CVEN 632 – Transportation System Engineering Management
Syllabus – Spring 2008
3 Credit Hours
Description: Engineering and management principles for transportation system; engineering evaluation using methods of travel demand, costs, equilibrium and pricing; use of economic principles for the engineering and management of transportation systems. Prerequisite: CVEN 672 or approval of instructor.
Objectives: Familiarize the student with engineering, management, financial, and economic principals in transportation. Detail how these principles are the foundation of decisions made in the transportation industry.
Instructor: Dr. Mark Burris
CE/TTI Building Room 301B
Phone: 979-845-9875
e-mail:
Class website: http://cenotes.tamu.edu
Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:35 to 10:50
Room: CE 104
Office Hours: TW, 2:30 to 4:30
Text: Course Note Packet. The course notes packet contains the papers and articles that will be discussed in class and is essential for you to purchase at the MSC Bookstore.
Evaluation: 15% Homework
10% Class Presentation & 35% Term Paper
10% Class Participation and Attendance
30% Midterm Exam
Grading
Policy: A = 90%+, B = 80 to 89.9, C = 70 to 79.9, D = 60 to 69.9, F = below 60.
Homework: Homework assignments are due at the beginning of the class on the due date of the assignment. Homework assignments may be handed in late with the following penalties: anytime after the beginning of class up to 1 class late -20%; 2 classes late -40%; 3 or more classes late and not excused by the University — not accepted.
Homework should be presented in a professional manner. Each assignment should have a title page indicating name, date, course and assignment number. The problem statement should be provided. Solutions should show all work neatly and in organized steps. Partial credit will be awarded for solving the problem using the correct method. Final answers should be clearly identified. Solutions should be done on unfolded paper and page numbers should be clearly indicated. Assignment’s pages should be stapled together.
Class Presentation and Term
Paper: Each student is required to make a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on one of the subjects covered in the course material or a related topic. A list of subject areas will be distributed at the beginning of the term. In advance of the presentation, the student will supply the instructor with a final draft of their presentation. At the latest, this must be supplied the morning two days before the presentation. Even earlier is preferable since that will give you more time to make suggested adjustments to the presentation.
The student is also required to write a comprehensive paper on that topic. The paper will be submitted near the end of the semester.
Class Participation and
Attendance: Class lectures will be highly interactive and students are expected to actively participate in the class discussions.
Academic
Honesty: The purpose of homework is to help you learn the course material. Working on homework in groups is permitted. However, each person must turn in a separate write-up and solution prepared by his/her own hand. This means that the problem description, steps taken to solve the problem, and computer input and output must be generated by each person individually. By University regulations, copying another person's homework is considered plagiarism, and is not permitted. Please refer to the latest issue of the Texas A&M University Student Rules, under the section "Scholastic Dishonesty."(http://student-rules.tamu.edu/). Additionally, be sure to abide by these rules, and the rules on plagiarism, when writing your final report.
The handouts used in this course are copyrighted. "Handouts" means all materials generated for this class, which include but are not limited to syllabi, quizzes, exams, lab problems, in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets. Because these materials are copyrighted, a student does not have the right to copy the handouts unless the instructor expressly grants permission.
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.” Students are expected to understand and abide by the Aggie Honor Code presented on the web at: http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor No form of scholastic misconduct will be tolerated. Academic misconduct includes cheating, fabrication, falsification, multiple submissions, plagiarism, complicity, etc. These are more fully defined in the above web site. Violations will be handled in accordance with the Aggie Honor System Process described on the web site.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities, in Cain Hall or call 845-1637.
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CVEN 632 – TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Date / Class / Topic / Reading: Pages, Description / Guest Speaker1/15/08 / 1 / Course Introduction & Engineering Economics / 1 – 7, Appendix on Engineering Economics
Transportation Financing
1/17/08 / 2 / Basic Economic Analysis & Utility of Public Works / 8 – 37, On the Measurement of the Utility of Public Works
1/22/08 / 3 / Financing of Transportation / 59 - 73 / Dr. David Ellis
1/24/08 / 4 / Innovative Financing Methods / 75 – 161, Innovative Finance from ITE and FHWA. Note: just skim pages 95 – 161.
