00201740

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...s/hrr/1969/296/296-005.pdf

THE NATURE OF A COMPUTER SIMULATION MODEL IS DESCRIBED THAT ANALYZES THE CONGESTION COSTS OF AND THE BENEFITS ACCRUING FROM IMPROVEMENTS TO AN INLAND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, SUCH AS FOUND ON THE MAJOR NAVIGABLE RIVERS OF THE UNITED STATES. THE MODEL IS A COMPUTER SIMULATION MODEL CAPABLE OF REPRESENTING THE FLOWS OF COMMERCIAL BARGE TOWS OVER A WATERWAY SYSTEM CONSISTING OF: (1) CHANNEL SEGMENTS OF ASSIGNABLE LENGTHS, WIDTHS, DEPTHS, AND CURRENTS, (2) PORTS WITH SPECIFIED TYPES OF DELAYS, (3) LOCKS OF SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS, WHICH MAY INCLUDE DIFFERENT NUMBERS OF CHAMBERS AND ANY DISTRIBUTIONS OF LOCKING TIME COMPONENTS, AND (4) RESTRICTED STRETCHES SUCH AS THOSE IN WHICH SPEEDS MUST BE RESTRICTED OR IN WHICH PASSING MAY BE PROHIBITED. SOME SPECIFIC APPLICATION OF THE MODEL IS ILLUSTRATED. CONGESTION CREATED THE NEED FOR THE MODEL BECAUSE: (1) THE PHYSICAL CAPACITY OF THE WATERWAY IS STRETCHED AND HAS BECOME EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE, (2) THE ANALYSES OF THE IMPACT OF STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS ON CONGESTION COSTS IS DIFFICULT AND (3) EFFICIENT USE OF THE WATERWAYS REQUIRES THE PRICING OF THE SERVICES OF THE WATERWAY IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE PRICES CHARGED REFLECT CONGESTION COSTS. IT APPEARS THAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAFFIC IMPOSE DIFFERENT DEGREES OF CONGESTION COSTS ON THE SYSTEM.

Paper sponsored by Committee on Socio-Economic Aspects of Highways and presented at the 48th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

01410235

pp 66-68

1969

Highway Research Record

Digital/other

Figures (1) ; References (2) ; Tables (5)

Benefit cost analysis; Costs; Information processing; Inland waterways; Mathematical models; Simulation; Traffic congestion; Transportation; Water transportation

Transportation models; Transportation systems

Economics; Society; Transportation (General)

TRIS, TRB

Mar 9 1970 12:00AM

• A STATISTICAL SKETCH OF INTERCITY FREIGHT DEMAND
• AN EVALUATION OF COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES
• PRICING TO REDUCE AIRPORT CONGESTION
• THE PRICING OF ROAD TRANSPORT SERVICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES