Description

For a complete, up-to-date survey of modern transportation systems, look no further than this new book written by one of the original strategic planners of the U.S. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program and current ITS America board member.

It provides the 30-point framework underlying most major transportation systems, and it closely examines current and emergent activity to improve both freight and passenger transportation. Using the 30-point framework as a guide, transportation professionals can more effectively analyze existing and proposed systems. Plus, the book clearly explains ITS concepts and gives some perspectives of ITS' future.

Featuring an extensive explanation of common transportation systems, this book helps you understand the needs of the customer of transportation services, how those needs shape decision-making, and the complex relationships among transportation technologies, systems, and institutions. Using this guide helps you design transportation systems and programs based on a strong fundamental understanding of how current systems work and the key issues impacting them.

Introduction to Transportation Systems is an essential resource for transportation professionals in general, and newcomers from the fields of electronics, computer science, and civil engineering in particular.

Contents

• Preface.
• Part One: Context, Concepts and Characterization.
  • Transportation System Components: An Internal Perspective.
  • Transportation System Components: An External Perspective.
  • The Customer and Level-of-Service.
  • Networks.
  • Transportation Systems: Key Points.
  • Models and Frameworks.
  • Modeling Concepts.
• Part Two: Freight Transportation.
  • The Logistics System and Freight Level-of-Service.
  • Railroads: Introductory Concepts.
  • Railroad Operations.
  • Railroad Terminals: P-MAKE Analysis to Predict Network Performance.
  • Car Costs and Level-of-Service.
  • The "Kwon" Model - Power, Freight Car Fleet Size and Service Priorities: A Simulation Application.
  • Measuring Origin-Destination Service and Other Rail Issues.
  • Trucking.
  • Ocean Shipping, International Freight and Freight Summary.
• Part Three: Traveler Transportation.
  • Introduction.
  • Commuting, Non-Work Travel and Safety, and Some Transportation History.
  • Traveler Level-of-Service.
  • Intelligent Transportation Systems.
  • The Urban Transportation Planning Process and Real-Time Network Control.
  • Traffic Signals and Other Control Measures.
  • Deterministic Queuing.
  • Urban Public Transportation.
  • Intercity Traveler Transportation: Air.
  • Intercity Traveler Transportation: Rail.
• Afterword.

Author

Joseph Sussman, MIT