Evaluation of Transportation Alternatives
1/29/08 / 5 / Cost – Benefit Analysis / 163 – 208, Cost Benefit Analysis of Electronic Toll Collection. CBA of QuickRide
1/31/08 / 6 / Cost – Benefit Analysis – example using Electronic Toll Collection / 163 – 208, Cost Benefit Analysis of Electronic Toll Collection. CBA of QuickRide
2/05/08 / 7 / Other Evaluation Methods / 209 – 217, Transportation Performance Measures
Demand for Transportation
2/07/08 / 8 / Disaggregate Models / 219 – 260, Chapter 2s: Demand for Transportation & Discrete Choice Methods
2/12/08 / 9 / Introducing New Travel Options / 289 – 293, Stated Preference Data
2/14/08 / 10 / Elasticity of Travel Demand / 261 – 288, HERS Model Technical Report Appendix C
Transportation Costs
2/19/08 / 11 / Cost and Production Functions: Cobb-Douglas & Translog. Variable, Fixed, Average, and Marginal Costs / 295 – 315, Chapter 3: Transportation Costs
2/21/08 / 12 / Value of Travel Time / 317 – 344, Measurement of the Valuation of Travel Time Savings. / Student:
2/26/08 / 13 / Trucking Fees and Their Impact / 345 – 360, Trucking Fees / Mr. Mark Ojah
2/28/08 / 14 / Environmental Externalities / 361 - 394, Environmental Externalities of Motor-Vehicle Use in the U.S. / Student:
3/04/08 / 15 / Cost Allocation Principles / 395 – 410, Highway Cost Allocation
3/06/08 / 16 / Modal Cost Structures / 411 - 470, A Desire Named Streetcar & Chapter 11: The Urban Transportation Problem / Student:
3/18/08 / 17 / Air Pollution and Cost Allocation / 471 – 514, Development of Sustainable Transportation Metrics for Vehicular Pollutants & Chapter 7: Politics of Controlling Auto Air Pollution / Dr. Joe Zietsman
Pricing of Transportation Services
3/20/08 / 19 / Shadow, Ramsey, 2nd Best Pricing / 515 – 534, Chapter 4: Pricing
3/25/08 / 20 / Marginal Cost Pricing, Congestion Pricing in theory / 535 – 542, Slides on Pricing Projects
3/27/08 / 18 / Midterm Exam
4/01/08 / 21 / Congestion Pricing in Practice / 543 – 563, Discrete Choice Models of Traveler Participation in Time of Day Variable Toll Rates, Burris & Pendyala, Transport Policy, 2002 / Student:
4/03/08 / 22 / Pricing, Regulation, and Performance (Airlines) / 645 - 652, 677 - 706 Slides PLUS The Evolution of U.S. Airline Competition / Dr. Sharada Vadali
Management Issues
4/08/08 / 23 / The Bottom Line: Analysis of Company Financial Reports / 565 – 600, Analyzing Company Reports / Student:
4/10/08 / 24 / The Bottom Line: Analysis of Company Financial Reports / 565 – 600, Analyzing Company Reports / Student:
4/15/08 / 25 / Equity Issues in Transportation / 601 – 644, Evaluating Transportation Equity / Student:
4/17/08 / 26 / Transportation and Land Use / 653 – 675, Chapter 12: Transportation and Land Use, and slides
4/22/08 / 27 / Open Topic
4/24/08 / 28 / Student Presentations of Term Papers / Students:
5/02/08 / 29 / FINAL EXAM, 12:30 to 2:30 pm
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Class Presentation (10%) & Term Paper (35%) Instructions
Each student is required to make a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on one of the subjects covered in the course material or a related topic. In advance of the presentation (at least two days prior to the presentation), the student will supply the instructor with a final draft of their presentation.
TOPIC AREAS
Below is a list of potential topics and (in some cases) some suggested readings. You will have to reference additional sources for the paper and presentation.
1) Value of Travel Time – Measurement of the Value of Travel Time Savings (Class 12)
§ Define VTTS and its importance in transportation
§ Different measurement techniques
§ How the values vary under different circumstances, different travelers
§ Value of travel time reliability
2) Environmental Externalities (Class 14)
Mark A. Delucchi, J. of Trans. Econ & Policy, May 2000.
