The fourth tube strike is scheduled on 28th - 29th November. In the span of 8 months since I started commuting in London, there has been three series of 24-hour strikes: 6 September, 3 October, 2 November; all mostly because of job cuts. Travel chaos is still expected although TfL are putting on extra buses and boats, deploying extra staff and volunteers to give alternative travel options and assist passengers information, and curtailing some roadworks. With three strikes already in place, one wonders if the authorities could save taxpayers cash in unnecessary expenses by dealing directly with RMT and TSSA related issues, instead of investing so much time/effort/money in putting on these 'extra' measures.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
With the release of the "Increasing Passenger Rail Capacity" report by the Committee of Public Accounts appointed by the House of Commons, the issue is trending again for the past few days. This report should be read together with the earlier report by the Department for Transport, UK.
More on this report:
BBC News: Commuters 'priced off' overcrowded rail routes
BBC News: Unacceptable train overcrowding to get worse, MPs say
The Telegraph: Rail chaos: the most overcrowded lines
The Guardian: This is the age of the overcrowded train
The Independent: Rail commuters face 'intolerable' overcrowding by 2014, warn MPs
Public Finance: PAC slams DfT over train overcrowding
Daily Mail: Get used to cattle class: MPs warn rail commuters face 'intolerable' overcrowding by 2014
Mirror.co.uk: Seat failure to make rail chaos worse
Yahoo News, UK: Rail over-crowding to be 'ever more intolerable'
The Northern Eco: MPs’ support for new trains deal
Railnews, UK: Peak time rail demand must be dampened, say MPs
this is Bristol: Fresh call for carriages to ease crush on commuter trains
BBC News: Commuters 'priced off' overcrowded rail routes
BBC News: Unacceptable train overcrowding to get worse, MPs say
The Telegraph: Rail chaos: the most overcrowded lines
The Guardian: This is the age of the overcrowded train
The Independent: Rail commuters face 'intolerable' overcrowding by 2014, warn MPs
Public Finance: PAC slams DfT over train overcrowding
Daily Mail: Get used to cattle class: MPs warn rail commuters face 'intolerable' overcrowding by 2014
Mirror.co.uk: Seat failure to make rail chaos worse
Yahoo News, UK: Rail over-crowding to be 'ever more intolerable'
The Northern Eco: MPs’ support for new trains deal
Railnews, UK: Peak time rail demand must be dampened, say MPs
this is Bristol: Fresh call for carriages to ease crush on commuter trains
Friday, October 29, 2010
Source: The City of West Palm Beach: Transportation Language Policy
De Clarke's Personal Opinion: Revising Carcentric Language
Michael Wright and Dom Nozzi: Sustainable, Unbiased Transportation Terminology
FHWA.gov: Biased Language
Ian Lockwood (2004): The Conventional Transportation Culture and Language
RIDE Solutions: Language of Change
| Summary | |
| Biased Terms | Objective Terms |
| improve | change, modify |
| enhance, deteriorate | change, increase, decrease |
| upgrade | change, re-designate, expand, widen, replace |
| level of service | level of service for ............................ |
| traffic | motor vehicles |
| traffic demand | motor vehicle use |
| accident | collision, crash |
| protect | purchase, designate |
| efficient | fast |
De Clarke's Personal Opinion: Revising Carcentric Language
Michael Wright and Dom Nozzi: Sustainable, Unbiased Transportation Terminology
FHWA.gov: Biased Language
Ian Lockwood (2004): The Conventional Transportation Culture and Language
RIDE Solutions: Language of Change
Thursday, October 28, 2010
We have had a paper accepted for the Urban Transport 2011 Conference, June 6-8, 2011 at University of Pisa, Italy. The conference is organised by University of Pisa and Wessex Institute of Technology, UK.
Modelling the spillover effects of rail passenger crowding
on individual well being and organisational behaviour
on individual well being and organisational behaviour
The challenge of rail passenger crowding has not been fully addressed in the scientific literature. This paper describes a study which explores the relationships among the different psychological components of crowding and their effects on commuters’ experience of stress and feelings of exhaustion. The study also considers possible spillover effects in terms of individual and work outcomes. Data were collected from 525 commuters by questionnaire survey and explored using structural equation modelling techniques. The results make clear the relationships among passengers’ evaluation of the crowded situation and its ambient environment, their affective reactions to it, and the relationships among these psychological components of passenger crowding and passenger density. The results demonstrate, among other things, the imperfect relationship between the more psychological components of crowding and passenger density. They also reveal different patterns of spillover effects for passenger stress and exhaustion although both affected commuters’ report of somatic symptoms of ill-health. In addition, stress spilled over in terms of passengers’ propensity for lateness for work but, not in terms of their job or life satisfaction. Exhaustion, in contrast, negatively affected passengers’ life satisfaction scores and was a significant predictor of their intention to quit their job. Some theoretical and research implications of these findings are discussed which could lend support for future crowding research and management.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Subway Issue
A special edition of the Metropolitan section devoted to New York City’s subway system, which turns 106 this week.
A special edition of the Metropolitan section devoted to New York City’s subway system, which turns 106 this week.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Star: ETP and MRT network
PEMANDU: Expert: MRT should be managed by a single body
The NST: RM36b proposed MRT on track
The NST: Transport operators all for high-speed rail link
The Star: KL-S'pore high-speed rail link project may come back
The Star: Gamuda, MMC shares up on Govt’s development plan
The Star: Government urged to speedily implement major projects
The Edge: Dialog, Gamuda, GentingM, Glomac, Sunway
The Business Times: M'sia identifies major projects to spur growth
MySinchew: The high-speed era
Malaysia Today: Scomi Group: From survival to success
The NST: RM30b MRT plan
The Malaysian Insider: Gamuda hopeful KL MRT work can start next year
The Malaysian Insider: Putrajaya mulls multi-billion rail deals
The Star: Cost of rail projects may top RM50bil
The Star: MRT offers wider coverage
PEMANDU: Expert: MRT should be managed by a single body
The NST: RM36b proposed MRT on track
The NST: Transport operators all for high-speed rail link
The Star: KL-S'pore high-speed rail link project may come back
The Star: Gamuda, MMC shares up on Govt’s development plan
The Star: Government urged to speedily implement major projects
The Edge: Dialog, Gamuda, GentingM, Glomac, Sunway
The Business Times: M'sia identifies major projects to spur growth
MySinchew: The high-speed era
Malaysia Today: Scomi Group: From survival to success
The NST: RM30b MRT plan
The Malaysian Insider: Gamuda hopeful KL MRT work can start next year
The Malaysian Insider: Putrajaya mulls multi-billion rail deals
The Star: Cost of rail projects may top RM50bil
The Star: MRT offers wider coverage
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Long-distance commuting is still the norm in spite of progress in flexible working
David Woods, 25 August 2010
According to research from Regus, 20% of commuters travel for longer than 90 minutes every day on their way to work.
Although the average commute length is 25 minutes, one in ten commuters travel more than an hour to and from the place of work. Cars are by far the most popular form of commuter transport (64%).
For 66% of UK workers those long commutes are spent stuck in a car while the public transport system is the best option for another 19%. Only 9% of workers are close enough to their place of work to be able to cycle or walk.
In the USA car use is much more wide-spread (85%) shortly followed by South Africa (83%) High density and excellent transport infrastructure make Japan the country least reliant on driving to get to work (23%). Cycling in to work was as unpopular as car pooling (2%) on a global level with only the Netherlands significantly bucking this trend (8%).
Mark Dixon, CEO, Regus, said: "As traffic congestion in cities increases it is disappointing to see that too many workers are still jamming the roads in the rush hour when they could be spending their time more enjoyably or more productively elsewhere.
"To tackle the damaging effects of commuting on staff health and morale, savvy businesses are introducing more flexibility in their working practices and are seeking workplace solutions that allow their staff to work closer to home. Remote working and flexi-time can provide a much needed break in the weekly commuting routine and also translate into office space and maintenance savings."
Further pain commuters are forced to face is in the cost of travel. While on average 7% of commuters globally spend 10% or more of their salary on commuting, this peaked in car-reliant Mexico where 13% of respondents spend more than 10% of their salary to fund their commute.
############
'Britons waste 4.6 million hours-a-day commuting'
Metro UKMETRO NEWS REPORTER - 9th November, 2009
Working Britons waste a massive 4.6 million hours-a-day commuting to their place of employment, according to new survey.
Nearly two thirds of UK employees wish to reduce their time spent travelling to and from work with being stuck in traffic and delays to public transport given as the biggest frustrations.
And a report carried out as part of National Commute Smart Week claims 46 per cent of commuters say their bosses refuse to be flexible to allow them to reduce their travel time.
British workers believe they could significantly reduce the 26 million hours they spend commuting every day by working from home, varying start and finish times and using technology to enable remote working.
The survey of 2,000 adults found that 62 per cent of commuters wanted to reduce the time they spent travelling to and from work with 42 per cent claiming the biggest waste of their time was caused by being stuck in traffic while 38 per cent complained of public transport issues.
The report suggested that so-called 'smart commuting' could have a positive impact on the British workforce, helping them to become fitter, healthier and more relaxed.
More than a third of commuters said they would spend more time with their family if they could reduce their travel time to work while 31 per cent said they would take more exercise and 22 per cent said they would make healthier meals.
Commute Smart Week is a national initiative, organised by Work Wise UK, aimed at encouraging workers to reduce or even eliminate their daily commute to improve health, wellbeing and productivity.
Work Wise UK's CEO Phil Flaxton said: "Commute Smart week is all about looking at ways UK workers can improve their work-life balance by reducing the strain and stress caused by commuting."
And internet psychologist Graham Jones said smart commuting could have a positive impact on businesses and profits.
He said: “Bosses who insist that people all go to work at the same time and stick to a set routine are actually weakening their business.
"That's because people generally don't like being told how to run their life; they feel their boss is controlling them and therefore are actually less motivated."
He added: "Using the Internet, for instance, to gain increased flexibility means that motivation levels in office staff could rise as people feel more in control of their own destiny."
