Hi all,
I didn't get Shimon's e-mail so i've had to reply through the
forum. You may hit delete NOW. You may already have this
info, but these guys are good to talk to for the Australian statistics
you're looking for, some of it free to public.
http://www.arrb.org.au/
and Hi to Muriel, and thanks for another interesting debate. What
is a non-key essential<grin>? It reminds me of NASA's
categories of "known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown
unknowns," where they actually listed what was in the last
category...wow they're smart!
and Hi to John Bullas, i like the flower in the hair, but don't all the
sheep eat them in NZ? Must get very grotty. And who the hell
is Eric Satie, do you have a sound byte for 'Les Trois Gymnopedies' that
you can send me?
cheers all,
craig
Craig Fletcher, BSc,
BEng(mech), MIEAust
Simulations Engineer, RABiT
www.rabit.com.au
PhD candidate, Melbourne University, Dept. of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering
www.mame.mu.oz.au
ph:+61 3 8344 6680
fax: +61 3 9347 8784
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
snail-mail:
Department
of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
University
of Melbourne
Victoria
3010 Australia
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At 05:26 AM 7/9/2004, Muriel Strand wrote:
i would suggest that the
cost-effectiveness of highway research programs
tends to be low for the same reason as typical engineering
projects.
usually the focus is on the project itself, and how well the
engineering
works, rather than on the final purpose of the project.
what i mean by final purpose is the basic underlying set of goals
for
virtually all engineering activity, to improve the physical living
standards of human beings. there are 5 key essentials to
assure
adequate living standards - clean air, clean water, healthy food,
warm
clothes and snug shelter.
how effective really are highway projects and highway research in
assisting us in realizing these 5 essentials? usually the pat
answer is
that highways facilitate mobility so people can more easily travel
to
transport these things from one place to another. but this is
simply a
means to an end. and highways also cover up lots of perfectly good
land
in ways that compromise access to or quality of these essentials.
in
addition, excessive reliance on vehicle travel leads to many health
problems related to obesity and lack of exercise, especially in the
u.s.
and increasingly elsewhere.
i recommend keeping a focus on these key essentials as the true goals
of
human technology & economic activity. as with engineers,
economists
typically also focus on means (in their case, money) rather than
the
true ends that are really driving all this activity.
let's keep our eyes on the prize.
muriel
שמעון נסיכי wrote:
> Dear Friends
>
> I am asking for your help in providing me or referring me to
any
> sources which may have information relevant to the following
issues:
>
> 1. Percentage of highway research budgets as a percentage of
total
> (national) expenditure on highways.
>
> 2. Data on cost effectiveness of national research programs (e.
g.
> US-SHRP project)
>
> Thanks
>
>
Shimon Nesichi, M.Sc.,
>
Managing Director,
>
Materials and Research Division,
>
Public Works Department,
>
Ben Zvi Rd. 55, POB 49057
>
Tel Aviv, 61940
>
Israel
>
--
Any resemblance of any of the above opinions to anybody's official
position on anything is completely coincidental.
******************************************************************
Muriel Strand, P.E.
Air Resources Engineer
CA Air Resources Board
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-324-6771
916-322-3923 (fax)
www.arb.ca.gov
