Avoiding biased language in Transportation

Source: The City of West Palm Beach: Transportation Language Policy

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

Read More

Urban Transport 2011

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

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.

Read More

New York Subway Issue

The Subway Issue

A special edition of the Metropolitan section devoted to New York City’s subway system, which turns 106 this week.

Read More