###########
Unsociable hours and commuting turn Britain into nation of snackers
By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent
Friday, 14 January 2005
Britain is a nation of snack-eaters, spending more on crisps and chocolate than any other country in Europe, a survey shows. An average of £204 per person is spent on snacks every year, research by the market analyst Datamonitor found.
Britain is a nation of snack-eaters, spending more on crisps and chocolate than any other country in Europe, a survey shows. An average of £204 per person is spent on snacks every year, research by the market analyst Datamonitor found.
Spaniards spend just £55 a year, the French, £146 and Italians, £115. The total snacks market in Britain is now worth £12.3m a year.
Analysts blamed the rise of snacking on unsociable working hours, changing shift patterns and the number of journeys people make each day. Britons recorded the highest number of journeys per day in Europe last year. The average adult made 6.4 trips a day, compared to a European daily average of 4.5.
Danielle Rebelo, a consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor, said: "Stress levels are often higher while people are commuting, and transport problems and cramped conditions during the rush-hour mean consumers are seeking comfort from eating and drinking on the move.
"Driving generates most of the on-the-move consumption because consumers are more likely to eat and drink when a car journey includes a stop at a petrol station, since they then have the opportunity for impulse purchases."
Sales of crisps, nuts and other "bagged snacks" amount to £1.77bn a year. Cake sales rose by 5 per cent in 2004, to £800m a year and Britons now spend an average of £45 per annum on chocolate.
The rise of snacking has been blamed for increasing rates of obesity, particularly among children.
With increasing numbers of people now "desk-fasting" - eating the first meal of the day at work - sales of cereal bars rose 31 per cent last year. But the news is not all bad. The Datamonitor report also identifies the rise of "healthy" snacks, such as rice crackers and products marketed under the Atkins Diet label. Fewer than one in four people believes eating between regular meals is intrinsically unhealthy.
Ms Rebelo said: "Consumers desire healthy, convenient products that provide guilt-free satisfaction. They are becoming more health-conscious and this influences product choice."
Latest additions to the market include doner kebab and balti curry-flavoured crisps. Over the Christmas period, sales of pies and sandwiches are said to have jumped 5 per cent.
David Woods, 25 August 2010
According to research from Regus, 20% of commuters travel for longer than 90 minutes every day on their way to work.
Although the average commute length is 25 minutes, one in ten commuters travel more than an hour to and from the place of work. Cars are by far the most popular form of commuter transport (64%).
For 66% of UK workers those long commutes are spent stuck in a car while the public transport system is the best option for another 19%. Only 9% of workers are close enough to their place of work to be able to cycle or walk.
In the USA car use is much more wide-spread (85%) shortly followed by South Africa (83%) High density and excellent transport infrastructure make Japan the country least reliant on driving to get to work (23%). Cycling in to work was as unpopular as car pooling (2%) on a global level with only the Netherlands significantly bucking this trend (8%).
Mark Dixon, CEO, Regus, said: "As traffic congestion in cities increases it is disappointing to see that too many workers are still jamming the roads in the rush hour when they could be spending their time more enjoyably or more productively elsewhere.
"To tackle the damaging effects of commuting on staff health and morale, savvy businesses are introducing more flexibility in their working practices and are seeking workplace solutions that allow their staff to work closer to home. Remote working and flexi-time can provide a much needed break in the weekly commuting routine and also translate into office space and maintenance savings."
Further pain commuters are forced to face is in the cost of travel. While on average 7% of commuters globally spend 10% or more of their salary on commuting, this peaked in car-reliant Mexico where 13% of respondents spend more than 10% of their salary to fund their commute.
############
'Britons waste 4.6 million hours-a-day commuting'
Metro UKMETRO NEWS REPORTER - 9th November, 2009
Working Britons waste a massive 4.6 million hours-a-day commuting to their place of employment, according to new survey.
Nearly two thirds of UK employees wish to reduce their time spent travelling to and from work with being stuck in traffic and delays to public transport given as the biggest frustrations.
And a report carried out as part of National Commute Smart Week claims 46 per cent of commuters say their bosses refuse to be flexible to allow them to reduce their travel time.
British workers believe they could significantly reduce the 26 million hours they spend commuting every day by working from home, varying start and finish times and using technology to enable remote working.
The survey of 2,000 adults found that 62 per cent of commuters wanted to reduce the time they spent travelling to and from work with 42 per cent claiming the biggest waste of their time was caused by being stuck in traffic while 38 per cent complained of public transport issues.
The report suggested that so-called 'smart commuting' could have a positive impact on the British workforce, helping them to become fitter, healthier and more relaxed.
More than a third of commuters said they would spend more time with their family if they could reduce their travel time to work while 31 per cent said they would take more exercise and 22 per cent said they would make healthier meals.
Commute Smart Week is a national initiative, organised by Work Wise UK, aimed at encouraging workers to reduce or even eliminate their daily commute to improve health, wellbeing and productivity.
Work Wise UK's CEO Phil Flaxton said: "Commute Smart week is all about looking at ways UK workers can improve their work-life balance by reducing the strain and stress caused by commuting."
And internet psychologist Graham Jones said smart commuting could have a positive impact on businesses and profits.
He said: “Bosses who insist that people all go to work at the same time and stick to a set routine are actually weakening their business.
"That's because people generally don't like being told how to run their life; they feel their boss is controlling them and therefore are actually less motivated."
He added: "Using the Internet, for instance, to gain increased flexibility means that motivation levels in office staff could rise as people feel more in control of their own destiny."
###########
Unsociable hours and commuting turn Britain into nation of snackers
By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent
Friday, 14 January 2005
Britain is a nation of snack-eaters, spending more on crisps and chocolate than any other country in Europe, a survey shows. An average of £204 per person is spent on snacks every year, research by the market analyst Datamonitor found.
Britain is a nation of snack-eaters, spending more on crisps and chocolate than any other country in Europe, a survey shows. An average of £204 per person is spent on snacks every year, research by the market analyst Datamonitor found.
Spaniards spend just £55 a year, the French, £146 and Italians, £115. The total snacks market in Britain is now worth £12.3m a year.
Analysts blamed the rise of snacking on unsociable working hours, changing shift patterns and the number of journeys people make each day. Britons recorded the highest number of journeys per day in Europe last year. The average adult made 6.4 trips a day, compared to a European daily average of 4.5.
Danielle Rebelo, a consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor, said: "Stress levels are often higher while people are commuting, and transport problems and cramped conditions during the rush-hour mean consumers are seeking comfort from eating and drinking on the move.
"Driving generates most of the on-the-move consumption because consumers are more likely to eat and drink when a car journey includes a stop at a petrol station, since they then have the opportunity for impulse purchases."
Sales of crisps, nuts and other "bagged snacks" amount to £1.77bn a year. Cake sales rose by 5 per cent in 2004, to £800m a year and Britons now spend an average of £45 per annum on chocolate.
The rise of snacking has been blamed for increasing rates of obesity, particularly among children.
With increasing numbers of people now "desk-fasting" - eating the first meal of the day at work - sales of cereal bars rose 31 per cent last year. But the news is not all bad. The Datamonitor report also identifies the rise of "healthy" snacks, such as rice crackers and products marketed under the Atkins Diet label. Fewer than one in four people believes eating between regular meals is intrinsically unhealthy.
Ms Rebelo said: "Consumers desire healthy, convenient products that provide guilt-free satisfaction. They are becoming more health-conscious and this influences product choice."
Latest additions to the market include doner kebab and balti curry-flavoured crisps. Over the Christmas period, sales of pies and sandwiches are said to have jumped 5 per cent.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
IWHO PGR Awayday 14 July 2010 Kestrel Inn at Marehay, Ripley
A walk around Cromford Village, the first village of the industrial revolution. Also around Scarthin and Chapel Hill.
Short stop at Derwent Valley Mills: Cromford Mill World Heritage Site.
A walk around Cromford Village, the first village of the industrial revolution. Also around Scarthin and Chapel Hill.
Short stop at Derwent Valley Mills: Cromford Mill World Heritage Site.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
All,
For those in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, you might have read or heard about the new MRT proposals that will, to large extent, affect public transportation in KL. TRANSIT is currently conducting a rapid survey to get a broad and initial feedback on the rail network that can best cater for the needs of the Klang Valley.
Please read their critical evaluation on this issue here:
Have your say and take the poll here:
For those in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, you might have read or heard about the new MRT proposals that will, to large extent, affect public transportation in KL. TRANSIT is currently conducting a rapid survey to get a broad and initial feedback on the rail network that can best cater for the needs of the Klang Valley.
Please read their critical evaluation on this issue here:
Have your say and take the poll here:
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Age: Commuters defend against the attack of the space invaders - Jared Thomas's research
Physorg: Public transport behaviours explained
DiscoveryNews: Public Transportation Passengers Avoid Getting Social
AKT: How We Choose Who To Sit Next To
Fast Company: Is Public Transportation Too Public?
Daily Mail: Two years, £500,000 and 178 pages to tell us that we want our trains to be on time and uncrowded - Davis Associates' research
The Evening Standard: Overcrowded trains are 'shaming Britain'
The Temasek Review: Singaporeans dismayed with SMRT CEO’s reply on train overcrowding
Businessweek: Extreme Commuting: More workers are willing to travel three hours a day. But what is the long-term cost?
The Connexion: Companies hit by commuting stress
WHYY: Quiet please!
HP: Why commuting is bad for business
HP: Rescue your staff from commuting hell
News8 WTNH.com: How's Your Commute?
Loudoun County Government: Commuting Options Employer Services
BBCh2g2: Public Transport Etiquette
Physorg: Public transport behaviours explained
DiscoveryNews: Public Transportation Passengers Avoid Getting Social
AKT: How We Choose Who To Sit Next To
Fast Company: Is Public Transportation Too Public?
Daily Mail: Two years, £500,000 and 178 pages to tell us that we want our trains to be on time and uncrowded - Davis Associates' research
The Evening Standard: Overcrowded trains are 'shaming Britain'
The Temasek Review: Singaporeans dismayed with SMRT CEO’s reply on train overcrowding
Businessweek: Extreme Commuting: More workers are willing to travel three hours a day. But what is the long-term cost?
