The accuracy of route origin‐destination estimates generated from boarding‐alighting data was tested against actual origin‐destination data. The estimates of trip length distributions and origin‐destination matrices did not statistically differ from the actual data in tests of both simple and complex (branching) bus lines. While a note of caution was offered about applicability to extremely complex lines, the procedure is to be recommended as both an inexpensive and accurate method of estimating route O‐D matrices for existing lines. Limitations and applications of the method are examined.

The purpose of this study was to investigate flow characteristics on acceleration lanes. Four acceleration lanes in Israel, which were videotaped, provided the data. Three separate analyses were conducted: the locational distribution of merging places, acceleration characteristics of vehicles, and driver behavior during gap or lag acceptance. About 15% of the drivers tended to merge at a relatively sharp angle during the first quarter of the acceleration lane length, regardless of type. Also, light vehicles tended to merge much faster than did heavy vehicles. No great increases in speed were found to occur on the acceleration lanes. The difference in average speeds between vehicles on the through lane and vehicles at the far end of the acceleration lane was found to be somewhat higher than previously reported values. Findings lead to the conclusion that the majority of drivers do not seem to use the acceleration lane strictly for acceleration purposes; rather, the entire merging process is controlled by gap‐acceptance behavior. The importance of determining the proper location for a reference line for an analysis of rejected lags were found to decrease significantly with the placing of the reference line closer to the end of the acceleration lane. The necessity for adjusting the parameters of lag acceptance (since the driver population that rejects lags on acceleration lanes is composed of two subpopulations) is evaluated.

A comparison of the design thickness of rigid pavement slabs as determined by the AASHTO and PCA methods is presented. The comparison is given for a wide range of truck volumes and axle weights to represent the loadings that are likely to occur on facilities ranging from residential streets to major freeways. The effect of foundation strength on slab thickness is also examined for each design method.

An elastodynamic analysis of pavement response to Falling Weight Deflectometer blows is presented. The analysis is based on a Fourier synthesis of a solution for periodic loading of elastic or viscoelastic horizontally layered strata. The method is applied to selected flexible AASHO test sections for which high quality experimental data are available in the literature. The results show that inertial effects are important in the prediction of the pavement response. Conventional static analyses yield significantly different results and, therefore, yield erroneous (unconservative) predictions of pavement moduli back‐calculated from deflection data. Elastodynamic analyses, based on fundamental material parameters (Young's modulus, mass density) appear to provide a useful vehicle for correlating pavement response between different loading modes (impulse, vibratory, etc.). Since resonance is a less important factor in the displacement response characteristics of pavements subjected to transient loading, deflection data obtained from transient loading devices are in general easier to interpret.

Toronto and Montreal are often cited for having effectively tied together rail transit and land‐use planning. This paper probes whether two other Canadian cities, Calgary and Edmonton, have been equally successful with their recent light rail transit systems. Both Calgary and Edmonton have pioneered the development of the modern‐day version of turn‐of‐the‐century streetcar technology. Moreover, both have pursued creative approaches to zoning, joint development, cost sharing, and parking policies. An examination of before and after data, however, suggests that LRT's impacts on densities, residential construction, and mixed‐use development have been quite modest in both places. Moreover, costs per passenger have risen steadily during the post‐LRT period in both places, while total transit patronage levels have stabilized. It is apparent that the recent downturn in both Calgary's and Edmonton's petroleum‐sensitive economies have overshadowed any effects of LRT on urban form or travel behavior. Some local observers, however, remain optimistic that the longer term consequences of LRT in both communities will be substantial.

Modern material‐handling ropeway system characteristics are described. Extremely limited in number in the United States, ropeways offer desirable characteristics in rugged terrain and in environmentally sensitive areas. Five examples from various parts of the world are presented to demonstrate ropeway capabilities. Economic data for recent systems are presented, including equipment costs, installation costs, annual operating costs, and unit transport haul costs.

One of the principal objectives of a transit project is to stimulate economic development. It is desirable to have early involvement of private sector developers in the transit planning process. However, the private sector seldom becomes involved before a transit project is nearly completed, and transit planners and public officials seldom incorporate developers' decision processes into their planning in order to increase the range of economic development opportunities. This study presents a site‐development model which simulates the long‐ and short‐range decision processes of developers. These decision processes involve four steps: (1) Determination of development demand for route alignment, station location and specific parcels development; (2) analysis of site constraints on development; (3) analysis of various design and marketing options; and (4) the financial analysis of an individual project. Three uses of the model for typical development problems are illustrated using data from the King Street Station in Alexandria, Virginia, a station on the Washington, D.C., Metro System. The three applications include assessment of development potential for various locations surrounding the transit station, consideration of different project designs at the same site, and the development of the marketing strategy for a preliminary design.

Estimates of health impacts of reduced ${\mathrm{NO}}_x$ emissions from vehicles in the Chicago area show that transportation policy has little power to affect total exposure to ${\mathrm{NO}}_2\text{.}$ Even large decreases in outdoor ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$ concentrations may only produce small decreases in health effects attributable to ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$ exposure. Daily histories of exposure to ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$ were constructed, based on assumptions about time spent at home, commuting, shopping, and at work. Outdoor ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$ concentrations were estimated using EPA's Climatological Dispersion Model (CDM); concentrations in vehicles were estimated from assumptions about relationships among region‐average concentrations, concentrations on highways, and inside: outside concentration ratios in vehicles. Indoor concentrations were estimated from assumptions about infiltration rates and emissions from gas cooking stoves in homes. The resulting exposures for different commuting patterns show that exposures in homes having gas stoves dominate total daily exposure.