Publications on Transportation Systems
Energy Services Analysis: An Alternative Approach for Identifying Opportunities to Reduce Emissions of Greenhouse Gases — 2012
This report uses energy services analysis (ESA) to examine possibilities for changing how a service is delivered. ESA is used to analyze how changes in two services -- news delivery and personal mobility -- might reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions.
Qatar's School Transportation System: Supporting Safety, Efficiency, and Service Quality (Arabic-language version) — 2012
Assesses stakeholder perspectives on Qatar's school transportation system (STS), identifies a vision and goals for the STS, and discusses strategies to achieve the vision and better align Qatar's STS with international norms. This is the Arabic-language version.
A Federal Role in Freight Planning and Finance — 2012
Describes a federal freight policy designed to address growing challenges faced by the U.S. freight network and suggests ways in which these policy could be efficiently and sustainably funded.
Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) Options for the Future — 2012
This briefing offers a menu of potential future activities for the nonaviation lands at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) to enhance the quality of life in Santa Monica through community-linked programs.
Updating Qatar's School Transportation System — 2012
Describes a vision for updating Qatar's school transportation system and identifies strategies for achieving the proposed vision.
Qatar's School Transportation System: Supporting Safety, Efficiency, and Service Quality — 2012
Assesses stakeholder perspectives on Qatar's school transportation system (STS), identifies a vision and goals for the STS, and discusses strategies to achieve the vision and better align Qatar's STS with international norms.
Pricing Strategies for NASA Wind-Tunnel Facilities — 2011
The authors explore six potential approaches to pricing the use of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wind-tunnel test facilities, and they evaluate each approach against three criteria -- efficiency, fiscal impact, and fairness.
Valuation of Plug-In Vehicle Life-Cycle Air Emissions and Oil Displacement Benefits — 2011
To reduce air emission and oil dependency impacts from passenger vehicles, strategies to promote adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles with small battery packs offer more social benefits per dollar spent.
Highway Infrastructure and the Economy: Implications for Federal Policy — 2011
To inform debate on a new transportation bill being considered, the authors review the literature on the economic outcomes of highway infrastructure spending, which constitutes the largest share of federal spending on transportation infrastructure.
Moving Toward Vehicle Miles of Travel Fees to Replace Fuel Taxes: Assessing the Path Forward — 2011
Assesses alternate mechanisms for implementing fees to fund the nation's road network based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and outlines a plan for large-scale system trials to further evaluate the most promising concepts.
The Option of an Oil Tax to Fund Transportation and Infrastructure — 2011
This paper discusses using an oil tax to fund U.S. transportation infrastructure, identifies the decisions Congress would need to make in designing such a tax, and outlines some of the likely implications of adopting an oil tax.
Advancing Aeronautics: A Decision Framework for Selecting Research Agendas — 2011
Develops a unified decisionmaking approach for selecting aeronautics research agendas that quantifies the social and economic reasons for the research, balances competing perspectives, and enables transparent explanation of the resulting decisions.
System Trials to Demonstrate Mileage-Based Road Use Charges — 2011
Explore options for conducting a set of trials to test the feasibility of transitioning from fuel excise taxes to a system of road use charges based on vehicle miles of travel.
Evaluating the Reliability of Emergency Response Systems for Large-Scale Incident Operations — 2010
Describes a method, based on the concept of system reliability, for evaluating the preparedness of emergency response systems, particularly for large-scale incidents.
Near-Term Feasibility of Alternative Jet Fuels — 2009
Aviation has few near-term options to petroleum-based fuels. Alternative fuels that may be available in the next decade may reduce aviation's impact on air quality and benefit nonaviation sectors.
Modernizing the U.S. Freight-Transportation System for Future Economic Growth — 2009
Describes approaches to modernizing the U.S. freight-transportation system that require whole-system modeling, engagement of all stakeholders, and an understanding of the interdependence between local and national costs and benefits.
Fast-Forward: Key Issues in Modernizing the U.S. Freight-Transportation System for Future Economic Growth — 2009
Describes approaches to modernizing the U.S. freight-transportation system that require whole-system modeling, engagement of all stakeholders, and an understanding of the interdependence between local and national costs and benefits.
Equity and Congestion Pricing: A Review of the Evidence — 2009
Some congestion pricing projects have been undertaken to address traffic congestion, but some worry that congestion pricing is inequitable. This report looks at the evidence that might support or negate this claim.
After the Motor Fuel Tax: Reshaping Transportation Financing — 2009
Congress will soon begin considering a new transportation bill that is expected to carry a price tag of $500 to $600 billion to support a number of projects nationwide.
Alternative Fossil-Based Transportation Fuels: Economic Benefits and Environmental Concerns — 2008
Alternative fuels derived from oil sands and from coal liquefaction can cost-effectively diversify fuel supplies, but neither type significantly reduces U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions enough to arrest long-term climate change.
Improving the Safety and Security of Freight and Passenger Rail in Pennsylvania — 2008
Reviews Pennsylvania's statutory and regulatory authority over rail, recent studies and actions regarding rail safety and security, and actions taken by other states, and includes a qualitative analysis of risks to rail infrastructure.
Unconventional Fossil-Based Fuels: Economic and Environmental Trade-Offs — 2008
RAND researchers assess potential future production levels and costs, greenhouse gases, and other environmental implications of fuels derived from oil sands and via coal liquefaction relative to conventional petroleum-based transportation fuels.
Reducing Traffic Congestion in Los Angeles — 2008
This research brief identifies key factors determining L.A. transportation policy needs and makes 13 recommendations that together could reduce congestion -- arguably the worst in the country -- substantially within five years.
Moving Los Angeles: Short-Term Policy Options for Improving Transportation — 2008
The authors of this book recommend strategies for reducing traffic congestion in the Los Angeles area that could significantly enhance quality of life, reduce economic and environmental costs, and improve social justice within about five years.
The State of U.S. Railroads: A Review of Capacity and Performance Data — 2008
U.S. railroads have improved their productivity, but increasing freight volume threatens to cause performance-degrading capacity constraints. This report describes the current state of railroad capacity and performance for freight transportation.
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