The Connexion: Companies hit by commuting stress
WHYY: Quiet please!
HP: Why commuting is bad for business
HP: Rescue your staff from commuting hell
News8 WTNH.com: How's Your Commute?
Loudoun County Government: Commuting Options Employer Services
BBCh2g2: Public Transport Etiquette
From Weight Loss Resources
According to new research, our daily commute to work could be adding inches to our waistlines as we seek comfort in high-fat snacks such as crisps and chocolate. The study, carried out by market analyst Datamonitor, discovered that in Britain we spend more money on snacks than any other country in Europe – on average £204 per person each year. But at the same time, we’re also making more journeys each day – 6.4 trips a day compared to just 4.5 trips each day in the rest of Europe. Datamonitor analyst Danielle Rebelo, says, “Stress levels are often higher while people
are commuting and transport problems and cramped conditions during the rush hour mean consumers are seeking comfort from eating and drinking on the move.”
Weight Loss Resources says…
The boredom of waiting for a bus or train – followed by the journey – means many of us resort to chocolate or crisps to keep us going. Even car journeys can see us munching on sweets as we get stuck in a jam or grabbing a high-fat snack when we fill up with petrol. The best solution is to always keep a piece of fruit in your bag for times when hunger – or boredom – hits.
Better still, turn your commute into a workout. Walking or cycling to work instead of driving or using public transport is one of the easiest ways to build the recommended 30 minutes of exercise five times a week into your life. Plus it will give you time to prepare for the day ahead or help you wind down after a hard day in the office – without you feeling the need to fill up on sugary or fatty snacks. Check out how many calories you could burn each working day.
Commuting method (Calories burned in 30 minutes)
Sitting in a bus, car or train (45)
Brisk walking (168)
Cycling (269)
According to new research, our daily commute to work could be adding inches to our waistlines as we seek comfort in high-fat snacks such as crisps and chocolate. The study, carried out by market analyst Datamonitor, discovered that in Britain we spend more money on snacks than any other country in Europe – on average £204 per person each year. But at the same time, we’re also making more journeys each day – 6.4 trips a day compared to just 4.5 trips each day in the rest of Europe. Datamonitor analyst Danielle Rebelo, says, “Stress levels are often higher while people
are commuting and transport problems and cramped conditions during the rush hour mean consumers are seeking comfort from eating and drinking on the move.”Weight Loss Resources says…
The boredom of waiting for a bus or train – followed by the journey – means many of us resort to chocolate or crisps to keep us going. Even car journeys can see us munching on sweets as we get stuck in a jam or grabbing a high-fat snack when we fill up with petrol. The best solution is to always keep a piece of fruit in your bag for times when hunger – or boredom – hits.
Better still, turn your commute into a workout. Walking or cycling to work instead of driving or using public transport is one of the easiest ways to build the recommended 30 minutes of exercise five times a week into your life. Plus it will give you time to prepare for the day ahead or help you wind down after a hard day in the office – without you feeling the need to fill up on sugary or fatty snacks. Check out how many calories you could burn each working day.
Commuting method (Calories burned in 30 minutes)
Sitting in a bus, car or train (45)
Brisk walking (168)
Cycling (269)
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Abstract accepted by the 25th PsyPAG Conference 2010 for oral presentation. PsyPAG is a national organisation for all psychology postgraduates and is funded by the Research Board of the British Psychological Society. The conference will be conducted from 21st to 23rd July 2010 at Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University.
Commuting stress: Consequences and implications for employee well-being
Unlike research on environmental variables, interpersonal relationships, personal characteristics, and organisational factors, all of which have been empirically supported as the common sources of employee stress, evidence on the effects of commuting on their well-being is relatively scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between commuting and individual and organisational well-being among employees who commute to work using light rail transits or commuter services on a regular basis. It is predicted that employees with high commuting stress levels would report commuting for longer duration, and workers with high commuting stress levels would report higher levels of commute displeasure, physical or somatic symptoms experienced, and intention to quit but lower levels of job and life satisfactions. A passenger survey, which comprised of questions on commute duration, transportation mode, demographical data, and variables regarding overall commuting experience as well as general work and life activities, was completed by 660 employees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Preliminary correlational analyses showed that commute duration was significantly correlated with commuting stress, and the impacts of commuting stress were evident in terms of increased commute displeasures, more physical or somatic symptoms experienced, and more intention to quit. However, contrary to expectations, there were small but significant correlations found between commuting stress and job and life satisfactions. Theoretical and practical implications for understanding the overall commuting patterns as well as traveling behaviors are discussed. Some recommendations for future research are also offered.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Source: Portland State University
* Access Magazine
* Accident Analysis and Prevention
* Annals of Regional Science
* Computers, Environment and Urban Systems
* Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
* European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research
* European Transport
* Growth and Change
* IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems
* International Journal of Logistics Management
* International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
* International Journal of Transport Management
* Internet Journal of Cooper@tive Tr@nsport@tion Dyn@mics
* ITE Journal
* ITS International
* Journal of the American Planning Association
* Journal of Advanced Transportation
* Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering (ASCE)
* Journal of Engineering Education
* Journal of Infrastructure Systems (ASCE)
* Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems: Technology, Planning and Operations
* Journal of Maps
* Journal of Public Transportation
* Journal of Safety Research
* Journal of Transport and Land Use
Source: Queen's University Belfast
TRANSPORT RESEARCH JOURNALS
* Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Journal
* International Journal of Transport Management
* Journal of Advanced Transportation
* Journal of Transport Economics and Policy
* Traffic Engineering and Control
* Transportation
* Transport Policy
* Transport Reviews
* Transportation Planning and Technology
* Transportation Research Part A, Policy and Practice
* Transportation Research Part B, Methodological
* Transportation Research Part C, Emerging Technologies
* Transportation Research Part D, Transport and Environment
* Transportation Research Part E, Logistics and Transportation Review
* Transportation Research Part F, Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
* Transportation Science
* Journal of Transport Geography
* Journal of Transportation and Statistics
* Journal of Transport Economics and Policy
* Journal of Transportation Engineering (ASCE)
* Journal of Transportation Planning and Technology
* Journal of the Transportation Research Forum
* Journal of Urban Economics
* Journal of Urban Planning and Development (ASCE)
* Mass Transit
* Metropolitan Universities Journal
* Mobilities
* Public Roads
* Research & Technology Transporter
* Traffic Engineering and Control
* Traffic Safety Digest
* Traffic World
* Transport Geography
* Transport Policy
* Transport Reviews
* Transportation
* Transportation Journal
* Transportation Quarterly
OTHER JOURNALS WITH SOME TRANSPORT CONTENT
* ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering
* Journal of Urban Economics
* Networks
* Networks and Spatial Economics
OPERATIONS RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT SCIENCE JOURNALS that carry transport related articles
* Computers & Operations Research
* European Journal of Operational Research
* International Transactions in Operational Research.
* Journal of the Operational Research Society
* Management Science
* Omega
* Operations Research
* Operations Research Letters
* OR-Spektrum
Management Science, Operations Research and Operations Research Letters are published by the OR/MS society, INFORMS.
International Transactions in Operational Research is published by IFORS, the International Federation of Operational Research Societies.
ONLINE TRANSPORT JOURNALS
* Journal of Railway Operations Research, (JROR), currently free
* World Transportation Policy and Practice
SOME OTHER RELEVANT JOURNALS
* SIAM Online Journals
* The SIAM Joural on Optimisation, from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
* Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice
* Transportation Research. Part B, Methodological
* Transportation Research. Part C, Emerging Technologies
* Transportation Research. Part D, Transport and Environment
* Transportation Research. Part E, Logistics and Transportation Review
* Transportation Research. Part F, Traffic Psychology & Behaviour
* Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
* Transportation Science
* Urban Studies
* World Transport Policy and Practice
Source: University of Lancaster
Transport & Logistics Journal Rankings
* Access Magazine
* Accident Analysis and Prevention
* Annals of Regional Science
* Computers, Environment and Urban Systems
* Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
* European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research
* European Transport
* Growth and Change
* IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems
* International Journal of Logistics Management
* International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
* International Journal of Transport Management
* Internet Journal of Cooper@tive Tr@nsport@tion Dyn@mics
* ITE Journal
* ITS International
* Journal of the American Planning Association
* Journal of Advanced Transportation
* Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering (ASCE)
* Journal of Engineering Education
* Journal of Infrastructure Systems (ASCE)
* Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems: Technology, Planning and Operations
* Journal of Maps
* Journal of Public Transportation
* Journal of Safety Research
* Journal of Transport and Land Use
Source: Queen's University Belfast
TRANSPORT RESEARCH JOURNALS
* Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Journal
* International Journal of Transport Management
* Journal of Advanced Transportation
* Journal of Transport Economics and Policy
* Traffic Engineering and Control
* Transportation
* Transport Policy
* Transport Reviews
* Transportation Planning and Technology
* Transportation Research Part A, Policy and Practice
* Transportation Research Part B, Methodological
* Transportation Research Part C, Emerging Technologies
* Transportation Research Part D, Transport and Environment
* Transportation Research Part E, Logistics and Transportation Review
* Transportation Research Part F, Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
* Transportation Science
* Journal of Transport Geography
* Journal of Transportation and Statistics
* Journal of Transport Economics and Policy
* Journal of Transportation Engineering (ASCE)
* Journal of Transportation Planning and Technology
* Journal of the Transportation Research Forum
* Journal of Urban Economics
* Journal of Urban Planning and Development (ASCE)
* Mass Transit
* Metropolitan Universities Journal
* Mobilities
* Public Roads
* Research & Technology Transporter
* Traffic Engineering and Control
* Traffic Safety Digest
* Traffic World
* Transport Geography
* Transport Policy
* Transport Reviews
* Transportation
* Transportation Journal
* Transportation Quarterly
OTHER JOURNALS WITH SOME TRANSPORT CONTENT
* ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering
* Journal of Urban Economics
* Networks
* Networks and Spatial Economics
OPERATIONS RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT SCIENCE JOURNALS that carry transport related articles
* Computers & Operations Research
* European Journal of Operational Research
* International Transactions in Operational Research.
