Economic Evaluation For Transportation Planning

Urban traffic system construction, which is comprehensive and of large-scale, needs meticulous and scrutinized planning by considering both internal and external factors, such as social conditions, economic development, and natural & environmental conditions. Accordingly, it is imperative to build up comprehensive evaluation methods to estimate the efficiency and equity of the whole planning. However, the author finds that this work still lags behind even though people have realized its significance.By reviewing and making thorough analysis of related works from both home and abroad, the author mainly focuses on four parts in this paper. First, fundamental theory-based research is made. Analysis of the benefit and cost composition based on the traffic benefit sources sets up the strong support for the whole research. A three-index system framework, which sets different evaluation standards, not only optimizes the evaluation methods but also makes it possible for the step-by-step, dynamic and comprehensive economic evaluation during the entire planning process. Second, research in key evaluation skills is conducted, for example, how to build up the traffic model to reflect completely various measures taken in the planning process and how to quantify the evaluation indexes through output data provided by the model. Third, empirical research is carried out to reinforce the credibility and practicability of the research results. In this part, three subparts are discussed in detail. I. Contend the quantitative analysis is essential for the traffic planning by probing into the planning status II. Illustrate that present evaluation methods still need improving through comparative study of the methods in operation and the new methods introduced in this paper III. Testify the feasibility of the new evaluation methods by making a thorough evaluation research case based on a certain city's traffic planning, covering estimating its traffic strategy, planning and operation. Finally, the author presents some conclusions & breakthroughs in this paper and lists some up-coming research tasks within the research perspective. With regard to the breakthroughs, four are made as follows: First, improve and perfect the evaluation factors through the analysis of benefit and cost composition; second, make step-by-step, dynamic and comprehensive economic evaluation by taking the traffic system as evaluation object; third, establish a three-index framework, including the environmental friendliness index, social fairness index, socioeconomic adaptation index, to better evaluate three distinct phases during the urban traffic planning; four, fully utilize the new traffic model development so as to completely reflect the status of traffic construction, policies and management and provide data for analysis.In summary, the author puts forward a set of economic evaluation methods based on the present economic evaluation skills and by absorbing related advanced theories and practices both from home and abroad. These methods attach great importance to the whole process of urban traffic planning and underpin the success of the entire planning.