Discussing High-Occupancy Toll Lanes with the Denver, Colorado, Public

Author(s):  
David Ungemah ◽  
Myron Swisher ◽  
C. Daniel Tighe

As managed lanes and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes gain popularity as a potential mobility measure, the question of how the public views these relatively new concepts is of vital importance. Concerned that a potential conversion of the North I-25 high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility in Denver, Colorado, to HOT lanes could be perceived as too controversial, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) sponsored market research and public outreach and assessment for evaluating the level of controversy. The messaging, methodology, activities, and findings from this effort may provide valuable information for communities that are considering HOT lanes as a component to their mobility challenges. This paper outlines the efforts conducted by CDOT's project team, including focus groups with commuters and business owners, stakeholder outreach to vested public officials and interest groups, conversations with the public in varying open houses, and a stated preference telephone survey. The conclusions from this effort indicate that ( a) support for HOT lanes is greater than it was a few years earlier, ( b) issues related to income and equity are not as pronounced as anticipated, ( c) public opinion can be favorably affected when individuals are informed on means of avoiding tolls by carpooling or riding the bus, and ( d) HOT lanes are viewed as an interim solution that is only a component of a regional multimodal transportation system. For practitioners hoping to extend support for HOT lanes to their facilities, the principal finding indicates that comarketing the HOT lane option with a means of avoiding a toll (through carpooling or riding the bus) may favorably affect public acceptance.

Author(s):  
Michael Janson ◽  
David Levinson

High occupancy/toll (HOT) lanes typically vary tolls charged to single occupant vehicles, with the toll increasing during congested periods. The toll is usually tied to time of day or to the density of vehicles in the HOT lane. The purpose of raising the toll with congestion is to discourage demand sufficiently to maintain travel speeds in the HOT lane. However, it has been demonstrated that the HOT toll may act as a signal of downstream congestion (in both general purpose (GP) and HOT lanes), causing an increase in demand for the HOT lane, at least at lower prices. This paper develops a model of lane choice to evaluate alternative HOT lane pricing strategies, including the use of GP density, to more accurately reflect the value of the HOT lane. In addition, the paper explores the potential effect these strategies would have on the HOT lane vehicle share through a partial equilibrium analysis. This analysis demonstrates the change in demand elasticity with price, showing the point at which drivers switch from a positive to negative elasticity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 519-525
Author(s):  
Fabian Maximilian Johannes Teichmann

Purpose While existing literature focusses on the causes and negative consequences of corruption, this paper illustrates the potential use of whistleblowing incentives to combat bribery in multinational corporations. The purpose of the present study is to highlight that anti-bribery mechanisms, which have already been successfully applied in the public sector, may also be deployed in multinational organisations. Design/methodology/approach A two-step qualitative research process was used. Informal interviews were conducted with 35 corrupt public officials, followed by formal interviews with 35 compliance experts and law enforcement officers. During the interviews, the advantages and disadvantages of whistleblowing incentives in multinational corporations were discussed. The interviewees’ responses were subjected to content analysis. Findings The principal finding was that rewarding employees with significant monetary bonuses may help to increase anti-bribery whistleblowing. However, such bonus payments should be made in only major cases of bribery to safeguard multinational corporations, company cultures and trust among employees. Research limitations/implications The findings convey the perspectives of the 70 interviewees based in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Practical implications The paper offers suggestions to multinational corporations on how to effectively combat corruption and other forms of white-collar crime. Originality/value While the empirical findings are based on a European sample, the results may be applied globally.


1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 269-276
Author(s):  
J. R. Lawrence ◽  
N. C. D. Craig

The public has ever-rising expectations for the environmental quality of the North Sea and hence of everreducing anthropogenic inputs; by implication society must be willing to accept the cost of reduced contamination. The chemical industry accepts that it has an important part to play in meeting these expectations, but it is essential that proper scientific consideration is given to the potential transfer of contamination from one medium to another before changes are made. A strategy for North Sea protection is put forward as a set of seven principles that must govern the management decisions that are made. Some areas of uncertainty are identified as important research targets. It is concluded that although there have been many improvements over the last two decades, there is more to be done. A systematic and less emotive approach is required to continue the improvement process.


Author(s):  
Jessica Flanigan

Though rights of self-medication needn’t change medical decision-making for most patients, rights of self-medication have the potential to transform other aspects of healthcare as it is currently practiced. For example, if public officials respected patient’s authority to make medical decisions without authorization from a regulator or a physician, then they should also respect patient’s authority to choose to use unauthorized medical devices and medical providers. And many of the same reasons in favor of rights of self-medication and against prohibitive regulations are also reasons to support patient’s rights to access information about pharmaceuticals, including pharmaceutical advertisements. Rights of self-medication may also call for revisions to existing standards of product liability and prompt officials to rethink justifications for the public provision of healthcare.


Author(s):  
Ethan J. Leib ◽  
Stephen R. Galoob

This chapter examines how fiduciary principles apply to public offices, focusing on what it means for officeholders to comport themselves to their respective public roles appropriately. Public law institutions can operate in accordance with fiduciary norms even when they are enforced differently from the remedial mechanisms available in private fiduciary law. In the public sector, fiduciary norms are difficult to enforce directly and the fiduciary norms of public office do not overlap completely with the positive law governing public officials. Nevertheless, core fiduciary principles are at the heart of public officeholding, and public officers need to fulfill their fiduciary role obligations. This chapter first considers three areas of U.S. public law whose fiduciary character reinforces the tenet that public office is a public trust: the U.S. Constitution’s “Emoluments Clauses,” administrative law, and the law of judging. It then explores the fiduciary character of public law by looking at the deeper normative structure of public officeholding, placing emphasis on how public officeholders are constrained by the principles of loyalty, care, deliberation, conscientiousness, and robustness. It also compares the policy implications of the fiduciary view of officeholding with those of Dennis Thompson’s view before concluding with an explanation of how the application of fiduciary principles might differ between public and private law settings and how public institutions might be designed or reformed in light of fiduciary norms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 205316802110328
Author(s):  
Naomi Egel ◽  
R. Lincoln Hines

