer assisted stated preference surveys to assess users preferences for tollsand toll payment methods. The results were then used in marketing projections for the electronic tolling system.

Richardson A J, & Harbutt P, 1997, Public Transport Revenue Allocation Surveys (PUTRAS), (New), With the privatisation of the Public Transport sector, the Government of Victoriaintends to retain the existing multimodal MET ticketing system. All revenue from the sale of MET tickets will go to a clearing house and then be distributed to operating companies according to the passenger loads carried. The PUTRAS survey will be used as the basis for calculation of farebox revenue allocations.

Richardson A J, & Newton P, 1997, Environmental Transport Indicators for Human Settlements in Australia, (New), Part of a project co-ordinated by AHURI for the State of the Environment Report for Environment Australia to develop a consistent set of key enviromental indicators for human settlement. TRC undertook the development of the transport and accessibility indicators such as access to PT stops, car ownership, residential density, licence holding, CBD parking, fuel pricing, average speeds, mode choice, total time and distance travelled, cost of accidents, congestion.

Richardson A J, 1997, Victorian Integrated Travel, Activities and Land-Use Toolkit (VITAL), (Continuing), VITAL provides a quantative and methodological underpinning to transport planning.The VITAL project consists of eight components which includes VATS. Five databasesare united within the framework of a Geographic Information System which serves the development of demand and supply models. Clients subscribe to the databases and are helped in framing their questions, accessing the data, running the modelsand interpreting the answers by the Data Support Centre.

Richardson A J, 1997, Victorian Activity and Travel Survey (VATS), (Continuing), VATS is a household based survey which records all travel by all modes by all people in responding households in the survey sample. Each household is asked toprovide this information for a specified travel day. The survey is a continuousprocess, covering 365 days of the year. The VATS survey began in 1993 and will obtain a total reponse of about 25,000 responding households in the first five years of the survey.

Richardson A J, & Morris J, 1997, Concession Fares for Public Transport Users, (New), An analysis of public transport concession fare usage and the estimated cost ofproviding transport concessions to public transport users.Development of a spreadsheet model of concession fares which gives valuable insight into futuretrends in concession fare usage. The use of this model also yields usefulinformation on the likely impacts of changes in concession fares on the revenueforegone by continuation of the current concession fares policy.

Richardson A J, & Roddis S, 1997, Urban Transport Factors for the Commonwealth Grants Commission 1999 Review, (Continuing), Each year the Federal Government allocates funds derived from various taxesback to the states, based on formula developed by the Commonwealth GrantsCommission. This project seeks to determine the validity of these formulas relating tourban transport, and to derive any alternative factors which should beconsidered in the development of these CGC formulas.

Roddis S, 1997, Perceived Population Density Using Daytime Population Estimates, (Continuing), The Commonwealth Grants Commission allocation to the states is based on a numberof assessments for areas of state expenditure. The demand for public transport ismeasured by an urbansiation factor, derived from residential density of a city.This research explored alternatives to gross residential daily measurement; in particular, the use of a daytime population density. Further, to compare betweenstates, a method was developed to standardise the definition of an urban area.

Roddis S, 1997, Vehicular Usage Intensity Maps, (Continuing), This research presents some innovative ways of examining the spatio-temporalvariations in road traffic, using data from the Victoria Activity and TravelSurvey. Graphs of vehicle intensities across the course of the day for specificregions within the Metropolitan Melbourne area can be constructed.New understandings into how vehicle travel is taking place across a city enablesbetter planning of roads and other transport facilities.

Tudorovic J, & Richardson A J, 1997, Modelling Skier Movements at an Alpine Resort, (Continuing), The objective of this project is to develop a model which will predict the demandplaced on chair lifts and ski slopes under a variety to conditions.The model will be developed using data collected via an observation survey and apersonnel interview survey. The interaction of lifts and slopes will be the mainfocus of the model, which can then be used as a planning tool in the design,expansion or redevelopment of an Alpine Ski field.

Wang F, 1997, City of Melbourne Domestic Waste and Recycling Survey, (New), In August 1997 the City of Melbourne changed the fortnightly collection of recycables using plastic bags to a weekly service using crates. The TRC undertookthis study to ascertain the effectiveness of the new system by measuring recyclingand waste dipsosal before and after implementation of the weekly recyclablecollection using crates.

Wang F, 1997, Understanding Commercial Waste Generation in the CBD of the City of Melbourne, (New), A study to investigate the commercial waste generation patterns from over 600food businesses in the CBD in order to develop a waste generation model for foodbusinesses and which can be used as a basis for Councils's commercial waste management strategy.

Wang F, 1997, Melbourne City Environmental Research Program, (New), This program focused on solid waste management to provide the MCC with a basis for its policy making in key environmental management areas. It included the application of the SWIM model to its domestic waste and recycling services to assess its cost-effectiveness, a waste and recycling survey which provided a comprehensive understanding of the domestic waste stream and the waste managementpatterns of house dwellers.

Wang F S, 1997, Applications of the Solid Waste Integrated Management Model (SWIM), (Continuing), The SWIM model was developed to facilitate the design of integrated solid wastemanagement systems by allowing various waste management options to be assessed,providing information on the economic and environmental costs of these options.A number of projects have been carried out to apply the SWIM model to local government areas. In each application the SWIM model was validated against currentwaste/ recycling performances.