A GIS-Based Methodology for Evaluating the Increase in Multimodal Transport between Bicycle and Rail Transport Systems. A Case Study in Palermo

Background: In a world where every municipality is pursuing the goals of more sustainable mobility, bicycles play a fundamental role in getting rid of private cars and travelling by an eco-friendly mode of transport. Additionally, private and shared bikes can be used as a feeder transit system, solving the problem of the first- and last-mile trips. Thanks to GIS (Geographic Information System) software, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of such a sustainable means of transport in future users’ modal choice. Methods: Running an accessibility analysis of cycling and rail transport services, the potential mobility demand attracted by these services and the possible multimodality between bicycle and rail transport systems can be assessed. Moreover, thanks to a modal choice model calibrated for high school students, it could be verified if students will be really motivated to adopt this solution for their home-to-school trips. Results: The GIS-based analysis showed that almost half of the active population in the study area might potentially abandon the use of their private car in favour of a bike and its combination with public transport systems; furthermore, the percentage of the students of one high school of Palermo, the Einstein High School, sharply increases from 1.5% up to 10.1%, thanks also to the combination with the rail transport service. Conclusions: The GIS-based methodology shows that multimodal transport can be an effective way to pursue a more sustainable mobility in cities and efficiently connect suburbs with low-frequent public transport services to the main public transport nodes.

The Influence of Power and Trust on the Initiation and Duration of Modal Shift Solutions

Modal shift to more energy-efficient alternatives, such as from road to rail or sea, is one path to reduce negative environmental effects. Transport providers and shippers have crucial roles in modal choice decisions, and a better understanding of the influence of interorganisational factors on modal shift is needed. The purpose is to increase the understanding of opportunities for modal shifts by exploring the influence of power and trust at the interface between transport providers and shippers. Aspects of power (coercive, reward, legitimate, expert and referent) and trust (contractual, competence and goodwill) influencing modal shifts were identified from interviews with shippers and transport providers in Sweden. During the initiation phase of modal shift, power appears more important, while trust is shown essential for the duration. By proactively suggesting modal shift, transport providers can use expert power to create rewards and referent power, through recognition of their expertise. Building trust, particularly goodwill trust, such as time invested in understanding the other party, transparency about challenges and jointly seeking solutions, is key to establish long-term modal shifts. This paper contributes to modal shift literature with insights on power balances and trust between transport providers and shippers.

Part 2 National and Regional Reports, Part 2.3 Australasia: Coordinated by Brooke Marshall, 41 Australia: Australian Perspectives on the Hague Principles

This chapter analyses the common law choice-of-law rules that determine the law applicable to international and intra-national commercial contracts in Australia. It compares those rules with the Hague Principles and evaluates the extent to which the Principles offer an improvement. The chapter demonstrates that Australia’s core choice-of-law rule for contract, which gives effect to the parties’ choices, is well-established. However, its ‘modal choice of law rules’ and rules that determine the scope of application of the chosen law are incomplete and, in several respects, ambiguous. Adoption of the Principles’ approach to assignment and renvoi, in particular, would redress significant uncertainties in the current law. The Australian Commonwealth government’s 2016 proposal to implement the Principles, via legislation, has since stagnated. It follows that incremental judicial development of the common law, by reference to some of the Principles’ solutions, is the most realistic prospect in the medium term.

A socio-psychological modal choice approach to modelling mobility and energy demand for electric vehicles

The development of efficient electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requires modelling of consumer demand at an appropriate level of detail. Since only limited information about real customers is available, most simulations employ a stochastic approach by combining known or estimated business features (e.g. arrival and departure time, requested amount of energy) with random variations. However, these models in many cases do not include factors that deal with the social characteristics of EV users, while others do not emphasise on the economic elements. In this work, we introduced a more detailed demand model employing a modal choice simulation framework based on Triandis’ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour, which can be calibrated by empirical data and is capable of combining a diverse number of determinants in human decision-making. By applying this model on Switzerland mobility domain, an analysis on three of the most popular EV incentives from both supply and demand sides is provided, which aims for a better understanding of electro-mobility systems by relating its causes and effects.