What are Chinese public attitudes regarding nuclear weapons? Although scholars have studied Chinese elites’ views on nuclear weapons, surprisingly little is known about the views of China’s public. To understand Chinese public views on nuclear weapons, we conduct an online survey ( N = 1066) of Chinese respondents. This is, to our knowledge, the first survey of Chinese public attitudes towards nuclear weapons. We find that although Chinese citizens view the possession of nuclear weapons as important for their country’s security, they strongly oppose the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. We also provide respondents an opportunity to describe their views on nuclear weapons in their own words. Using computer-assisted text analysis, we assess patterns in these open-ended responses and compare across age groups. We find that younger respondents emphasize non-material factors such as having a greater voice internationally, whereas older respondents emphasize self-defense. Overall, this analysis sheds light on the public attitudes that may shape China’s evolving approach to nuclear weapons.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
B L O Luizeti ◽  
E M M Massuda ◽  
L F G Garcia

Abstract In view of the national scenario of scarcity of material and human resources in public health in Brazil, the survey verified the demographics of doctors who attend the Unified Health System (SUS) in municipalities of extreme poverty. An observational, analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out, based on secondary quantitative data from the Department of Informatics of the SUS using the TABNET of December 2019. The care networks variable was restricted to infer the number of physicians who attend the SUS in extreme poverty municipalities in Brazil. Municipalities of extreme poverty are those that at least 20% of the population have a household income of up to 145 reais per capita monthly. In Brazil, there are 1526 municipalities in extreme poverty, 27.4% of the country's total municipalities. 14,907 doctors linked to SUS work in this condition, 3.19% of the total of these professionals in Brazil. There is still disproportion between regions: North concentrates 11.2% of the municipalities in extreme poverty and 8.61% of the total number of doctors; Northeast, with 61.33% of these municipalities, for 61.5% of doctors; Southeast, with 15.46% of the municipalities in this condition, has 20.6% of doctors; South concentrates 10.87% of the municipalities under discussion with 5.61% of doctors and the Midwest, with 4.87% of these municipalities, has 3.54% of doctors. Between 2009 and 2018, there was a 39% increase in the number of doctors in these locations, however, for 2019, there was a decrease of 3.89%. The medical demographic distribution in Brazil is uneven, especially in the North. There is also the vulnerability of this population in view of the observed reduction in the number of professionals between 2018 and 2019 in municipalities of extreme poverty, for political reasons. It is evident the need to restructure the health system to guarantee access to health for this population, through the attraction and fixation of doctors in needy regions in Brazil. Key messages Shortage of doctors in extreme poverty municipalities reinforces the health vulnerability of the population in Brazil. The uneven medical demography in Brazil requires restructuring in the public health system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Roxburgh ◽  
Marianne Jauncey ◽  
Carolyn Day ◽  
Mark Bartlett ◽  
Shelley Cogger ◽  
...  

AbstractThe COVID-19 crisis has had profound impacts on health service provision, particularly those providing client facing services. Supervised injecting facilities and drug consumption rooms across the world have been particularly challenged during the pandemic, as have their client group—people who consume drugs. Several services across Europe and North America closed due to difficulties complying with physical distancing requirements. In contrast, the two supervised injecting facilities in Australia (the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre—MSIC—in Sydney and the North Richmond Community Health Medically Supervised Injecting Room—MSIR—in Melbourne) remained open (as at the time of writing—December 2020). Both services have implemented a comprehensive range of strategies to continue providing safer injecting spaces as well as communicating crucial health information and facilitating access to ancillary services (such as accommodation) and drug treatment for their clients. This paper documents these strategies and the challenges both services are facing during the pandemic. Remaining open poses potential risks relating to COVID-19 transmission for both staff and clients. However, given the harms associated with closing these services, which include the potential loss of life from injecting in unsafe/unsupervised environments, the public and individual health benefits of remaining open are greater. Both services are deemed ‘essential health services’, and their continued operation has important benefits for people who inject drugs in Sydney and Melbourne.


Author(s):  
Conor Ryan ◽  
Pádraig Whooley ◽  
Simon D. Berrow ◽  
Colin Barnes ◽  
Nick Massett ◽  
...  

Knowledge on the ecology of humpback whales in the eastern North Atlantic is lacking by comparison with most other ocean basins. Humpback whales were historically over-exploited in the region and are still found in low relative abundances. This, coupled with their large range makes them difficult to study. With the aim of informing more effective conservation measures in Ireland, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group began recording sightings and images suitable for photo-identification of humpback whales from Irish waters in 1999. Validated records submitted by members of the public and data from dedicated surveys were analysed to form a longitudinal study of individually recognizable humpback whales. The distribution, relative abundance and seasonality of humpback whale sighting records are presented, revealing discrete important areas for humpback whales in Irish coastal waters. An annual easterly movement of humpback whales along the southern coast of Ireland is documented, mirroring that of their preferred prey: herring and sprat. Photo-identification images were compared with others collected throughout the North Atlantic (N = 8016), resulting in matches of two individuals between Ireland and Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands but no matches to known breeding grounds (Cape Verde and West Indies). This study demonstrates that combining public records with dedicated survey data is an effective approach to studying low-density, threatened migratory species over temporal and spatial scales that are relevant to conservation and management.


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