ITS Monday: Edition 9, 2024
A small, weekly collection of curated content from the worlds of intelligent transport systems, smart mobility, and associated areas.
Included this week, improving the viablility of rail freight, EV sales rise, the quicker than expected rise of electric trucks, Advanced Air Mobility, and more.
The article headlines below are:
- Australia’s freight used to go by train, not truck. Here’s how we can bring back rail – and cut emissions
- E for equity? E-scooter and e-bike schemes can help people on low incomes and with disabilities
- ‘No longer a novelty’: massive rise in Australian EV sales, industry report finds
- Heavy electric trucks cleared to drive in another state
- Electric trucks will be cheaper than diesel – years faster than expected
- Exploring perceptions of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in older drivers with age-related declines
Ban bosses from blocking working from home unless they have a good reason: unions - Planning for Advanced Air Mobility
And just in case you hadn’t caught it yet, we have a recent series of interviews with transport professionals – Effects of COVID on the transport sector – what they see now, what they would like to happen post-pandemic, and what they think will happen. If you’d like to be join this conversation, drop us a line!
This week’s articles
Now, scroll down, and see what’s in this week’s edition. Oh, and before you do, be sure check out the quickest way to receive our new content via the subscription box just below …
A piece from The Conversation, by Phillip Laird from the University of Wollongong. “Until the 1960s, railways dominated freight across every distance bar the shortest. Much freight went by sea, and some by truck. But then trucking grew, and grew, and grew, while rail’s share of freight outside mined ore has shrunk and domestic shipping freight is diminished.” Phillip here goes into the numbers, the history, and ways in which rail freight could be made more viable.
Related iMOVE project:
READ THE ARTICLE
E for equity? E-scooter and e-bike schemes can help people on low incomes and with disabilities
The second article this week, and the second sourced from The Conversation. This time the author is Alexa Delbosc, Associate Professor in Transport, Monash University.
“… some are still wondering whether shared micromobility systems are simply a fun form of transport for young, mostly male and high-income tourists, or do they benefit a broader set of users?”
Alexa then presents findings from her co-authored paper, Who uses subsidized micromobility, and why? Understanding low-income riders in three countries.
Related iMOVE content:
READ THE ARTICLE
‘No longer a novelty’: massive rise in Australian EV sales, industry report finds
“Electric vehicles are “no longer a novelty” and their uptake in Australia is booming, with the industry recording a 120% rise in sales over the past year, according to a new report on the industry. There are now more than 180,000 EVs on Australian roads, with 98,436 of those bought last year, the Australian Electric Vehicle Industry Recap 2023 found.
Related iMOVE content:
Related iMOVE projects:
READ THE ARTICLE
Heavy electric trucks cleared to drive in another state
“Electric trucks have been given the green light to haul freight in another state after the Queensland government announced it would allow heavier vehicles on some major routes. The announcement on Friday will make Queensland the fourth state to allow the low-emission vehicles on roads, in what is designed to be a staged rollout.”
READ THE ARTICLE
Electric trucks will be cheaper than diesel – years faster than expected
“Electric trucks are a crucial solution, but just like the electric vehicles accelerating onto roads today, electric trucks still depend on affordable batteries to make economic sense. Passenger EV costs have fallen so fast that they’re now cheaper off the lot or over a vehicle’s lifetime compared to gasoline powered cars, but electric HDV cost forecasts have traditionally lagged, not expected to reach cost parity with diesel for decades.
This economic progress is important for fleet operators planning their purchases and government officials considering policies to encourage the electric HDV transition.”
Related iMOVE articles:
READ THE ARTICLE
A new academic paper, co-authored by Joanne M. Wood, Emily Henry, Sherrie-Anne Kaye, Alex A. Black, Sebastien Glaser, Kaarin J. Anstey, and Andry Rakotonirainy.
The abstract:
Perceptions of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) were explored in two semi-structured face-to-face focus group studies of 42 older drivers (aged 65 years and older) with and without age-related declines. Study 1 explored perceptions regarding ADAS, focusing on visual, auditory, physical, and cognitive factors.
Study 2 extended this by additionally exploring perceptions following exposure to videos and stationary vehicle demonstrations of an ADAS. Participants had a range of visual, hearing, memory, and health characteristics which impacted on their daily life. In both studies, some participants had insights regarding various ADAS technologies prior to the study, but many were unfamiliar with these systems. Nevertheless, overall, participants reported that ADAS would assist them to drive as they age and increase their mobility and independence.
There were comments regarding the benefits of warning alerts, although the potential for them to be distracting was also highlighted. Participants with vision impairment preferred audio alerts and participants with hearing impairment preferred visual display alerts. Findings highlighted the potential for ADAS to assist those with age-related declines and the need to increase the flexibility of warning system alerts to suit the varying requirements of older drivers, as well as to reduce the complexity of vehicle interfaces.
Collectively, these strategies would maximize the benefits of these vehicles to increase the mobility, independence, and quality of life of older drivers with and without age-related declines.
Related iMOVE article:
READ THE ARTICLE
Ban bosses from blocking working from home unless they have a good reason: unions
While this article doesn’t specifically deal with transport matters, the topic of Working from Home is very much closely tied to transport!
Related iMOVE article:
READ THE ARTICLE
Planning for Advanced Air Mobility
“PAS Report 606, Planning for Advanced Air Mobility, presents planners and policymakers with the foundational knowledge to understand important considerations for AAM development and potential community impacts. It provides information for the public sector to integrate AAM into planning and policymaking at the local and regional levels of government, and it highlights the need for greater awareness about AAM and its potential impacts among communities, which may have little prior experience with aviation planning issues.”
Related iMOVE projects:
- Prototype Uncrewed Air System delivery aircraft development
- Validating the benefits of increased drone uptake for Australia
- An empirical analysis of drone ecosystems in 4PL logistics
- Integrating drones into NT Health
Related iMOVE article:
READ THE ARTICLEWe used to send out a weekly newsletter, ITS Weekly Roundup, a collection of ITS- and mobility-related news from across the world. ITS Monday is a replacement for that, a collection of links to news and opinion pieces, academic papers, and more. Additionally, you can follow us on Linkedin and Twitter, both of which have a focus on iMOVE news and projects, or subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter.
*Inclusion in ITS Monday does not equal iMOVE endorsement. It’s more aimed at discovery, thought, or discussion … or all of those and more. And while for the most part I expect content to be current, a little age doesn’t mean diminished interest.
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