“THE STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE OF NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES”

Principal Investigator: Dr. Matthew G. Nagler, City University of New York/CUNY

UTRC has released a final report on the research titled: "Light Trucks and Highway Fatalities: The Role of Network Effects" funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA/USDOT). The principal investigator was Dr. Matthew G. Nagler from the City University of New York/CUNY.

The report analyzes how negative externalities have competitive relevance in a market when they have selective impacts - as, for example, when a product in use imposes greater costs on consumers of rival products than on other people. Because managers have discretion over aspects of product design that affect external costs, the externality in such cases may be viewed as a strategic variable. This paper presents evidence of the existence of competitively-relevant negative externalities. Dr. Nagler introduced a metric for the externality's competitive effect, the external cost elasticity of demand, which he estimated econometrically using data from the motor vehicle industry. In that industry, light trucks impose negative externalities that affect to a greater extent the occupants of vehicles other than light trucks, creating a network effect that favors light trucks. Managerial implications are considered.

The full report is available for a free download at the UTRC website: http://www.utrc2.org/publications/The%20Strategic-Significance-Negative…-

“HOW SOCIAL MEDIA MOVES NEW YORK”

Principal Investigators: Dr. Mitchell Moss and Sarah Kaufman, New York University

UTRC has released a final report on the research titled: "How Social Media Moves New York" funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA/USDOT). The principal investigators were Dr. Mitchell Moss, Ph.D., and Sarah Kaufman from the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management at New York University.

This report analyzes the use of social media tools by the New York region's major transportation providers. It is focused on the effectiveness of their Twitter feeds, which were chosen for their immediacy and simplicity in messaging, and provided a common denominator for comparison between the various transportation providers considered, both public and private. Based on this analysis, recommendations are outlined for improving social media outreach. A subsequent report will propose policies and recommendations for enhanced information and engagement with users.

The full report is available for a free download at the UTRC website: http://www.utrc2.org/publications/how-social-media-moves-new-york-0

“ROBUST ROUTING FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION WITH CONDITIONAL VALUE-AT-RISK ON TIME-DEPENDENT NETWORKS”

Principal Investigator: Dr. Changhyun Kwon, University at Buffalo/SUNY

UTRC has released a final report on the research titled: "Robust Routing for Hazardous Materials Transportation with Conditional Value-at-Risk on Time-Dependent Networks", funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA/USDOT). The principal investigator was Dr. Changhyun Kwon, an Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, at the University at Buffalo/SUNY.

In this report, new methods are proposed for mitigating risk in hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation, based on Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) measure, on time-dependent vehicular networks. While the CVaR risk measure has been popularly used in financial portfolio optimization problems, its application in hazmat transportation has been very recently proposed. The CVaR models are shown to be flexible and general routing models for hazmat transportation, and be solved efficiently. This research project will extend the previous research by considering CVaR for hazmat transportation on time-dependent networks..

The full report is available for a free download at the UTRC website: http://www.utrc2.org/publications/robust-routing-final-report

“LOAD AND RESISTANCE FACTOR RATING IN NEW YORK STATE”, A NYSDOT FUNDED PROJECT

Principal Investigators: Dr. Anil Agrawal, and Dr. Michel Ghosn, the City College of New York/CUNY

UTRC has released a set of two volumes final report on the research titled: "Load and Resistance Factor Rating in New York State" funded by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA/USDOT). The principal investigators were Dr. Anil Agrawal, Ph.D., and Dr. Michel Ghosn, Ph.D. from the Civil Engineering Department at the City College of New York.

The report develops a Load and Resistance Factor Rating (NYS-LRFR) methodology for New York bridges. The methodology is applicable for the rating of existing bridges, the posting of under-strength bridges, and checking Permit trucks. The proposed LRFR methodology is calibrated to provide uniform reliability index values for all applications. The reliability calibration of live load factors is based on live load models developed using Truck Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) data collected from several representative New York sites. The live load models provide statistical projections of the maximum live load effects expected on New York bridges.

The full report (two volumes) is available for a free download at the UTRC website: http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/load-and-resistance-factor