* Journal of the Operational Research Society
* Management Science
* Omega
* Operations Research
* Operations Research Letters
* OR-Spektrum
Management Science, Operations Research and Operations Research Letters are published by the OR/MS society, INFORMS.
International Transactions in Operational Research is published by IFORS, the International Federation of Operational Research Societies.
ONLINE TRANSPORT JOURNALS
* Journal of Railway Operations Research, (JROR), currently free
* World Transportation Policy and Practice
SOME OTHER RELEVANT JOURNALS
* SIAM Online Journals
* The SIAM Joural on Optimisation, from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
* Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice
* Transportation Research. Part B, Methodological
* Transportation Research. Part C, Emerging Technologies
* Transportation Research. Part D, Transport and Environment
* Transportation Research. Part E, Logistics and Transportation Review
* Transportation Research. Part F, Traffic Psychology & Behaviour
* Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
* Transportation Science
* Urban Studies
* World Transport Policy and Practice
Source: University of Lancaster
Transport & Logistics Journal Rankings
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Malay Mail: SPAD - Super transport service
BERNAMA: SPAD Expected To Be Implemented In September - Muhyiddin
BERNAMA: EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION KEY TO NATION'S GROWTH, SAYS SYED HAMID
Office of The Prime Minister: PERLANTIKAN PENGERUSI SURUHANJAYA PENGANGKUTAN AWAM DARAT (SPAD)
The Star: SPAD tasked with public transport service duties
The Star: Syed Hamid Albar is head of public transport commission
The Star: Syed Hamid gets SPAD job
The Star: Making progress in Urban Transport
The Star: The lifeline of a nation
The Star: KL Draft Plan complaints still accepted
The Star: Mohamad Nur tipped to be SPAD head
The Star: CVLB should stay out of transport commission
The Star: Bumpy road before a smooth drive
The Star: Bill to restrict traffic at peak hours tabled
The Star: Huge fine for killer buses
The Star: Body to monitor and enforce service standards ready next year
The Star: Commission to operate as a single authority to ensure better public transport
The Star: Bus crashes: Stiffer fines for drivers, bosses
Utusan Malaysia: Daripada LPKP kepada SPAD
Utusan Malaysia: SPAD bukan penyelesaian
Utusan Malaysia: 41% bantahan isu pengangkutan
BERNAMA: SPAD Expected To Be Implemented In September - Muhyiddin
BERNAMA: EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION KEY TO NATION'S GROWTH, SAYS SYED HAMID
Office of The Prime Minister: PERLANTIKAN PENGERUSI SURUHANJAYA PENGANGKUTAN AWAM DARAT (SPAD)
The Star: SPAD tasked with public transport service duties
The Star: Syed Hamid Albar is head of public transport commission
The Star: Syed Hamid gets SPAD job
The Star: Making progress in Urban Transport
The Star: The lifeline of a nation
The Star: KL Draft Plan complaints still accepted
The Star: Mohamad Nur tipped to be SPAD head
The Star: CVLB should stay out of transport commission
The Star: Bumpy road before a smooth drive
The Star: Bill to restrict traffic at peak hours tabled
The Star: Huge fine for killer buses
The Star: Body to monitor and enforce service standards ready next year
The Star: Commission to operate as a single authority to ensure better public transport
The Star: Bus crashes: Stiffer fines for drivers, bosses
Utusan Malaysia: Daripada LPKP kepada SPAD
Utusan Malaysia: SPAD bukan penyelesaian
Utusan Malaysia: 41% bantahan isu pengangkutan
Monday, May 24, 2010
Trope, Y., Liberman, N., & Wakslak, C. (2007). Construal Levels and Psychological Distance: Effects on Representation, Prediction, Evaluation, and Behavior. JOURNAL OF CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY, 17(2), 83–95.
Psychological distance. Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed.).
Liberman, Nira; Trope, Yaacov; Stephan, Elena Kruglanski, Arie W. (Ed); Higgins, E. Tory (Ed). (2007). Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed.). (pp. 353-381). New York, NY, US: Guilford Press. xiii, 1010 pp.
Psychologically distant things are those that are not present in the direct experience of reality. There are different reasons for things not to be present in the immediate reality experienced by me. Things may belong to the past or to the future (e.g., my first year of marriage, my first year of school), to spatially remote locations (e.g., my parents' house, the North Pole), to other people (the way my best friend or a person from another culture perceives the present situation), and to hypothetical alternatives to reality, what could or might have been but never materialized (e.g., had I married another person or had I had wings). These alternatives to the directly experienced reality define, respectively, four dimensions of psychological distances--temporal distance, spatial distance, social distance, and hypotheticality. In each pair of examples of distal things, the first example is more proximal than the second. We would like to propose that in relation to psychological distance, these various distance dimensions are anchored on a single starting point (zero distance point), which is my direct experience of the here and now. Anything else--other times, other places, experiences of other people, and hypothetical alternatives to reality--is a mental construct. This analysis suggests a basic relationship between psychological distance and construal; that is, any distancing (i.e., moving beyond direct experience) involves construal. Based on construal-level theory, we distinguish between extents (levels) of construal and propose that more distal entities, which are more remote from direct experience, are construed on a higher level (i.e., involve more construal). The second section of this chapter discusses in more detail the concept of level of construal and the association between level of construal and psychological distance. That section addresses two implications of this association, namely, that psychological distance would produce higher levels of construal and that, conversely, high levels of construal would enhance perceived distance. The third section examines the effects of psychological distance on confidence in prediction, intensity of affective reactions, and evaluation and choice. We present evidence suggesting that the effects of various distance dimensions are similar to each other and are mediated by level of construal. The fourth section further proposes that the different psychological distances are interrelated and to some extent interchangeable. That is, distancing an object on one dimension may be exchanged for distancing the object on another dimension.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND MEANING OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE
The Association Between Psychological Distance and Construal Level: Evidence From an Implicit Association Test
Effects of Fluency on Psychological Distance and Mental Construal (or Why New York Is a Large City, but New York Is a Civilized Jungle)
Book: "The Development and Meaning of Psychological Distance" by Rodney R. Cocking and K. Ann Renninger
Fun Life Development
Psychological distance. Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed.).
Liberman, Nira; Trope, Yaacov; Stephan, Elena Kruglanski, Arie W. (Ed); Higgins, E. Tory (Ed). (2007). Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed.). (pp. 353-381). New York, NY, US: Guilford Press. xiii, 1010 pp.
Psychologically distant things are those that are not present in the direct experience of reality. There are different reasons for things not to be present in the immediate reality experienced by me. Things may belong to the past or to the future (e.g., my first year of marriage, my first year of school), to spatially remote locations (e.g., my parents' house, the North Pole), to other people (the way my best friend or a person from another culture perceives the present situation), and to hypothetical alternatives to reality, what could or might have been but never materialized (e.g., had I married another person or had I had wings). These alternatives to the directly experienced reality define, respectively, four dimensions of psychological distances--temporal distance, spatial distance, social distance, and hypotheticality. In each pair of examples of distal things, the first example is more proximal than the second. We would like to propose that in relation to psychological distance, these various distance dimensions are anchored on a single starting point (zero distance point), which is my direct experience of the here and now. Anything else--other times, other places, experiences of other people, and hypothetical alternatives to reality--is a mental construct. This analysis suggests a basic relationship between psychological distance and construal; that is, any distancing (i.e., moving beyond direct experience) involves construal. Based on construal-level theory, we distinguish between extents (levels) of construal and propose that more distal entities, which are more remote from direct experience, are construed on a higher level (i.e., involve more construal). The second section of this chapter discusses in more detail the concept of level of construal and the association between level of construal and psychological distance. That section addresses two implications of this association, namely, that psychological distance would produce higher levels of construal and that, conversely, high levels of construal would enhance perceived distance. The third section examines the effects of psychological distance on confidence in prediction, intensity of affective reactions, and evaluation and choice. We present evidence suggesting that the effects of various distance dimensions are similar to each other and are mediated by level of construal. The fourth section further proposes that the different psychological distances are interrelated and to some extent interchangeable. That is, distancing an object on one dimension may be exchanged for distancing the object on another dimension.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND MEANING OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE
The Association Between Psychological Distance and Construal Level: Evidence From an Implicit Association Test
Effects of Fluency on Psychological Distance and Mental Construal (or Why New York Is a Large City, but New York Is a Civilized Jungle)
Book: "The Development and Meaning of Psychological Distance" by Rodney R. Cocking and K. Ann Renninger
Fun Life Development
21-22 May 2010Institute of Social Psychology
London School of Economics (LSE)
Conference Website
Random notes:
ALCESTE analysis
Statistical textual analysis was conducted with specific scientific software (ALCESTE, University of Toulouse, France). Statistical Textual Analysis is grounded on lexicometrics. The basic hypothesis is that language levels and texts' structure can be inferred from recurrent distributions of words. The software used in this study (ALCESTE) is based on three approaches: lexicometrics, "content analysis" and data analysis (LESCURE 1999).
Photovoice
Photovoice is a process by which people can identify, represent, and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique. As a practice based in the production of knowledge, photovoice has three main goals: (1) to enable people to record and reflect their community's strengths and concerns, (2) to promote critical dialogue and knowledge about important issues through large and small group discussion of photographs, and (3) to reach policymakers. Applying photovoice to public health promotion, the authors describe the methodology and analyze its value for participatory needs assessment. They discuss the development of the photovoice concept, advantages and disadvantages, key elements, participatory analysis, materials and resources, and implications for practice.
Wang, C., & Burris, M.A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory Needs Assessment. Health Educ Behav, 24: 369-387
Modular questionnaire
Modular questionnaire structure. A modular structure delivers efficiencies in code maintenance, division of labor, and data model preparation (compilation). In addition to these advantages, a modular structure facilitates the code generating and updating capabilities of a tool such as QSD.
Naz Project London
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Automotive manufacturers tap into the enormous China Market devoting close to Half the Region's automotive advertising spend
Press release in Bahasa Melayu
29 May 2007
Kuala Lumpur
As economies continue to thrive hand in hand with consumers’ propensity to spend, the race to drive car ownership is on, according to a 2006 Media Index study published by The Nielsen Company.
