Dear colleagues,
I would be most grateful if you could draw this to the attention of
individuals who may be considering studying for a PhD.
Best wishes,
Glenn
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PhD Studentship available in the areas of road pricing and transport
technologies
The Centre for Transport & Society is pleased to announce that it has a new
PhD studentship available (part-funded by the Department for Transport).
Fees are paid and the studentship will, as a minimum, equate to the
standard EPSRC stipend (£12000 for 2005/06). A Research Training Support
Grant will also be provided.
For further information please contact Professor Glenn Lyons at Centre for
Transport & Society (CTS), Faculty of the Built Environment, University of
the West of England BS16 1QY, by email at [log in to unmask], or
telephone 0117 32 83219. Alternatively contact Jane Newton in the Faculty
Research Office by email at [log in to unmask], or telephone 0117 32 83102.
If you wish to apply, please visit the CTS website
(www.transport.uwe.ac.uk) to download and complete an application form
making sure to include a short statement of around 500 words outlining your
preferred topic and why this topic is of interest to you and suggesting
some possible lines of research inquiry you might wish to pursue.
There is a closing date for applications of Wednesday 15 February 2006.
Shortlisted applicants will subsequently be invited to interview.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed individual who wishes to
contribute to the CTS aim of improving and promoting understanding of the
inherent links between lifestyles and personal travel in the context of
continuing social and technological change.
Applicants are welcome to put forward their own ideas for research provided
that it relates to road pricing and/or transport technologies. However the
following five research topics have been identified as suitable options:
Understanding public attitudes to road pricing
In 2004 the Centre for Transport & Society conducted an extensive review of
attitudes to road pricing for the Department for Transport as part of the
National Road Pricing Feasibility Study. The Study also included new
qualitative research and findings from an Omnibus survey. Details of this
work can be found at
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/divisionhomepage/029790.hcsp
It is clear that while much research has been done looking at what
attitudes people hold, much less has been done to examine why people hold
the attitudes they do. There is also only limited understanding of why
attitudes differ across the population and how attitudes are shaped and
reshaped. Such matters remain of key importance to policymakers with the
Government giving serious attention to the eventual prospects of a national
road pricing scheme in the UK. Thus as a PhD topic, the understanding of
public attitudes to road pricing is well grounded in an identified body of
literature but presents much opportunity for the development of important
new knowledge.
Understanding public attitudes towards and their use of in-car navigation
systems
High-street electrical stores and shopping websites have recently seen an
abundance of adverts for the purchase of a whole range of in-car navigation
systems. These provide the purchaser with the capacity to be given step by
step visual and/or audible instructions during their car journey allowing
them to find their way through unfamiliar territory. The systems are
capable of re-planning routes if the driver encounters problems and,
through the use of Global Positioning, the systems are always aware of
where the driver and their vehicle are located. While the penetration of
such systems into the population of UK motorists is still only modest it
appears that access to and use of such systems may be coming increasingly
commonplace. It therefore becomes timely to better understand what the
consequences might be of such systems both today and in the future. This
PhD topic provides the opportunity to lean more about the attitudes of
people to such systems and to probe in detail how they use such systems and
how this might be affecting their attitudes towards travel and the travel
choices they make. From such research it would also be possible to gauge
the prospects for further future take-up. One particular aspect of any
research might be to consider the generational differences that may be of
significance. Drivers from different age groups belong to different
generations. With increasing age certain basic physiological and cognitive
functions change; this may affect the responses of the elderly to
technological systems. The aging process is not only a physiological
process in which biological systems undergo changes, but it is also a
social process in which a person changes her involvement in activities and
obligations.
The importance of social interactions in the design of ATIS (Advanced
Traveller Information Systems)
In common applications of transport models and traffic simulations,
travellers are assumed to make 'selfish' decisions to maximise their
individual utility. On the other hand, cooperation between travellers that
have a more pro-social value orientation may lead to a situation where
social utility is shared in a more fair way. The paradigm that selfish
motives always underlie the making of travel choices may be questioned.
Recently, there has also been increasing interest in the influence of
psychological and social aspects on the behaviour of travellers. This
so-called 'softer' side of transport policy is relatively new in the UK and
other countries. Social factors (such as communications, personal
responsibility and group identification) are known to constrain
selfishness. Currently developed ATIS may have the potential to increase
the positive effects of these social factors on the pro-social value
orientation of travellers. The importance of understanding the social
aspects of travel-choice behaviour is not only in terms of its relevance to
the measurement and the prediction of such behaviour. It may also be
important in terms of influencing and changing travel behaviour. In this
PhD research the characteristics of group behaviour in travel-choice
situations will be investigated according to some principles of social
behaviour. Due to the lack of empirical research in this field in the UK,
there will be a need to form the empirical basis for this work by
collecting and analysing both field and laboratory data.
Understanding how Britain's cities are embracing the approach of road pricing
In 2005 the Secretary of State for Transport announced a number of awards
to cities under the Government's Transport Innovation Fund which will allow
them to examine further whether and how to introduce road pricing. It will
be potentially valuable to be able to chart and understand the process
these cities embark upon over the next 2-3 years and to compare and
contrast both their approaches, findings and intentions. Thus this PhD
topic would represent a case-study approach working at the forefront of the
road pricing delivery agenda.
Transitional measures towards road pricing
Can the transition to road pricing be assisted by the testing of other
demand management measures such as access control, HOV lanes and HOT (high
occupancy/toll lanes) lanes. HOT lanes, for example, could introduce the
concept of paying for road use in return for travel time savings while
still leaving motorists with choice not to pay. The study could review
international literature, conduct study of relevant TIF initiative and
include attitudinal/SP research on initiatives. South Glos should be
excellent test-bed for this with its congestion, HOV lanes and current
consideration of road pricing/workplace parking levies.
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