PhD Studentship to investigate
travel time use in the information age
The Unit for Transport & Society has secured a major new research project
to investigate travel time use in the information age. This is a three-year
project funded by the EPSRC which will begin in February 2004. The research
will be conducted jointly by UTS (a transport group with an interest in
social science approaches) and the Centre for Mobilities Research (CeMoRe)
at Lancaster University (a social science group with an interest in
transport). There will be research staff from both groups dedicated to the
project. However, in addition the project includes a fully-funded PhD
studentship at UTS 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 Unit for
Transport and Society (UTS), 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 344
3219. Alternatively contact Julie Triggle in the Faculty Research Office by
email at <mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask], or
telephone 0117 344 3208.
There is an initial closing date of 31 October 2003. The start date for the
PhD is tied to that of the project, i.e. February 2004.
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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** please note new tel and fax numbers **
Professor Glenn Lyons
Unit for Transport and 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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