As the study reveals, nearly nine in 10 Americans claim to own a car, representing 190.3MM people, making it the world’s largest in terms of car penetration and absolute numbers. Further, the USA has enjoyed an increase of eight percentage points over the past 5 years – the highest recorded growth globally. Saudi Arabia follows the USA with the second highest car ownership (86%) . (Table 1)
In the Asia Pacific region, New Zealand, South Korea, Australia and Malaysia have the highest automotive ownership in the region, at 82 percent, 74 percent, 70 percent and 67 percent respectively. (Table 2) Car penetration in New Zealand ranks third after the USA and Saudi Arabia. Australia and Malaysia have enjoyed increases of seven percentage points over the past 5 years outperforming the other markets where year on year car penetration has remained quite stable.
The real opportunity lies with the two fastest growing countries: India and China. While having seemingly low penetration, India (9%) and China (6%) rank among the world’s top 10 markets in absolute numbers of cars owned.
“With these kinds of numbers, China’s market for car parts and accessories is already huge, and car manufacturers will be tapping into that potential. In addition, with current penetration sitting at the world’s lowest, the opportunity to entice the emerging and growing affluent Chinese consumers into car ownership is immense,” said Mr. Richard Basil-Jones, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Nielsen Media Research, The Nielsen Company. “And because of China’s size, increasing penetration by one or two percent would bring tremendous rewards for the automotive industry.”
According to Nielsen’s Advertising Information Service, the world’s car manufacturers invested a sizeable US$1.85 billion advertising in China alone in 2006 – amounting to nearly half the region’s total automotive advertising - to grow their share of the country’s valuable, and burgeoning, car market.
In total, automotive and related companies spent over US$3.95 billion on advertising in 2006, of which China took the lion’s share of 47 percent, followed by Australia (17%), India (15%) and South Korea (6%). Car manufacturers invested over US73.7 million in Malaysia, with the least investment, being in the Philippines, spending only US$27MM on advertising in 2006. (Table 3)
The top 10 car brands contributed to one half of the total automotive advertising expenditure in 2006 with Toyota, the region’s biggest advertiser in automotive-related advertising in 2006, spending US$292MM, followed at a distant second by Hyundai ($197MM) and Nissan ($154MM) in third place. (Table 4)
“Affordability is obviously a consideration in some countries: as economies rebound, people are likely to indulge themselves by acquiring a car or upgrading to a new model,” commented Basil-Jones.
Media Index is a single source multi-media survey from The Nielsen Company, providing insight into consumers’ media consumption of newspaper/magazines reading, TV viewing, radio listening, cinema visits, internet surfing; their lifestyles, attitudes, transport usage and product consumption across nine markets in Asia Pacific.
Global TGI (Target Group Index), a partner of The Nielsen Company, is a global network of single source market research surveys, providing data and marketing insight from over 50 countries across six continents. TGI is operated by the KMR Group (Kantar Media Research) www.kmr-group.com
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.
====================
Other Nielsen's reports and studies
Tomorrow is a new consumer! Who is the future Asian consumer?
Money-Saving Measures: A Global Consumer Report April 2006
Press release in Bahasa Melayu
29 May 2007
Kuala Lumpur
As economies continue to thrive hand in hand with consumers’ propensity to spend, the race to drive car ownership is on, according to a 2006 Media Index study published by The Nielsen Company.
As the study reveals, nearly nine in 10 Americans claim to own a car, representing 190.3MM people, making it the world’s largest in terms of car penetration and absolute numbers. Further, the USA has enjoyed an increase of eight percentage points over the past 5 years – the highest recorded growth globally. Saudi Arabia follows the USA with the second highest car ownership (86%) . (Table 1)
In the Asia Pacific region, New Zealand, South Korea, Australia and Malaysia have the highest automotive ownership in the region, at 82 percent, 74 percent, 70 percent and 67 percent respectively. (Table 2) Car penetration in New Zealand ranks third after the USA and Saudi Arabia. Australia and Malaysia have enjoyed increases of seven percentage points over the past 5 years outperforming the other markets where year on year car penetration has remained quite stable.
The real opportunity lies with the two fastest growing countries: India and China. While having seemingly low penetration, India (9%) and China (6%) rank among the world’s top 10 markets in absolute numbers of cars owned.
“With these kinds of numbers, China’s market for car parts and accessories is already huge, and car manufacturers will be tapping into that potential. In addition, with current penetration sitting at the world’s lowest, the opportunity to entice the emerging and growing affluent Chinese consumers into car ownership is immense,” said Mr. Richard Basil-Jones, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Nielsen Media Research, The Nielsen Company. “And because of China’s size, increasing penetration by one or two percent would bring tremendous rewards for the automotive industry.”
According to Nielsen’s Advertising Information Service, the world’s car manufacturers invested a sizeable US$1.85 billion advertising in China alone in 2006 – amounting to nearly half the region’s total automotive advertising - to grow their share of the country’s valuable, and burgeoning, car market.
In total, automotive and related companies spent over US$3.95 billion on advertising in 2006, of which China took the lion’s share of 47 percent, followed by Australia (17%), India (15%) and South Korea (6%). Car manufacturers invested over US73.7 million in Malaysia, with the least investment, being in the Philippines, spending only US$27MM on advertising in 2006. (Table 3)
The top 10 car brands contributed to one half of the total automotive advertising expenditure in 2006 with Toyota, the region’s biggest advertiser in automotive-related advertising in 2006, spending US$292MM, followed at a distant second by Hyundai ($197MM) and Nissan ($154MM) in third place. (Table 4)
“Affordability is obviously a consideration in some countries: as economies rebound, people are likely to indulge themselves by acquiring a car or upgrading to a new model,” commented Basil-Jones.
Media Index is a single source multi-media survey from The Nielsen Company, providing insight into consumers’ media consumption of newspaper/magazines reading, TV viewing, radio listening, cinema visits, internet surfing; their lifestyles, attitudes, transport usage and product consumption across nine markets in Asia Pacific.
Global TGI (Target Group Index), a partner of The Nielsen Company, is a global network of single source market research surveys, providing data and marketing insight from over 50 countries across six continents. TGI is operated by the KMR Group (Kantar Media Research) www.kmr-group.com
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.
====================
Other Nielsen's reports and studies
Tomorrow is a new consumer! Who is the future Asian consumer?
Money-Saving Measures: A Global Consumer Report April 2006
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Pete Davis and Dr Russ Marshall
The use of public transport can be a stressful experience, especially if you’re making a journey for the first time. There are so many uncertainties such as knowing which bus or train to take, the location of bus stops or platforms, the time the bus or train leaves; whether you have enough money; whether connections will be made in time; and so on. Uncertainties cover every element of a journey and whilst most can be minimised through planning, and detailed, up-to-date information about services, many have to be managed en-route. This management requires a degree of adaptability, to be able to modify a journey to overcome some form of barrier. For older people or people with disabilities there may be additional concerns combined with a reduced ability to adapt. Issues such as the presence of steps at a station; whether there is a lift; appropriate accessibility (level access, hand rails, etc.) to the train or bus; how to tell if the correct train has been boarded; if there are locations to sit and rest; and the potential for contributing factors such as heavy crowds all add to the potential for stress.
All of these uncertainties can be collectively called ‘anticipatory stressors’, and they have the potential to cause stress even before a journey starts. One potential response to this stress, particularly for those who have an alternative or for whom the journey is not a necessity, is to avoid making the journey altogether. Therefore people can experience exclusion from public transport even if they are capable of using it. Even on a familiar journey, there are a host of potential stressors that may be encountered. Activities like crossing roads, using ticket machines, negotiating ticket barriers, steps, escalators and lifts, reading and hearing information, and getting on and off vehicles, can all be ‘acute stressors’ depending on an individual’s abilities and experience. Similarly, environmental factors such as noise, crowds, isolation, litter, graffiti and the movement of a travelling vehicle are all ‘ambient stressors’ that affect different people to a greater or lesser extent.
What all of these stressors have in common is their inconsistency. All of them have the potential to range from unnoticeable to catastrophic depending on the conditions encountered on a particular journey. At its best, public transport can be an affordable, sustainable and liberating mechanism for social inclusion. However, the stress of travel is a genuine health risk, and commuters show increases in psychological and physical illness. This risk increases if the journey is more complicated. It has been shown that it is not duration or distance, but the ‘impedance to travel’ that has a direct link to stress; i.e. a person travelling a long distance on a mainline train will be less stressed than someone travelling across a city with several changes. The more stages there are in a journey, the more stressors are likely to be encountered. It is therefore essential to eliminate the stressors that make travel problematic for so many people. As part of the AUNT-SUE project, Loughborough University is developing two tools that apply this stressor elimination philosophy to improving public transport.
The Inclusive Journey Planner
Existing online journey planners can go a long way to reducing uncertainty about a journey. Just knowing when and where vehicles depart may be enough for most people to set off on a journey without a prohibitive level of anticipatory stress. The aim of the Inclusive Journey Planner is to demonstrate the extent to which the use of a journey planner prior to travel could eliminate pre-travel uncertainty for all users, including those who are disadvantaged by disability or circumstance. Interviews and trials with a range of inexperienced users based around existing journey planners and proposed design improvements, has lead to a number of recommendations that are largely encompassed by three main design concepts: Personal Profiles, Genuine Journey Choice and Rich Journey Plans.
Although many existing journey planners offer a number of ‘advanced options’ that can be used to customise a journey search, the approach seems to be one of providing every single option, then, realising that most people won’t want to look through them all, designing the layout so users can ignore them easily. Personal Profiles is a means to support users by exposing them to a relatively small list of the most relevant options to ensure only suitable journeys are provided. Enabling the user to personalise and then save their options for future use means that most users will only have to do this once in order to get personalised accessible journeys every time.