3) Modal Cost Structures - Chapter 11 & Don Pickrell, A Desire Named Streetcar, APA Spring 1992 (Class 16)
4) Pricing of Transportation Services – Marginal Cost (Congestion) Pricing in Practice
Chapter 4 & 6 & Discrete Choice Models of Traveler Participation in Time of Day Variable Toll Rates, Burris & Pendyala, Transport Policy, 2002 (Class 21)
§ Examine how this theory has been applied in practice
5) Equity Issues in Transportation (Class 25)
Todd Litman Article
6) Transportation and Land Use (Class 26)
Chapter 12
7) The Bottom Line: Analysis of Company Financial Reports (Class 23)
· Investigate the financial health of a (transportation) company by looking at its balance sheet, income statement, and stock price performance.
Topics presented during student presentation days (Classes 28 & 29)
1) London’s Congestion Pricing Scheme.
§ London’s long history of flirting with congestion pricing.
§ Description of current plan.
§ How does it compare to other congestion pricing projects?
§ What are the potential cost and benefits from the scheme?
2) Should insurance agencies license drivers instead of state governments?
§ How would this impact various fees?
§ Would this be practical to implement?
§ What impacts would it have on drivers? Externalities?
§ What are the potential costs and benefits?
3) What would be the implication of adding fees to the purchase of gas to cover uninsured motorists?
§ Compare and contrast the costs and benefits of current accounting for uninsured motorists as compared to the addition of a fee on gas.
4) What has been the impact of terrorists (9/11/01) on the airline industry?
§ How have load factors, revenues, costs, passenger miles, etc. changed?
§ How have security measures financially impacted both the airlines and their customers?
5) Examine the potential costs and benefits of the Trans-Texas corridor.
6) Examine the potential costs and benefits of just about any transportation related project you can think of. (For example, a student examined the costs and benefits of the Wellborn pedestrian underpass in a previous class).
7) Examine the difference between stated and revealed preference surveys.
§ How do the results of stated preference surveys compare to results after the proposal being surveyed is implemented?
§ How do we combine stated and revealed preference data to obtain an improved model?
8) What were the impacts of the purchase of SR-91 by the government?
§ Was this a failed experiment by private toll road operators?
§ How does government ownership alter the financial objectives (motives) of the roadway?
§ How would you expect the government to operate the road? How will this impact the net societal benefits of the road?
9) The purchase of toll roads/bridges by private firms
10) Other topics of interest to the student.
STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER
Title. It must be descriptive of the presented research.
Abstract. (approximately 200 words). A concise summary of the paper that identifies the key points, most important conclusions, and contributions of the paper.
Introduction and Literature Review. (approximately 2 to 3 pages). Review only the absolutely relevant papers, not all papers you collect and you may have actually reviewed. In this section you also have to explicitly state your motivation (briefly pose the question you are attempting to answer) and how your contribution(s) will expand on what is already known.
Research Problem. In here you formally present the problem, the terminology, definitions, and the question(s) you will answer in your paper.
Research Approach or Methodology. This section will present the methodology you will use to solve the research problem expressed above. Show that your approach actually solves the problem intended and any statements that are not trivially intuitive.
Data. In this section you will provide the reader details regarding your data source, including: what data was available, what was the source of the data, how was it collected, was there any missing data, and if you transformed/adjusted the data in any way.
Discussion of Results or Insights. Discuss the results or whatever you have learned from the data analysis or documentation of your methodology. The discussion should focus directly on the research question being answered. However, if other interesting issues arise they can be discussed.
Summary and Conclusions Briefly re-iterate the problem, approach and your findings. Also mention potential future research.
Acknowledgments (if any). Your peer reviewer(s) (if you feel you got enough help) and anybody else who helped in this paper.
References. Have them in the proper ASCE journal standards.
Note – the above is a guideline. It is possible that the Research Problem, Research Approach, and Data sections may not fit your topic well and you will need to rearrange/drop/combine sections. Remember your goal is a logical paper that is easy/intuitive for the reader to follow.
Your paper should tell the reader a story…