PhD Studentship to investigate
travel time use in the information age
The Centre for Transport & Society is engaged in new research investigating
travel time use in the information age. This is a three-year project funded
by the EPSRC. The research is being conducted jointly by CTS (a transport
group with an interest in social science approaches) and the Centre for
Mobilities Research (CeMoRe) at Lancaster University (a sociology group
with an interest in transport). There are research staff from both groups
dedicated to the project. However, in addition the project includes a
fully-funded PhD studentship at CTS for which applications are now sought.
A brief overview of the project 'Travel Time Use in the Information Age' is
provided below. More detailed information can be found by visiting the
project website (http://www.transport.uwe.ac.uk/opportunities/ttu-phd.htm).
The major attraction of a studentship of this kind is that the student will
have the opportunity to work alongside the project team, benefitting from
staff expertise as well as contributing to the project. In this instance
the successful applicant will be exposed to the unusual interplay between
two distinctly different research cultures and will be able to develop a
multidisciplinary approach to transport research - something which is
likely to be highly attractive in terms of subsequent career development.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed individual who shares our
interest in studying the links between transport and society. If you wish
to apply, please download and complete an application form making sure to
set out why you wish to take up this studentship, why you are well placed
as an applicant and what issues you might wish to explore in the research.
The value of the studentship is set at the standard EPSRC stipend (£9000
for 2003/04) with an annual enhancement of £1500.
For further information please contact Professor Glenn Lyons at the Centre
for Transport & Society (CTS), Faculty of the Built Environment, University
of the West of England BS16 1QY, by email at
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask], or telephone 0117 32
83219. Alternatively contact Julie Triggle in the Faculty Research Office
by email at <mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask], or
telephone 0117 32 83208.
There is an initial closing date of 1 March 2004. We would expect the
successful applicant to commence as soon as possible.
Research project overview
We exist in a society within which 'life on the move' is increasingly
common and supported by a growing array of mobile information and
communication technologies. In the UK and other countries as mobility
levels continue to grow, a trend in 'further and faster' is prevailing.
This project is addressing an area that has hitherto received little or no
attention - namely people's use of time when they are on the move. This is
something which is poorly understood and yet has potentially significant
implications for transport policy and for the way our transport systems and
their use continue to evolve. Since the 1960s the basic treatment of travel
time within appraisal of new transport schemes has remained the same -
travel time is unproductive wasted time and, accordingly, savings in travel
time typically constitute the majority of the benefit derived from a
scheme. In transport modelling trips and activities are treated as separate
entities, with the former merely a means to undertaking the latter. Many
subscribe to the view that a travel time budget exists across societies -
i.e. at the aggregate level the amount of time spent travelling each day is
remarkably constant. This research will challenge these conventions with a
starting assumption that travel time is (increasingly) being used
productively as activity time. The research aims to develop an
evidence-based understanding of travel time use and in turn explore ways in
which public transport providers can positively exploit this.
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Professor Glenn Lyons
Centre for Transport & Society
Faculty of the Built Environment
University of the West of England
Frenchay Campus
Coldharbour Lane
BRISTOL BS16 1QY
Tel 0117 32 83219
Mobile 07748 768404
Fax 0117 32 83899
Email [log in to unmask]
Web www.transport.uwe.ac.uk
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