The journey options that existing journey planners provide are very limited, commonly just repetitions of one or two routes at different times. Given that the user has specified their time of travel, this is not especially helpful. A Genuine Journey Choice system would present alternative routes that suit the Personal Profile at the required time and give essential information about each route: modes, duration, cost and walking time (see image below). This allows the user to make a rational decision about which way they would prefer to make the journey. A good journey planner, such as the Transport for London Journey Planner, shows where there are steps, escalators, lifts and ramps and provides maps. The addition of showing level access to vehicles, warnings about likely crowding, extra information about stations and even weather forecasts would be welcomed by many users. Using dynamic web design can help to deliver such Rich Journey Plans without overloading the screen, enabling the user to get the information they need to travel with confidence.
The prototype Inclusive Journey Planner will be made available as an exemplar along with the results of the trials and guidance documentation. AUNT-SUE is also actively seeking to assist transport organisations in the design of journey planners that reduce stress and promote inclusion.
The HADRIAN Journey Stresstimator
HADRIAN is an extension to the SAMMIE 3D Human Modelling system. The purpose of HADRIAN is to carry out virtual user trials using models based on a varied sample of real people rather than population data. This allows practitioners to look at how people with different sizes, shapes, abilities and behaviours interact with products and environments. In addition to physical data, the HADRIAN Database includes information about activities at home, in urban environments and on transport, creating a rich profile of each of the 102 participants. Using this information it is possible to predict the level of stress that each participant would experience as a result of common acute and ambient stressors that occur whilst using public transport. The HADRIAN Journey Stresstimator is a spreadsheet-based application that enables a transport practitioner to interrogate these stress levels for any known journey. It effectively sends all of the participants on a journey and records every stress transaction providing results that can be used in many different ways. A practitioner could compare the inclusiveness of different routes, find out which people are most likely to be excluded, see which stages in a journey cause most stress, find out which stressors are causing the most stress and explore the effect that eliminating different stressors would have on a journey.
Whilst using the Journey Stresstimator is no substitute for thorough accessibility auditing, it may prove useful as a quick way to identify and prioritise opportunities for improvement. Because HADRIAN enables this analysis to be based on the real concerns of real people, it is also unique in its ability to deliver an empathic understanding of the importance of problems that might otherwise be overlooked.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Will be launched on April 28th, 2010
KTMB: Koc Wanita Pertama Di Malaysia Bermula Pada 28hb April 2010
FAQ on women-only coach
KTMB: Koc Wanita Pertama Di Malaysia Bermula Pada 28hb April 2010
FAQ on women-only coach
Friday, April 23, 2010
Vincenzina Santoro | Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Monaco to Mongolia: population density and prosperity
Stop the World -- I Want to Get Off” was the title of a hit Broadway play some years ago. Today, getting people off the planet is what the United Nations population control crowd would like to do in order to “save” it. After the failed Copenhagen climate control confabulation last December, they will be refocusing their strategy and may target the presumed horrors of overpopulation in the form of large concentrations of people in any given place.
The constantly updating “population clock” of the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the U.S. population was over 308 million and world population not quite 6.8 billion as I write. To the population worriers, these numbers are far too many. Population nihilists conjure up horrendous stories of hordes of people living extremely closely together in dire poverty, clamoring for scarce resources. Fewer people equals less carbon footprints, they claim.
What about “overcrowding?” China’s coercive one-child policy to explicitly curb population is well known, but is China that densely populated? Not at all, when one looks at the relevant data. While the population of China at 1.3 billion is the highest of any country in the world, China ranks only 53rd out of 192 countries in terms of population density, as can be observed in data assembled by the CIA.
This begs the question: Which is the most densely populated country on earth? It happens to be Monaco – that wonderful principality bordering France on the Mediterranean. Monaco is by far the most densely populated country, with a population of only 32,140 but a population density of 41,971 per square mile. Singapore is the distant second, followed by Malta.
What is life like in Monaco? Certainly not what the population doomsayers would predict. The tiny country has one of the highest standards of living, quality of life and personal wealth anywhere on earth. Per capita income is the 20th highest in the world, according to the World Bank. Monaco’s population density is 2.5 times that of next ranking Singapore, which is also among the most prosperous countries, and life in Malta is equally pleasant.
The least densely populated country is Mongolia, sandwiched between China and Russia, which has a density of only five persons per square mile and a total population of 2.8 million. A mountainous and cold country, it too has a vast territory, though much smaller than its two mega-neighbors, and its partly nomadic people rank among the world’s poorest in per capita income.
Of the five most populous countries – China, India, USA, Indonesia, and Russia – India, China, and Indonesia rank 18th, 53rd, and 60th in population density, respectively. India and China each have a population exceeding one billion, but they are not nearly as crowded as other places. The USA with a fertility rate that currently is at the replacement level of 2.1, ranks number 142 on the list, while Russia, the world’s largest country in land area, with an extremely low fertility rate of 1.4 and a population already in decline, ranks as low as 177.
Although Africa is often the target of the population monitors, data do not corroborate their concerns. The United Nations population counters let it be known recently that Africa’s population had just reached the one billion mark. Even so, Africa accounts for only 15 per cent of global population, compared with 60 per cent for Asia. Among the 50 least densely populated countries, 19 are African. Of the 50 most densely populated countries only two are on the African continent: Rwanda and Burundi, and four are small island nations – São Tomé and Principe (in the Gulf of Guinea) and Mauritius, the Comoros and the Seychelles (in the Indian Ocean) which are considered part of Africa.
At a conference in New York on January 22nd, a highly acclaimed demographer who formerly headed the Population Division at the United Nations asked the hypothetical question: What would happen if all the 6.8 billion people currently on earth were to move to the United States? His answer was that the U.S. population density would become the same as that of the Netherlands! Moreover, New York, the most populous city in the United States with a population of 8.5 million has a population density of 26, 403 per square mile – less than that of Monaco.
And a final word about Monaco. Land-wise, all of Monaco can fit comfortably into the 1.32 square miles of New York City’s Central Park.
So, when we hear the cry that there are “too many people” here or there, we should ask, “Too many people for what?” It is all relative to the culture and the economy of the place. Those are the things we should be working to change, if necessary, not the number of people.
******
Comments (4)
First of all, we do not blame the problem on "having too many people" per se but the effect of having such a condition. True that it is relative but we cannot just totally ignore the effect of population on a locale's economic growth. The primary thing we have to look at here is the amount of resources available in a particular place since this will dictate the population that that area could support. The author's main example for a densely populated place is Monaco but she failed to consider the fact that Monaco's economy is booming due to the many hotels and casinos in that area. With the amount of money put in by rich tourists and richer locals, there is no doubt that Monaco could support its population. And then Mongolia... Well most of it is dry, non-arable land. Second, it's landlocked. These geographical features all prove to be major obstacles for economic growth. Hence, poverty. Using the most populous countries as example, is also not exactly valid since most of these have gargantuan land areas. Thus, the population density of that country will not be totally reflective of the actual condition in major cities where overcrowding is actually proving to be a threat on resources.
Totally ignoring "the number of people" factor is both arrogant and foolhardy. When considering global wellbeing, one cannot just tease out and eliminate a certain component just because it does not sit well with one's beliefs. More objectivity is needed in these situations. Especially since the sake of the entire world and all of humanity are at stake.
This issue is certainly being discussed by older Australians, who expect a huge, worrying influx of migrants or would-be migrants from world trouble spots. They are worried because of our water and drought problems. We're the hottest continent on earth, and despite our land size (similar to America's) we have many unpopulated desert regions. Demographic issues like these figure in long-term calculations.
The same Chicken Littles shrieking about overpopulation are busily constructing fantasies about the invasion of other planets while lacking the imagination to explore Utah.
Monaco to Mongolia: population density and prosperity
Stop the World -- I Want to Get Off” was the title of a hit Broadway play some years ago. Today, getting people off the planet is what the United Nations population control crowd would like to do in order to “save” it. After the failed Copenhagen climate control confabulation last December, they will be refocusing their strategy and may target the presumed horrors of overpopulation in the form of large concentrations of people in any given place.
The constantly updating “population clock” of the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the U.S. population was over 308 million and world population not quite 6.8 billion as I write. To the population worriers, these numbers are far too many. Population nihilists conjure up horrendous stories of hordes of people living extremely closely together in dire poverty, clamoring for scarce resources. Fewer people equals less carbon footprints, they claim.
What about “overcrowding?” China’s coercive one-child policy to explicitly curb population is well known, but is China that densely populated? Not at all, when one looks at the relevant data. While the population of China at 1.3 billion is the highest of any country in the world, China ranks only 53rd out of 192 countries in terms of population density, as can be observed in data assembled by the CIA.
This begs the question: Which is the most densely populated country on earth? It happens to be Monaco – that wonderful principality bordering France on the Mediterranean. Monaco is by far the most densely populated country, with a population of only 32,140 but a population density of 41,971 per square mile. Singapore is the distant second, followed by Malta.
What is life like in Monaco? Certainly not what the population doomsayers would predict. The tiny country has one of the highest standards of living, quality of life and personal wealth anywhere on earth. Per capita income is the 20th highest in the world, according to the World Bank. Monaco’s population density is 2.5 times that of next ranking Singapore, which is also among the most prosperous countries, and life in Malta is equally pleasant.
The least densely populated country is Mongolia, sandwiched between China and Russia, which has a density of only five persons per square mile and a total population of 2.8 million. A mountainous and cold country, it too has a vast territory, though much smaller than its two mega-neighbors, and its partly nomadic people rank among the world’s poorest in per capita income.
Of the five most populous countries – China, India, USA, Indonesia, and Russia – India, China, and Indonesia rank 18th, 53rd, and 60th in population density, respectively. India and China each have a population exceeding one billion, but they are not nearly as crowded as other places. The USA with a fertility rate that currently is at the replacement level of 2.1, ranks number 142 on the list, while Russia, the world’s largest country in land area, with an extremely low fertility rate of 1.4 and a population already in decline, ranks as low as 177.
Although Africa is often the target of the population monitors, data do not corroborate their concerns. The United Nations population counters let it be known recently that Africa’s population had just reached the one billion mark. Even so, Africa accounts for only 15 per cent of global population, compared with 60 per cent for Asia. Among the 50 least densely populated countries, 19 are African. Of the 50 most densely populated countries only two are on the African continent: Rwanda and Burundi, and four are small island nations – São Tomé and Principe (in the Gulf of Guinea) and Mauritius, the Comoros and the Seychelles (in the Indian Ocean) which are considered part of Africa.
At a conference in New York on January 22nd, a highly acclaimed demographer who formerly headed the Population Division at the United Nations asked the hypothetical question: What would happen if all the 6.8 billion people currently on earth were to move to the United States? His answer was that the U.S. population density would become the same as that of the Netherlands! Moreover, New York, the most populous city in the United States with a population of 8.5 million has a population density of 26, 403 per square mile – less than that of Monaco.
And a final word about Monaco. Land-wise, all of Monaco can fit comfortably into the 1.32 square miles of New York City’s Central Park.
So, when we hear the cry that there are “too many people” here or there, we should ask, “Too many people for what?” It is all relative to the culture and the economy of the place. Those are the things we should be working to change, if necessary, not the number of people.
Vincenzina Santoro is an international economist in New York City. She represents the American Family Association of New York at the United Nations.
******
Comments (4)
- Petunia
First of all, we do not blame the problem on "having too many people" per se but the effect of having such a condition. True that it is relative but we cannot just totally ignore the effect of population on a locale's economic growth. The primary thing we have to look at here is the amount of resources available in a particular place since this will dictate the population that that area could support. The author's main example for a densely populated place is Monaco but she failed to consider the fact that Monaco's economy is booming due to the many hotels and casinos in that area. With the amount of money put in by rich tourists and richer locals, there is no doubt that Monaco could support its population. And then Mongolia... Well most of it is dry, non-arable land. Second, it's landlocked. These geographical features all prove to be major obstacles for economic growth. Hence, poverty. Using the most populous countries as example, is also not exactly valid since most of these have gargantuan land areas. Thus, the population density of that country will not be totally reflective of the actual condition in major cities where overcrowding is actually proving to be a threat on resources.
Totally ignoring "the number of people" factor is both arrogant and foolhardy. When considering global wellbeing, one cannot just tease out and eliminate a certain component just because it does not sit well with one's beliefs. More objectivity is needed in these situations. Especially since the sake of the entire world and all of humanity are at stake.
- Dr Susan Moore
This issue is certainly being discussed by older Australians, who expect a huge, worrying influx of migrants or would-be migrants from world trouble spots. They are worried because of our water and drought problems. We're the hottest continent on earth, and despite our land size (similar to America's) we have many unpopulated desert regions. Demographic issues like these figure in long-term calculations.
- Rob De Witt
The same Chicken Littles shrieking about overpopulation are busily constructing fantasies about the invasion of other planets while lacking the imagination to explore Utah.
- George Bartholomew
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Science NOW
by Dave Mosher on April 7, 2010
Push, shout, or politely excuse yourself all you want, but those slowpokes in your way just won't budge. A new study shows a long-neglected reason why: Up to 70% of people in crowds socially glue themselves into groups of two or more, slowing down traffic. What's worse, as crowds gets denser, groups bend into anti-aerodynamic shapes that exacerbate the problem. The study may be a boon to urban planners.
Crowd physicists already understand the effects of bottlenecked entrances, dueling streams of pedestrian traffic, and even "turbulence" in shoulder-to-shoulder mobs. In the past 15 years, this work has led to decent mathematical models that architects, city planners, and pretty much anyone dealing with crowds can use to make their spaces safer and more flock-friendly.
Trouble is, the simulations treat people as independent particles—ignoring our love of sticking in groups and blabbing with friends. Small groups of pedestrians change everything, says Mehdi Moussaid, the study's leader and a behavioral scientist at the University of Toulouse in France. "We have to rebuild our knowledge about crowds."
Moussaid and colleagues videotaped two types of posses in Bordeaux, France, from above: the weekday rush and the weekend stroll. Weekday crowds turned out to be about half individuals and half groups (of two or more), whereas weekend footage showed that 70% of people were in groups. Groups of more than four were rare, leading the researchers to conclude that big groups split into smaller ones. In total, the researchers tracked and measured the intricate movements of more than 4500 French pedestrians—data they crunched to build more accurate simulations of crowds.
The researchers found that socializing groups slowed crowd traffic down by about 17%, compared with models in which pedestrian groups didn't interact. They also reveal today in PLoS ONE, that groups of three or more flex into V and U shapes as crowds get denser, with central group members falling back relative to flanking members. This adds insult to injury for pedestrian traffic that is already gummed up, Moussaid says, but it allows the chitchat to continue. "We're not so different from sheep when it comes to crowding. What sets us apart is social interaction," he says. "Walking backwards is not exactly practical, so we form V and U shapes at the cost of speed."
"I'm in discussion with planners from all over the world, ... and the realistic simulation of [group] effects is one of the hottest topics for application," says Tobias Kretz, a software engineer at PTV AG, a company in Karlsruhe, Germany, that consults planners on traffic mobility logistics. Kretz uses a program called VISSIM to model crowd traffic for his clients, and he says Moussaid's work is precisely what he's been waiting for. "We are definitely planning to include the model in ... VISSIM's simulation of pedestrians and make it globally available for traffic-planning projects."
Applications for improving pedestrian traffic on sidewalks, train platforms, malls, and other public spaces aside, Moussaid says he noticed something else during the work: Renegades who rush around lollygagging pedestrians only make things worse. "You're contributing to chaos," he says. "Crowds are self-organized systems, so when you don't cooperate, the system breaks and you slow everyone down."
by Dave Mosher on April 7, 2010
Push, shout, or politely excuse yourself all you want, but those slowpokes in your way just won't budge. A new study shows a long-neglected reason why: Up to 70% of people in crowds socially glue themselves into groups of two or more, slowing down traffic. What's worse, as crowds gets denser, groups bend into anti-aerodynamic shapes that exacerbate the problem. The study may be a boon to urban planners.
Crowd physicists already understand the effects of bottlenecked entrances, dueling streams of pedestrian traffic, and even "turbulence" in shoulder-to-shoulder mobs. In the past 15 years, this work has led to decent mathematical models that architects, city planners, and pretty much anyone dealing with crowds can use to make their spaces safer and more flock-friendly.
Trouble is, the simulations treat people as independent particles—ignoring our love of sticking in groups and blabbing with friends. Small groups of pedestrians change everything, says Mehdi Moussaid, the study's leader and a behavioral scientist at the University of Toulouse in France. "We have to rebuild our knowledge about crowds."
Moussaid and colleagues videotaped two types of posses in Bordeaux, France, from above: the weekday rush and the weekend stroll. Weekday crowds turned out to be about half individuals and half groups (of two or more), whereas weekend footage showed that 70% of people were in groups. Groups of more than four were rare, leading the researchers to conclude that big groups split into smaller ones. In total, the researchers tracked and measured the intricate movements of more than 4500 French pedestrians—data they crunched to build more accurate simulations of crowds.
The researchers found that socializing groups slowed crowd traffic down by about 17%, compared with models in which pedestrian groups didn't interact. They also reveal today in PLoS ONE, that groups of three or more flex into V and U shapes as crowds get denser, with central group members falling back relative to flanking members. This adds insult to injury for pedestrian traffic that is already gummed up, Moussaid says, but it allows the chitchat to continue. "We're not so different from sheep when it comes to crowding. What sets us apart is social interaction," he says. "Walking backwards is not exactly practical, so we form V and U shapes at the cost of speed."
"I'm in discussion with planners from all over the world, ... and the realistic simulation of [group] effects is one of the hottest topics for application," says Tobias Kretz, a software engineer at PTV AG, a company in Karlsruhe, Germany, that consults planners on traffic mobility logistics. Kretz uses a program called VISSIM to model crowd traffic for his clients, and he says Moussaid's work is precisely what he's been waiting for. "We are definitely planning to include the model in ... VISSIM's simulation of pedestrians and make it globally available for traffic-planning projects."
Applications for improving pedestrian traffic on sidewalks, train platforms, malls, and other public spaces aside, Moussaid says he noticed something else during the work: Renegades who rush around lollygagging pedestrians only make things worse. "You're contributing to chaos," he says. "Crowds are self-organized systems, so when you don't cooperate, the system breaks and you slow everyone down."
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Bupa investigative news - 16 January 2003
written by Rachel Newcombe, Bupa health news reporter
Daily commuting can prove an unpleasant chore for some people, especially when trains are delayed and overcrowded. Recent reports suggest the strain of regular journeys can have an effect on one's health, causing some people to suffer dangerous levels of stress. But is this really the case, is there anything that can be done to overcome it or is it out of our control?
KEY POINTS
Train commuting is used by thousands of people a year. In fact, figures from the Rail Passengers Council (RPC) reveal that 471,388 people made the regular daily commute to London in 2001.
Recent reports suggest that a university study found commuters had high stress levels causing the RPC to launch research into the situation.
In reality, the University of Nottingham merely reviewed existing stress research and found a lack of information about train stress. Plus, the RPC haven't yet launched a research project, but they are thinking about it.
Experts say commuting can be hard, but can be made better through positive thinking, relaxation and by taking control.
What were the headlines?
Reports relating to train and commuter stress were recently featured in a variety of newspapers and news websites, and within days, the story had made worldwide headlines in countries as far flung as Australia, India and Singapore. Typical UK headlines included, "Packed trains 'bad for health'" and "Commuting is bad for you," while in India and Singapore they wrote, "Overcrowded trains cause high stress," and "Blame them on crowded trains". The majority of reports claimed that a preliminary study carried out at the University of Nottingham had discovered many commuting train passengers were suffering from high levels of stress. As a result, it was reported that the Rail Passengers Council would be funding a much larger study into the matter.
Details of the proposed study were included, telling of how the researchers would measure travellers' heart rates and blood pressure in an attempt to be the first organisation to scientifically record the stress levels of passengers and fully assess the impact of overcrowded, busy trains.
The news stories gave the impression that the study was the result of lengthy plans, was fully finalised and had already been launched or was about to be launched.
"Of course the fact that trains can be crowded, late and not very clean is stressful. When you put people in a confined space, it's a pressure, and trains that are late or dirty add to that. Coping with it is a lot about attitude - we would all love it if all trains were clean, tidy and on time, but they aren't, so we have to adjust our attitude. If you do suffer from a stress-related illness, it's important to pinpoint exactly what it is, then concentrate on treating the condition and reducing the underlying stress." Alyssa Armstrong, Stress management consultant, Bupa Wellness
What is the bigger picture?
