Chapter 64: Transportation Economics

Anthony M. Rufolo

Transportation economics To begin, transportation economics covers a broad range of issues. There are differences between personal and freight transportation, among transportation modes, and between the fixed and variable parts of the transportation system. Analysis of personal transportation tends to focus on commuting and choice of mode, although there is also substantial interest in other personal transportation choices, such as time of day for travel and grouping of trips. For freight, the issues are primarily related to the cost of freight movement and the damage that heavy vehicles do to roads. Each mode has similarities and differences in the issues to be analyzed. For virtually all transportation systems, there is a large, typically publicly owned, infrastructure and a variable, often privately owned, set of vehicles that use that infrastructure (Dean, 2003). The financing systems are often complex, and the incentives that they offer may generate further issues that need to ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.

• Buy The Book