Despite these fascinating claims, the reality is rather different.
The Rail Passengers Council (RPC) described the newspaper and website reports as making "a mountain out of a molehill," exaggerating their comments and misreporting their actions. "We haven't actually commissioned research yet," explained a spokesperson. Neither has a full-blown study been carried out by researchers in Nottingham - they merely gathered together information about existing stress studies. "We did ask the University of Nottingham to look at any previous research on stress relating to trains and overcrowding. However, we found out that not a lot of research has been done on this issue," he said.
"We've said on record that there ought to be more studies conducted and we are considering future investigations on the topic. If we do decide to go ahead, we'd be most likely to commission the project to an outside research body. However, we are not conducting a report just yet and nothing is 100 per cent certain," the RPC's spokesperson added.
It's likely the stories arose following a recent inquiry, made up of a committee of MPs, into train overcrowding. The notion that passengers are being crammed into trains like cattle (what the papers referred to as cattle-truck syndrome) was mentioned at the inquiry by John Cartledge, deputy director of the London Transport Users Committee (LTUC). Anthony Smith, director of the RPC also shared his concerns and suggested that the situation should be changed for the sake of passengers.
The idea that commuting is a stressful factor for many people isn't entirely new however, and is backed up by some previous research. A survey produced for the International Stress Management Association's year 2000 National Stress Awareness Day found that 44 per cent of 400 people surveyed thought that rush hour the single most stressful part of their life.
A MORI poll conducted on behalf of Mitel Networks in 2001 found a similar situation, with 41 per cent of workers rating travel as the most stressful part of their job.
What does this mean?
Although the reports don't all paint exactly the same picture, the basic themes about stress are still important.
"I thought this was a really interesting story because clearly you don't have to be Einstein to work out that trains that are delayed, late and crowded are going to cause people stress," noted Bupa Wellness stress management consultant, Alyssa Armstrong.
"It just goes to show that anything on stress seems to be of public interest at the moment. It's probably because it is true that our stress levels are rising, or we perceive them to be, so we're interested to know more," she added.
According to Carole Spiers, chair of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), "Commuting certainly puts pressure on individuals, there's no question of that." However, she believes it can be overcome. "People can control their pressure levels, so therefore it's not really the situation in itself - commuting - that's the problem, it's one's attitude towards the situation."
ACTION POINTS
If you're concerned about the effects of daily commuting or are worried about feeling stressed, the advice from experts is to not panic, as it can be avoided.
For stressed-out travellers, says Alyssa Armstrong, "The sooner you accept the service is quite likely to be poor, late and crowded, then you'll be a lot better off. You won't be disappointed and you won't feel so stressed about it."
"It's also really important to concentrate on relaxation," adds Alyssa. She believes simple exercises are ideal and can easily be carried out without anyone else knowing. The idea is to focus on your breathing by taking full relaxed breaths and then gradually relax all the muscles in your body, particularly the eyes, jaw and forehead where a lot of stress can be held. When you're fully relaxed she suggests silently saying affirmations to yourself, such as, "Even though this is uncomfortable, in the scheme of things it's really not that bad," or "I do this commute and accept it as part of a job I love."
Other practical ways of coping, suggests Carole, include, "planning your time and using it effectively to your own benefit".
If you do end up suffering from a stress-related illness the Mental Health Foundation says that it's important to seek professional help.
"Stress manifests itself in a lot of different ways and the treatments are as varied as the illnesses," says Alyssa. Types of help include stress management techniques, complementary therapies - such as counselling, hypnotherapy or aromatherapy - and, in some cases, medication.
Summary
Stress can be a key concern for commuters, but while travelling can be an unpleasant experience, it's a necessity for many. Simple changes to attitude could make a vast difference, but if stress does become a problem, professional help is at hand.
written by Rachel Newcombe, Bupa health news reporter
Daily commuting can prove an unpleasant chore for some people, especially when trains are delayed and overcrowded. Recent reports suggest the strain of regular journeys can have an effect on one's health, causing some people to suffer dangerous levels of stress. But is this really the case, is there anything that can be done to overcome it or is it out of our control?
KEY POINTS
Train commuting is used by thousands of people a year. In fact, figures from the Rail Passengers Council (RPC) reveal that 471,388 people made the regular daily commute to London in 2001.
Recent reports suggest that a university study found commuters had high stress levels causing the RPC to launch research into the situation.
In reality, the University of Nottingham merely reviewed existing stress research and found a lack of information about train stress. Plus, the RPC haven't yet launched a research project, but they are thinking about it.
Experts say commuting can be hard, but can be made better through positive thinking, relaxation and by taking control.
What were the headlines?
Reports relating to train and commuter stress were recently featured in a variety of newspapers and news websites, and within days, the story had made worldwide headlines in countries as far flung as Australia, India and Singapore. Typical UK headlines included, "Packed trains 'bad for health'" and "Commuting is bad for you," while in India and Singapore they wrote, "Overcrowded trains cause high stress," and "Blame them on crowded trains". The majority of reports claimed that a preliminary study carried out at the University of Nottingham had discovered many commuting train passengers were suffering from high levels of stress. As a result, it was reported that the Rail Passengers Council would be funding a much larger study into the matter.
Details of the proposed study were included, telling of how the researchers would measure travellers' heart rates and blood pressure in an attempt to be the first organisation to scientifically record the stress levels of passengers and fully assess the impact of overcrowded, busy trains.
The news stories gave the impression that the study was the result of lengthy plans, was fully finalised and had already been launched or was about to be launched.
"Of course the fact that trains can be crowded, late and not very clean is stressful. When you put people in a confined space, it's a pressure, and trains that are late or dirty add to that. Coping with it is a lot about attitude - we would all love it if all trains were clean, tidy and on time, but they aren't, so we have to adjust our attitude. If you do suffer from a stress-related illness, it's important to pinpoint exactly what it is, then concentrate on treating the condition and reducing the underlying stress." Alyssa Armstrong, Stress management consultant, Bupa Wellness
What is the bigger picture?
Despite these fascinating claims, the reality is rather different.
The Rail Passengers Council (RPC) described the newspaper and website reports as making "a mountain out of a molehill," exaggerating their comments and misreporting their actions. "We haven't actually commissioned research yet," explained a spokesperson. Neither has a full-blown study been carried out by researchers in Nottingham - they merely gathered together information about existing stress studies. "We did ask the University of Nottingham to look at any previous research on stress relating to trains and overcrowding. However, we found out that not a lot of research has been done on this issue," he said.
"We've said on record that there ought to be more studies conducted and we are considering future investigations on the topic. If we do decide to go ahead, we'd be most likely to commission the project to an outside research body. However, we are not conducting a report just yet and nothing is 100 per cent certain," the RPC's spokesperson added.
It's likely the stories arose following a recent inquiry, made up of a committee of MPs, into train overcrowding. The notion that passengers are being crammed into trains like cattle (what the papers referred to as cattle-truck syndrome) was mentioned at the inquiry by John Cartledge, deputy director of the London Transport Users Committee (LTUC). Anthony Smith, director of the RPC also shared his concerns and suggested that the situation should be changed for the sake of passengers.
The idea that commuting is a stressful factor for many people isn't entirely new however, and is backed up by some previous research. A survey produced for the International Stress Management Association's year 2000 National Stress Awareness Day found that 44 per cent of 400 people surveyed thought that rush hour the single most stressful part of their life.
A MORI poll conducted on behalf of Mitel Networks in 2001 found a similar situation, with 41 per cent of workers rating travel as the most stressful part of their job.
What does this mean?
Although the reports don't all paint exactly the same picture, the basic themes about stress are still important.
"I thought this was a really interesting story because clearly you don't have to be Einstein to work out that trains that are delayed, late and crowded are going to cause people stress," noted Bupa Wellness stress management consultant, Alyssa Armstrong.
"It just goes to show that anything on stress seems to be of public interest at the moment. It's probably because it is true that our stress levels are rising, or we perceive them to be, so we're interested to know more," she added.
According to Carole Spiers, chair of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), "Commuting certainly puts pressure on individuals, there's no question of that." However, she believes it can be overcome. "People can control their pressure levels, so therefore it's not really the situation in itself - commuting - that's the problem, it's one's attitude towards the situation."
ACTION POINTS
- If you think you could have a stress-related illness, consult your GP or a stress counsellor.
- If you feel stressed while travelling, try simple relaxation techniques and positive affirmations.
- Rather than thinking negatively, try to be positive and make the most of the situation.
- Think about how you can practically use the time spent travelling - by working, reading a good book or listening to music.
If you're concerned about the effects of daily commuting or are worried about feeling stressed, the advice from experts is to not panic, as it can be avoided.
For stressed-out travellers, says Alyssa Armstrong, "The sooner you accept the service is quite likely to be poor, late and crowded, then you'll be a lot better off. You won't be disappointed and you won't feel so stressed about it."
"It's also really important to concentrate on relaxation," adds Alyssa. She believes simple exercises are ideal and can easily be carried out without anyone else knowing. The idea is to focus on your breathing by taking full relaxed breaths and then gradually relax all the muscles in your body, particularly the eyes, jaw and forehead where a lot of stress can be held. When you're fully relaxed she suggests silently saying affirmations to yourself, such as, "Even though this is uncomfortable, in the scheme of things it's really not that bad," or "I do this commute and accept it as part of a job I love."
Other practical ways of coping, suggests Carole, include, "planning your time and using it effectively to your own benefit".
If you do end up suffering from a stress-related illness the Mental Health Foundation says that it's important to seek professional help.
"Stress manifests itself in a lot of different ways and the treatments are as varied as the illnesses," says Alyssa. Types of help include stress management techniques, complementary therapies - such as counselling, hypnotherapy or aromatherapy - and, in some cases, medication.
Summary
Stress can be a key concern for commuters, but while travelling can be an unpleasant experience, it's a necessity for many. Simple changes to attitude could make a vast difference, but if stress does become a problem, professional help is at hand.
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